A prolific performance in the second half was the difference for the Mercer Island Islanders boys lacrosse team against the Bothell Cougars.

The Islanders, who were tied at 3-3 with the Cougars at halftime, outscored Bothell 5-2 in the final 24 minutes of play en route to a 8-5 victory on May 2 at Bothell High School. Mercer Island sophomore goalie Tynan Drayton, who made six saves between the posts in the contest, was glad to see his squad find its stride in the second half.

“We played a lot better and played the way we should. Our defense tightened up and our offense played to our potential. We should had been playing that way the whole game,” Drayton said.

Mercer Island coach Ian O’Hearn said his team displayed more passion in the second half of play against Bothell.

“At halftime, one of the things we were lacking was intensity. We had a big upset win over Bellevue (April 26) and really strong wins against Issaquah (April 28) and Woodinville (April 22) so we were kind of cocky. We (coaching staff) warned them beforehand that Bothell is a good team and that it wasn’t going to be easy. We came out flat. The primary thing was to just come out intense in the second half and fight for ground balls. That is what we did and we pulled out the win,” O’Hearn said.

Glen Mahoney scored a team-high three goals in the win for the Islanders. Stew Vassau and Hunter Johnson each scored two goals apiece and Ty Robinson chipped in one goal in the victory.

O’Hearn was impressed with Drayton’s play as the starting goalie as the season has progressed.

“He has been coming on strong in the second half of the season. He is only a sophomore so it is a big deal for him. He has played great in the last three games for us,” O’Hearn said.