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KENNEWICK -- The Hanford Falcons definitely got coach Paul Mayer's memo: You have got to play better defense.
After being picked apart by Moses Lake on Friday night, Hanford responded by holding Southridge to just 44 points Saturday night.
Problem was, the Falcons endured one of their worst shooting nights of the season in a 44-37 nonleague loss to the Suns at Southridge High School.
"I will definitely take tonight over last night," said Mayer, whose team lost 69-64 to Moses Lake. "Last night we didn't play defense. Tonight, we just didn't play offense."
The Falcons (4-4) shot just 14-of-51 (27 percent) from the field, including 8-of-30 from behind the 3-point line.
Some credit has to go to the Southridge zone defense, which kept a hand in the face of the Falcons' shooters all night.
The Suns (4-4) held Pete Zachara, the Falcons' leading scorer at 19 points per game, to just 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
"Our defense stepped it up," said Suns coach Jason DeVere, whose team has won two straight since the holiday break. "We've worked really hard the past couple of weeks and I think mentally we have made a jump."
The Suns' offense did not fare much better than Hanford's. Southridge was just 15-of-46 (32 percent) from the field and a dismal 11-of-22 from the free-throw line.
But it was enough.
"It was a grinder," DeVere said. "That's what we want. We can't get out and run with teams. We have to slow it down to our tempo."
Clayton Homme and Andrew Mendenhall did most of the damage for the Suns, combining from 29 of their team's 44 points.
It was Homme's third straight game in double figures, as he once again found ways to score in traffic around the basket.
"It was tough," Homme said. "We're starting to play better and I think we are going to keep getting better."
Mendenhall, averaging more than 20 points per game, was held in check most of the first half by Josh Bland. He had just two first-half field goals, but both came at key junctures.
The first came in the final second of the first quarter to get the Suns at 12-10 advantage. The second came in the waning seconds of the second quarter to put Southridge ahead 26-21 at halftime.
Hanford would only get as close as three points in the second half, that coming on a 3-pointer by Zachara to open the fourth quarter.
But the Suns responded with an 8-1 run to take their biggest lead at 40-30, and all they had to do was make their free throws to put the game away. Instead, Southridge was just 4-of-12 in the final eight minutes, allowing Hanford to stick around until the final seconds.
"That's something we have to fix," DeVere said.
Jordan Friesz, who started in place of the injured Kyle Wagar (groin), scored eight points. Mayer said he hopes Wagar will return next week when CBBN Cascade Division play resumes.
Southridge 44, Hanford 37
HANFORD (37)
Bland 5, Winsor, Hodgson 8, Manderbach 3, Friesz 8, Rueter 1, Pete Zachara 10, C. Wagar, Haynes 2. Totals 14-51 1-4 37.
SOUTHRIDGE (44)
McCollom 4, M. Mendenhall 3, A. Mendenhall 14, Stollie 6, Clayton Homme 15, Munns 2, Mickelsen, Whitney. Totals 15-46 11-22 44.
Hanford 10 11 5 11 -- 37
Southridge 12 14 6 12 -- 44
Highlights -- Kevin Hodgson 8 rebs; Jordan Friesz 8 rebs; Homme 10 rebs.
