Girls basketball shocks Bellevue: First win against Wolverines in nine years; Chow scores 21 points

It wasn’t snowing in hell last Wednesday, but it was in Bellevue. The Mercer Island girls basketball game at Bellevue High School took place despite many school activities and game cancellations last week and the result was a rare Mercer Island 63-60 win over the Wolverines.

It wasn’t snowing in hell last Wednesday, but it was in Bellevue. The Mercer Island girls basketball game at Bellevue High School took place despite many school activities and game cancellations last week and the result was a rare Mercer Island 63-60 win over the Wolverines.

How rare? The last time an Islander girls basketball team defeated Bellevue most of the current players were in elementary school.

The Islanders earned the victory despite an 11-point halftime deficit and 22 first-half turnovers.

“We made a few adjustments and the kids made some big plays,” said Mercer Island head coach Jamie Prescott, whose younger sister Lexie Richards led Mercer Island to its last victory over Bellevue, 39-36, in 1998. “We are glad the game wasn’t canceled.”

One of the main reasons for the win was Islander sophomore Janelle Chow, who scored a career-high 21 points.

“We were just really aggressive and didn’t give up at halftime,” said Chow. “They pressed us a lot, so I used my speed to draw fouls. They were in the bonus most of the game.”

The full court press by Bellevue worked during the first half as Mercer Island missed its first five shots. Bellevue’s offense was unstoppable during the second quarter, outscoring the Islanders 25-12.

“It was a messy first half,” said Mercer Island senior center Georgia Gier, who finished with 14 rebounds and nine points. “It was hard to get up the floor during the first half but Janelle had a great game and kept attacking the basket.”

The press began to backfire on Bellevue during the third quarter as the fouls piled up. As a result Mercer Island began chipping away at the large lead and holding the Bellevue offense in check.

The Islanders outscored Bellevue 18-11 during the third quarter to climb back into the game.

“We were more aggressive to the basket,” said Prescott. “We shot more two-point shots than threes, which I think is the first time we have done that this year. It was big for us.”

While Chow and sophomore guard Amanda Nield (15) led the team in scoring, Gier and Holland Fleming worked the boards.

“We were fouled a lot in rebounding situations,” said Gier. “I think half of our points came at the free throw line.”

The Islanders continued to build on their momentum and won the game with a 21-14 fourth quarter advantage.

“I think this really shows our potential,” said Prescott. “We have a young team and they are growing into themselves.”

Prescott said that one lesson the Islanders took away from the game was to always respect their opponents.

“Bellevue was goofing around before the game and not warming up,” she said. “I always say you have to respect all of your opponents.”

The win puts Mercer Island (2-4) back into the 3A KingCo playoff hunt and in the sixth and final spot just behind Bellevue (2-3). But the road to Bellevue Community College for the tournament will be a grueling one with six games in the next two weeks.

“We are in good shape right now,” said Gier. “We are injury-free and we need to stay that way.”

The Islanders’ game against Sammamish that was canceled due to weather conditions on Friday, will be made up Saturday at Mercer Island High School. The team will get back to the hardwood tonight against Issaquah, which one of the best teams in the state. Friday the Islanders will travel to Mount Si to take on the Wildcats.

“If we come to the rest of our games as prepared as we were against Bellevue we might finish the season over .500,” said Gier.