After getting off to a slow start, for the Islander girls at least, the Mercer Island girls basketball team once again showed why it is the top team in KingCo, knocking off Bellevue 65-40 on Friday night, and beating Sammamish Wednesday evening 91-22.
The match between the Wolverines and the Islanders started fast, but Mercer Island had trouble getting its shots to stick, resulting in the first quarter ending with a tie, 11-11.
Bellevue did its best to block shots and run defensive angles to keep the home team from the basket, but once MIHS found its zone in the second quarter, there was no looking back.
The Islanders had a solid lead of 32-17 going into the second half. By the end of the third quarter, the lead grew to 51-30. In the fourth quarter, the Wolverines tried to battle the Islanders, causing both sides to foul and ending with Sarah Taylor and Hannah Lilly fouling out.
Head coach Jamie Prescott said the team finished stronger, especially compared to the team’s loss to Newport on Dec. 29.
“Our defensive intensity was much improved,” said Prescott. “We had better ball movement and better decision-making.”
The Islanders, who consider Bellevue a game to measure themselves, proved they were where they wanted to be on Friday night.
“They absolutely look forward to it,” said Prescott of the rivalry. “In our league, it’s how we measure how we’re doing. The first time we played Bellevue last year, they were horrible, and the girls said they never wanted to let that happen again, and they didn’t.”
Freshman Kris Brackman, who also celebrated her birthday on Friday night, led the Islanders with 12 points, while Heidi Black had 11 overall. Kate DaPron, Jae Shin and Taylor each had nine points, while Lilly put up six, Hailey Gullstad had five and Kaylia Balinbin and Christina Williamson each had two for the team. Bellevue’s Kelly Meggs and Taylor Cooke each had nine points.
The Mercer Island girls are currently 8-3 this season and lead the KingCo league, ahead of second-place Juanita.
The team will travel to Sammamish for another league match-up tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. and will travel to Liberty on Friday night for a 6:30 p.m. game.
