Sports
Islanders Clinch Share of KingCo Title, Top Mt. Si 75 - 51
The Islanders remain undefeated in KingCo 3A play and face Bellevue to clinch the league title outright Friday, Jan. 25 at 8pm in Bellevue.
Mercer Island played stifling defense in Mt. Si's home gym and carried them to a KingCo title clinching victory over the Wildcats, 75 - 51.
Kaleb Warner led all scorers in the game with 26, hitting 7 of 9 from behind the arc. KingCo's leading scorer, Mt. Si's Trent Riley, finished with just 12 points on the night and just 2 in the first half.
The Islanders (10-0, 15-1) dominance has turned heads in recent days, with a new Seattle Times 3A poll ranking the team 3rd in the state.
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Mercer Island continued to capitalize on their size advantage, solidly outrebounding Mt. Si and capitalizing on second-chance buckets. The Islanders, as a team, shot the ball extremely well from beyond the 3-point line with 6 different players hitting at least one three-pointer. The starting lineup for the Islanders all played strong games : Nick Nordale contributed 15 points, Joe Rasmussen scored 10, Espen Platou scored 7 and Jake Shaddle finished with 6.
Coach Cree was pleased with his team following the big win, highlighting Warner's big night and strong performances from the team's captains, with Rasmussen hauling in 14 rebounds and guard Nick Nordale's all-around play.
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"I am so proud to be the coach of this team β I am lucky," he said. "These guys are focused and ready to go every night. We have a mature basketball team. They took the game plan tonight and executed it to perfection."
Cree also applauded Jake Stenberg's and Warners defensive marking of Wildcats star Riley, neutralizing him as a scoring threat, and guards Daniel Sims and Jake Shaddle's ball-handling skills.
Levi Botten scored 10 for the Wildcats, coming back from a badly sprained ankle suffered in the first game against the Islanders.
The Islanders look to clinch the title outright this Friday at Bellevue, with that game tipping off at 8pm.
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