In the third day of tournament play in Arizona, the Mercer Island boys basketball team beat Gilbert, a team from Arizona, 50-45.

The teams battled in a close offensive game throughout the first half, which ended tied at 23 points. In the second half, Mercer Island gained a slight lead and never trailed in the rest of the game.

Joe Rasmussen had 24 points in the game, adding 14 rebounds, while Nick Nordale had 10 points and Will Taylor added eight.

Mercer Island will play in one more game on Saturday, Dec. 29 before returning home.

The team is now 9-1 this season.