While the loss to Issaquah two weeks ago all but ended the Islanders’ shot at the 3A KingCo regular season title, the postseason tournaments still loom large and the team did a good job of getting back on track with a 45-30 victory over Bellevue Wednesday.
The Mercer Island boys swim team has dominated other Washington state teams for the past 14 months, including a 111-58 win over Bellevue Saturday at Mary Wayte Pool. The Islanders took it to another level Jan. 13 at the Albuquerque Academy Invitational, besting 14 other high school teams from the Western United States. The Islanders finished second to only the host team.
The Mercer Island girls basketball team made an emphatic statement that it is not among the cellar dwellers in 3A KingCo any more with a 74-30 drubbing of Sammamish Saturday night. But it is a long climb from the bottom to the top, as the team lost a close 47-44 game to Mount Si Friday and was blown out by Issaquah 66-51 on Jan. 17.
Two in-league wins in two days, by a combined margin of victory of 61 points, helped to reinforce the fact that the Mercer Island boys basketball team (7-1) is a legitimate contender this season. But the victories do not include one of the biggest games of the year.
Boys swimming earns eighth consecutive 3A KingCo dual-meet title
Former Mercer Island High School boys soccer standout Colin Rigby was selected during the second round of the United Soccer League Division I college draft by the Portland Timbers Jan. 24.
Girls basketball beats Liberty, within range of .500
For the first time in the Islander Middle School team’s history the school has won the Eastside Middle School league title. The varsity middle school team finished the championship meet with 122 points with Maywood and Issaquah tied for second with 97 points.
Mat lessons for Islanders
Junior takes 119-pound title, seven Islanders advance to districts
Team edges Skyline for third place at KingCo meet
Wolverine Luke Sikma dominates second half to give Islanders second loss
Every in-state boys swim team that the Islanders have faced this season has lost. Not by 10 or even 20 points, but usually by 100 points. Saturday was no different, as Mercer Island earned 418 points at Mary Wayte Pool for the KingCo championship meet title. The next closest teams were Newport at 229 and Issaquah at 203.
The Mercer Island High School gymnastics team received bad news even before the district meet began on Saturday. The team would be without one of its top gymnasts, as Olivia Harvey sprained her ankle Wednesday night during a practice. Despite the adversity, the Islanders gave it their all and came up just 10 points shy of qualifying at a team by putting up their third best score of the year, 157.975.
As if Island senior Georgia Gier didn’t know that the game against Newport was her final contest at home, numerous banners of thanks hanging around the Mercer Island High School gymnasium told her so Feb. 6.
Nicholl retires after 33 years as an Islander coach
A good basketball team will normally have a game or two during the season where it doubles an opponent’s score. In baseball it is even more frequent. But in a sport such as swimming it happens maybe once a season.
The Mercer Island High School wrestling team was very young this season. The Islanders had no seniors and just two returning state participants from 2006. Next year the team will have no returning state participants as the Islanders were shutout at district meet held in Bellingham Saturday.
Open playoffs tomorrow at BCC
Girls beat Newport, qualify for districts
