Nine of the Mercer Island boys basketball team players competed in their first varsity game on Wednesday night, and the result was a 56-29 loss to Ballard.
“[The Beavers] are a very good team,” said Islander coach Ed Pepple. “We know where we are and what we have to work on.”
Mercer Island was not ready for the speed or physical presence of Ballard, as the game began with a 16-0 run by the Beavers.
“It was definitely a case of nerves,” said Pepple. “We have two guys who [played] just a few minutes on varsity and nine others in their first game.”
The opening run was finally disrupted when senior Robbie Taylor swiped the ball from a Ballard player at half court, put up a lay-in and was fouled. Mercer Island continued to battle back by closing the gap to 21-12 on a long three by Taylor during the second quarter. But that would be as close as the Islanders would get.
The second half began the same way as the first quarter did with Ballard running up and down the floor. Mercer Island didn’t score its first basket of the second half until the 2:28 mark of the third period, when Quinn Sterling hit a short jump shot.
On defense, the Islanders had a tough time slowing down Ballard’s Eric Taylor, who led the Beavers with 29 points and eight rebounds.
“Our goal is to just keep improving,” said Pepple, whose 2007-2008 team finished the regular season 16-0. “They had a couple of runs on us. We need to find the guys who want to compete and go after the ball.”
The Islanders were led by Taylor, who finished with 11 points. He was the only Mercer Island player in double figures. It is the second time in three years that the team has lost its season opener at home.
The Islanders bounced back on Friday with their first victory, a 60-44 win against Kamiak. Mercer Island came out sluggish but turned on the defense during the second quarter, holding Kamiak to four points.
The Islanders closed out the game with 18 points during the fourth period.
Mercer Island was led by Jon Poli with 15 points, Sterling with 13, and Peter Zajac had 12.
The Islanders took on Hazen, Monday, after Reporter deadline.
Mercer Island will begin the regular season on Friday, hosting Juanita High School for an 8 p.m. tip-off.
