MI girls bounce back, thump Liberty | Prep girls basketball

Anna Luce leads Islanders with 21 points in win over Patriots.

January 16, 2016 3:31 pm
Mercer Island's Anna Luce goes up for a shot against Liberty's Samantha Kelderman Friday
Mercer Island's Anna Luce goes up for a shot against Liberty's Samantha Kelderman Friday

After suffering their season’s first loss two nights prior, there was never any doubt in Mercer Island’s follow-up against the Liberty Patriots. The Islanders bounced back in dominant fashion, off and running to a 65-27 blowout win over Liberty Friday night at Liberty High School.

“We needed to assert that we are the winners and that we can overcome those losses,” Islander coach Gillian d’Hondt said. “Those losses are learning experiences for us.”

Prior to falling to the undefeated Bellevue Wolverines 78-56 on Jan. 13, games hadn’t been all that close for the Islanders. Mercer Island’s 11-0 start to the season was one of the best in program history, with each win coming by a double-digit margin.

That dominance was back on display Friday evening. Mercer Island (12-1, 6-1) opened with a 10-0 run and led 21-7 after the first period. The Islanders extended their lead to a 36-15 advantage at the break, with Luce scoring 15 of her game-high 21 points in the first half.

d’Hondt said a focus point for her team was improved rebounding and transition defense, and her players certainly responded on that end of the court. The Islander defense held the Patriots (5-8, 2-5) to three points in the third quarter, as Mercer Island saw its advantage grow to as many as 44 in the second half.

Taylor Krause and Kailee Yan each scored 11 points for Mercer Island. Samantha Kelderman led Liberty with 14 points.

Though their win streak to start the year had been snapped, d’Hondt said the experience may have paid off in other ways for her team. The Islanders are still missing starting guard Jess Blakeslee, who will be a welcome addition the next time Mercer Island gets a crack at first-place Bellevue this season.

“I think we might have even gained a little bit of confidence knowing that we have Jess [coming] back,” she said. “When we’re executing our rebounding and our transition defense, I think we can definitely get them.”

Mercer Island will take on Todd Beamer (12-1, 5-0) in a non-league matchup at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 at Todd Beamer High School.