Islander boys slip against Bellevue, beat Sammamish

The last time when the Mercer Island boys basketball team met Bellevue, it was an emotional night, with a tip-off following the MIHS gym dedication to former head coach Ed Pepple. The Islanders played with passion and emotion, keeping the top-ranked Wolverines from running away with the game early in January.

The team’s second meeting, at Bellevue this time, wasn’t quite as close, although the Islanders held their ground until the last quarter when the Wolverines dashed away.

The first and second quarters both ended in a tie, with each team holding on to 19 points at the half. In the third, Mercer Island was able to keep Bellevue in check, allowing 26 points compared to their 22. It was in the final eight minutes that Bellevue took the lead and blew past the Islanders for good. In the fourth quarter, the Wolverines scored 21 points to Mercer Island’s eight.

Kaj Sherman and Quinn Sterling each had 12 points for MIHS during the loss, while Bellevue’s Aaron Bright posted 34 points in the win.

Mercer Island ended their week with a win over Sammamish, 55-52. The Totems started out strong, taking a 17-9 first quarter lead, but couldn’t match the Islanders’ shooting power in the second, giving up 23 points to the Islanders. But the halftime break offered some incentive, as the Sammamish boys bounced back in the third quarter to come within one point of Mercer Island. Strong defense kept the Islander ahead in the last minutes to take the win.

Sterling grabbed 12 points on Friday night, Parker Scott put up 11, Sloan Aikens had 10 and Gabe Fruchter had nine.