Lady Islanders to Face Mt. Si Tonight in KingCo Tournament

The top four seeds all advanced to the second round of the KingCo 3A/2A leage tournament and gained spots in the Sea-King district playoffs. Mercer Island handled Bellevue with a big second half, while Liberty needed a furious comeback (down 13 entering the fourth quarter) to advance. Juanita and Mount Si had first round byes. Here’s a look at the teams that are left.

Juanita – The Rebels cruised through most of league play, ripping off 10 straight wins against conference foes. But Juanita finally showed it was vulnerable, as it lost two games late in league play – both to teams they had already beaten by double digits – before rebounding with easy victories against the leagues bottom two teams. The Rebels have plenty of options on offense, including Mikayla Jones and Kate Cryderman, who average over 25 points per game between them.

Mount Si – The Wildcats surmounted a surprising late challenge to Juanita for the number one seed, winning six of their last seven league games. Mount Si went 4-2 against the remaining opponents in the regular season and is led by Hailey Eddings, who is averaging over 16 ppg.

Mercer Island – Head coach Jamie Prescott’s crew is either the most underrated or overrated team in the conference, depending on the day you watch them play. The Islanders followed up a mid-season three-game losing streak with an impressive six-game winning streak, including a 15-point win in the opening round of the tournament. Jae Shin and Hailey Gullstad lead the potentially explosive Islanders.

Liberty – The Patriots season is still alive because of a frantic rally against Lake Washington in the first round, as Liberty outscored the Kangs 19-5 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. Danni Sjolander leads the Patriots in scoring, at over 13 ppg.

Match-ups (Both games at Bellevue College, February 8th):

Mount Si vs. Mercer Island 4:45 pm – Mount Si has been on a mission late in the season and seems intent on getting to a third game against rival Juanita. But the Islanders are a wild card, having the outside shooting ability to beat any team on any day.

Patch Pick: Mercer Island 56, Mount Si 54

Juanita vs. Liberty 8:15 pm – The Rebels, despite two late-season losses, are a team that is unlikely to lose. Head coach Sam W. Lee has a roster that can go 8-deep and can win with an outside shooting game, or a strong post offense. Liberty has the potential to hang, but is up against a tough opponent in Juanita.

Patch Pick: Juanita 54, Liberty 40  

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Mike Balwin, Patch sports editor, will cover these games live on Twitter. Follow him at @patchsports.