Mercer Island jumps out early against Franklin, secures third place in Sea-King district

Mercer Island jumps out early against Franklin,
secures third place in Sea-King District
By Colin Caruso 

In a rematch of the district elimination game last year, the Mercer Island Islanders faced off against the Franklin Quakers for the 3^rd/4^th place seed in the regional bracket coming out of the Sea-King District.  Last year’s contest ended in a 63-61 Mercer Island win, ending Franklin’s season.

The game began with a frantic pace, both teams ran the floor well and capitalized on quick transition buckets.  Behind nine points from senior Nick Nordale, the Islanders took a 19-10 lead into the second quarter.

Nordale and the Islanders kept up the offensive pressure in the second.  Nordale put in another six points in the quarter and went into the half as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points.  The early game time seemed to catch Franklin by surprise, as Mercer Island controlled the pace and slowed down the Quaker offense throughout the half.  The Islanders took a 32-21 lead into the break.

The Islanders began the third on an 8-1 run to take the lead 40-22, with senior Joe Rasmussen scoring five of the eight for Mercer Island, converting on his first three of the ballgame.  Franklin put a small dent in the Islander lead by the end of the quarter, but Mercer Island took a 50-34 lead into the fourth.

With a sixteen point lead going into the final period, Mercer Island slowed down the game and exhausted the shot clock.  Franklin was unable to bring the game within 12 points in the final period, and Mercer Island captured the 3^rd seed in the Sea-King district with a 62-48 win.

Top Performers:
Mercer Island
Nick Nordale (23 points)
Joe Rasmussen (21 points, 7 rebounds)

Franklin
Arell Hennings (12 points)
Eugene Artison (6 points, 6 rebounds)
Tim McMillon (9 points)