Eastlake gets shut down by Mercer Island, suffering fourth straight loss
The Eastlake boys basketball team has lost four games in a row going into the final games of the season after being defeated 72-40 by Mercer Island at home on Monday night. The Islanders’ superior speed on the attack and counter gave them the early advantage.
In the first quarter, Mercer Island struck quickly, with Finn Kilian finding space near the touchline for a layup, making use of space in the Eastlake defense. He proceeded quickly to finish a three-pointer, taking the Islanders off with a blistering start in the first minutes of the quarter. Without a response from the Wolves, Mercer Island increased their lead to nine points through Colin Monahan’s layup. Eastlake finally got on the scoreboard with four minutes left on the clock through Noah Trikur’s attempt from deep left court. The Islanders continued to run riot at the Wolves’ home court, getting possession multiple times in the middle of the court and hitting on the counter. Mercer Island’s man-to-man marking around their own key was sufficient to keep Eastlake off the scoreboard for the majority of the half, forcing the Wolves to give the ball away cheaply and often. The Islanders employed a far runner in order to quickly switch between offense and defense, allowing them to exploit spaces. They dominated the quarter, ending it 25-2.
Mercer Island continued their rout in the second quarter, with Monahan’s drive and layup allowing the Islanders to go up by 25 points. The Wolves responded quickly though, scoring four points through a pair of free throws and a layup. The Islanders’ strong execution of their plays ultimately led to their impressive point count. Eastlake played better in this quarter, with Nathan D’Souza’s three-pointer increasing their tally to 11. The Wolves’ defense often left gaps around the three-point line which Mercer Island, through their quick and intricate handoffs and passes, were able to take advantage fully. The quarter ended 37-14, Mercer Island.
The Islanders’ gain the first points coming back from the break through Killian. The Wolves continued to cheaply give away possession at times, but were able to make it up through their own counterattacks. Eastlake found many of their attempts blocked or off target, as the Islanders’ physicality overpowered them. Mercer Island’s ability to quickly cut out passes and switch on the counter was ultimately why they dominated. The Wolves were still able to score points, with Rohan Kalra’s three-pointer ending the third quarter at 52-24 in the Islanders’ favor.
Eastlake was finally able to grab the first points of a quarter with Jackson Boulter’s layup at the top of the 4th. Killian’s three-pointer a minute later signaled that the Islanders’ did not have any intention to stop. Kabir Bains’ free throw made it 60 points for Mercer Island. They continued their strategy of holding onto the ball for extended periods of time before finding space. The Islanders opted to use four players outside the paint with one inside, which was more advantageous than the Wolves’ defense of three on the line and two inside the key. This almost always left a Mercer Island player open on the other side of the court. Kalra was able to score a consolation three-pointer in the last minute of the game, followed by D’Souza’s layup, but ultimately it was too late.
We didn’t start off well, but it’s good that we were able to end off [the game scoring],” Kalra said, before mentioning that this season had “a lot of ups and downs, right now we have a lot of injuries.”
Eastlake (6-12 overall) will play an away game at Highline High School on Thursday Jan. 28 at 7:15 p.m. for their penultimate game of the season.
