Four on the floor for Mercer Island Girls Select Basketball

Local squads qualify for state tournament in March.

By Andy Nystrom • February 4, 2022 10:30 am
Fourth-graders: From left to right: Elsie Pierce, Sienna Cohen, Claire Oberto, Sydney Munson, Paige Anderson, Sophia Clark, Julia Gribble, Chloe Chen, Maya Kirtman, Rachel Hoole, Sophia Yu and Aylwen Battersby. Courtesy photo
Fourth-graders: From left to right: Elsie Pierce, Sienna Cohen, Claire Oberto, Sydney Munson, Paige Anderson, Sophia Clark, Julia Gribble, Chloe Chen, Maya Kirtman, Rachel Hoole, Sophia Yu and Aylwen Battersby. Courtesy photo

Next month, four Mercer Island Girls Select Basketball squads will be displaying their skills at the middle school state tournament.

The fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and eighth-grade teams will hit the road to Spokane on March 11-13 and put the local program in the spotlight.

FOURTH GRADE

With a strong work ethic and enthusiasm on its side in games and during practices, coach Tony Locascio’s team has an 8-5 record this season, including a championship in the MLK Wildcat King Holiday Tournament.

“Our whole team works hard every time we are in the gym. We set goals to always be the most aggressive team and to leave everything on the court. Our practices are competitive, and it carries over to games,” the coach said.

Locascio said the team wants to continue on the road to team improvement the rest of the season. They’re locked in to achieving that goal and others.

“I’ve loved coaching this group so far. It’s an experience I’ll remember, and I have high hopes for us to finish the season strong,” he said.

Fifth-graders: Front row, from left to right: Kiki Punke, Carolyn Miller, Elsa Lee and Mattie Onyango. Back row, from left to right: Coach Erin McCaslin, Nikki Nguyen, Quinn O’Malley, Sarah Hoole, Stella Lanz, Madison Conca and Nova Hagen. Not pictured: Macy Feimster and Blair Evans. Courtesy photo

Fifth-graders: Front row, from left to right: Kiki Punke, Carolyn Miller, Elsa Lee and Mattie Onyango. Back row, from left to right: Coach Erin McCaslin, Nikki Nguyen, Quinn O’Malley, Sarah Hoole, Stella Lanz, Madison Conca and Nova Hagen. Not pictured: Macy Feimster and Blair Evans. Courtesy photo

FIFTH GRADE

Coach Erin McCaslin aims to inspire her fifth-grade girls to work hard and improve each time they pick up a basketball. The team (9-10 overall) was ecstatic to qualify for state after going 4-1 and dropping a close game in the semifinals at the Juanita MLK Weekend Tournament.

The team brings intensity, heart and effort onto the court each time out.

McCaslin said the turning point of the team’s season was when it won several close games and made big defensive plays to finish first in its pool at the Juanita tournament before playing in the semifinals.

“From our first game to our most recent, there is a huge change in our aggressiveness and understanding of the game. This group of girls comes to every practice eager to learn and receive feedback. It is a special group who are friends on and off the court and truly want to see one another succeed. They are determined, resilient, and so caring of one another,” the coach said.

Sixth-graders: Bottom row, from left to right: Noelle Thornton, Emma Nelson, Violet Miller, Ruby Schmidt and Arielle Thornton. Top row, from left to right: Coach Hannah Franklin, Olivia Simpson, Eira Muthu, Clare Capasso, Jane Besecker, Isabel Russell, Bryn Munson and Assistant Coach Holland Fleming. Not pictured: Caroline Ford. Courtesy photo

Sixth-graders: Bottom row, from left to right: Noelle Thornton, Emma Nelson, Violet Miller, Ruby Schmidt and Arielle Thornton. Top row, from left to right: Coach Hannah Franklin, Olivia Simpson, Eira Muthu, Clare Capasso, Jane Besecker, Isabel Russell, Bryn Munson and Assistant Coach Holland Fleming. Not pictured: Caroline Ford. Courtesy photo

SIXTH GRADE

Coached by former Mercer Island High School and Emory University star Hannah Franklin, the sixth-graders have amassed a 13-4 record this season.

With composure and resolve on their side, Franklin was proud to see the girls notch a recent thrilling overtime win against Skyline. The day following their first overtime game of the season, the locals put tons of teamwork on the court in a big win against Tahoma.

Defense is one of the keys to success for the squad, the coach said.

“The girls are learning to play team defense and have been enthusiastic about executing our press,” Franklin said. “It’s so fun to see them get better so quickly and to witness their confidence grow on the court.”

Eighth-graders: Top row, from left to right: Aaliyah Khan, Elianna Weiss, Anna Mock, Blakeley Bourke, Sydney Bundy and Coach Lawrence Wong. Bottom row, from left to right: Faith Endresen, Chloe Miller, Victoria Giler and Maya Rathod. Courtesy photo

Eighth-graders: Top row, from left to right: Aaliyah Khan, Elianna Weiss, Anna Mock, Blakeley Bourke, Sydney Bundy and Coach Lawrence Wong. Bottom row, from left to right: Faith Endresen, Chloe Miller, Victoria Giler and Maya Rathod. Courtesy photo

EIGHTH GRADE

With a “let’s win” mentality in hand, the squad is 11-10 this season heading into the state tournament.

Led by coach Lawrence Wong, the squad has notched wins by trusting each other, sharing the ball and communicating on defense, he said. Putting together solid practices and translating that effort onto the court come game time has been essential to their success as well.

To qualify for state, the team finished 4-1 to snag second place at the recent MLK Tournament. They lost to a strong Everett team by three points in the final, capping a tourney of five hard-fought games.

“As eighth-graders, being the last year playing select basketball and a group that has never made it to state in all the years prior, a main goal of ours this season was to qualify for state. I’m extremely proud of the girls for working very hard and achieving that,” the coach said.