Lakeside takes control in second quarter, tops Mercer Island


Thursday- Feb. 14 2013 – 3A – SeaKing District
Bellevue College 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Lakeside 12 25 13 18 68
Mercer Island 22 9 13 17 61


Lakeside takes control in second quarter, tops Mercer Island
By Colin Caruso

In an electric atmosphere in the first semifinal game of the day at Bellevue College, the Mercer Island Islanders took on the Lakeside Lions for a trip to the Sea-King District Final.  Mercer Island came out hot in the first, starting the game on a 13-2 run while capitalizing on three Lion turnovers.  Lakeside could not break into Mercer Island’s 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone, and Mercer Island took a 22-12 lead into the second.

Mercer Island moved into a man to man defense in the second, which allowed Lakeside to heat up from the field.  The Lions went on a 25-6 run in the quarter behind three three-pointers from Tremaine Isabell.  Lakeside took their first lead with 1:52 remaining in the second on an lob dunk from D’Marques Tyson.  Isabell added a pair of free-throws and a layup to take a 37-31 lead into halftime.

Mercer Island came out after the break and matched Lakeside’s intensity on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  Senior Kaleb Warner knocked down three mid-range jump shots and senior Joe Rasmussen added seven points of his own to lead the Islanders in the quarter.  But Lakeside senior Peter French kept the Lions in front with four offensive rebounds in the quarter and three put-back layups.  Both teams scored 13 in the third and Lakeside took a six point lead into the fourth.

Lakeside continued to keep their foot on the gas in the final quarter.  Six points from Isabell and four points from both Tyson and senior AJ Adekoya were too much for the Islanders to surmount.  Islander senior Kaleb Warner tried to keep his team in the contest with eight points in the quarter, but Lakeside’s 13 point lead with 1:18 to play was too much for Mercer Island, and the Lions closed the contest with a 68-61 win.

Next Match-ups:
Lakeside vs. Rainier Beach- Sea-King District Final
Saturday – 6:30 PM at Bellevue College.
Mercer Island vs. Franklin- 3rd/4th place game
Saturday – 11:30 AM at Bellevue College.

Top Performers:
Lakeside
Tremaine Isabell (27)
D’Marques Tyson (19)

Mercer Island
Kaleb Warner (24)
Joe Rasmussen (14, 8 rebounds)

Mercer Island squeaks by O’Dea, advances to state


Mercer Island squeaks by O’Dea, advances to state
By Colin Caruso 

Tuesday- Feb. 12 -2013- 3A SeaKing District
Bellevue College 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Mercer Island 10 8 19 7 44
O'Dea 11 13 12 6 42

In an almost packed house at Bellevue College, the #1 seed from KingCo took on the #5 seed from Metro for a guaranteed trip to state.  Both teams came out fundamentally sound, minimizing turnovers, playing good lock down defense, and converting on open looks.  Four players scored for each team, and the O’Dea Fighting Irish took an 11-10 lead into the second.

O’Dea started the second on a 11-1 run in the first 2:25 minutes of the quarter, forcing the Mercer Island Islanders to switch from man to man defense to a 2-3 zone.  Mercer Island answered by forcing four turnovers in the quarter and converting on additional scoring chances from the offensive glass.  O’Dea went into halftime with a 24-18 lead.

Mercer Island began to heat up in the second half, hitting three three-pointers in the third quarter, two by senior Nick Nordale.  O’Dea answered on the interior, with driving layups by Tyler Kidd and Jacob Lampkin.  However, Mercer Island was too much for the Irish offensively in the third, outscoring them 19-12 in the quarter and taking a 37-36 lead into the fourth as Nordale hit a deep two from the corner as time expired.

O’Dea came out strong early in the fourth quarter, taking a 42-40 lead with 3:06 to play.  Unfortunately, O’Dea would not score again in the contest.  Turnovers plagued the Irish down the stretch, coughing up the ball seven times in the final period.

Caleb Warner made the last two buckets for the Islanders in the final 2:20 of the contest to take the lead 44-42.  Neither team scored again after Warner’s baskets and the Islanders squeaked by Metro’s five seed, 44-42.

Mercer Island has now stamped their ticket to state and will play Lakeside at Bellevue College Thursday Afternoon at 3:00 pm.  O’Dea will face off against Seattle Prep in a loser out game on Friday at 3:00 pm.

Leading Scorers:
Mercer Island
Kaleb Warner (12)
Nick Nordale (11 & 4 steals)
Joe Rasmussen (11 & 6 rebounds)

O’Dea
Tyler Kidd (13)
Jacob Lampkin (10)

Bellevue Wolverines Shock Mercer Island Islanders


Bellevue Wolverines Shock Mercer Island Islanders
By Colin Caruso 

Friday- January 25 2013 KingCo 3A/2A
Bellevue High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Mercer Island 14 13 9 14 50
Bellevue 9 17 11 14 51

Bellevue handed Mercer Island their first loss to a Washington state team on Friday night with a 51-50 shocker at Bellevue High.  This rivalry game had a much slower pace than expected, with full half court sets, good passing, and great offensive execution overall.  Mercer Island took the lead in the first quarter by sinking three contested three-pointers, but this fine shooting did not seem to phase Bellevue.  The Wolverines continued to grind and maintained great defensive intensity.  They cut the five point lead at the end of the first to just one at the half on a great three point bank shot at the buzzer by Michael Carlson.

The third quarter maintained a slower, meticulous basketball pace.  Bellevue continued to execute offensively, while Mercer Island settled for mid-range to deep jump shots, not attacking the hoop like they did in the first half.

Bellevue turned up their defensive intensity in the second half, doing a great job of stepping into passing lanes and converting in transition.  The Wolverines took a one point lead at the end of the third quarter, and maintained that lead deep into the fourth quarter, exchanging baskets with the Islanders.  With 24 seconds left, Bellevue held a one point lead and the Islanders had the ball, shot clock turned off.  The drawn up play seemed to break down via Bellevue’s defensive intensity and the Wolverines forced Mercer Island into a deep three that was right on target, but inches long.

Bellevue sealed the victory, 51-50.

Leading Scorers:
Mercer Island
Kaleb Warner (15)
Nick Nordale (14)

Bellevue
Michael Carlson (12)
Timmy Haehl (11)