MI boys regroup, fall in tourney
Published 10:53 am Tuesday, December 15, 2009
After a rough first regular season loss to Issaquah in the first week of season games, the Mercer Island boys basketball team regrouped to beat Kamiak and Juanita before falling to top-ranked O’Dea.
During the Les Schwab Hoop Challenge at Bellevue Community College, the Islanders took on O’Dea, falling 43-42. The Islanders and O’Dea were neck-and-neck throughout the entire game, ending the first half with a tied score at 22 points apiece. O’Dea surged forward by two in the second quarter, a lead that it held for the rest of the game.
Quinn Sterling had the Islanders’ most points during the loss with 12 overall, while Eric Stefanchik finished with eight points on the board. Jeff Lindquist had seven, and Kaj Sherman had six.
The day before the O’Dea face-off, the Islanders beat Juanita 50-34 in an away game. The Islanders outscored the Rebels in all four quarters of the game, starting with a 10-2 lead in the first quarter. Again, Sterling finished with 12 points, while Sherman posted nine for the team and Stefanchik followed with seven points. Gabe Fruchter, Brian Miller and Parker Scott all had six points during the win.
Days previous, the Mercer Island boys basketball team regrouped to beat Kamiak 72-70.
The Islanders found their groove early on, ending the first quarter with a 13-11 lead before ending the half down by one point, 37-36. Mercer Island made up for lost ground after the break, surging to a 19-15 scoring lead during the third quarter to take a 55-52 lead. In the last eight minutes, Kamiak attempted to regain its lead from the first half, only to fall short by two points.
Quinn Sterling had the Islanders high in points, earning 22 toward the overall total, while senior Kaj Sherman had 20 points during the win. Gabe Fruchter picked up nine of his own, Ben Emanuels had seven, Eric Stefanchik earned six and Brian Miller had three. Kamiak’s leading scorer was Ron Manchester, with 23 points during his team’s loss.
This Friday, the Islanders will take on Interlake at home with a tip-off scheduled at 7:30 p.m.
