Wildcat boys rebound from loss to Bellevue with tough win over MI and cruise over Pats

The Mount Si Wildcat boys basketball team Tuesday, January 19 was looking to rebound from a tough loss January 15 against the Bellevue Wolverines. It was not going to be easy, though, as the opponent was the always tough Mercer Island Islanders. And the Islanders, especially in the second half, gave Mount Si all it could handle, but when the final horn sounded, the Wildcats had survived.

By Rhett Workman • January 20, 2010 12:31 am
Mount Si’s Dillon Shain goes up for a basket against a Liberty defender.
Mount Si’s Dillon Shain goes up for a basket against a Liberty defender.

The Mount Si boys basketball team was looking to rebound from a tough loss Jan. 15 against the Bellevue Wolverines.

But that boost, sought on Tuesday, Jan. 19, against a sound Mercer Island squad, was not going to be easy. While the Islanders gave Mount Si all they could handle, especially in the second half, it was the Wildcats who came out on top when the final horn sounded.

With four players in double figures, led by the game-high 20 points of Zander Nelson, Mount Si held on for a 69-61 win that firmly put the Wildcats in control of second place in Kingco 3A. Justin Downer added 13, and Tanner Riley and Lucas Zupan each pitched in 11 to pace the Mount Si efforts.

Mercer Island opened the game, grabbing the early lead in the contest, but the Wildcats stayed close through the first quarter. Mount Si trailed by one at the end of that frame, 13-12, then a Nelson free throw tied things at 13 early in the second period. Downer then stepped up to spark the Wildcat offense with a pair of quick threes, and Mount Si remained in the lead from there to stay.

“If I get the ball, I’m going to look to shoot it,” Downer said. “That’s my role and tonight, I was hitting.”

The Wildcats built the lead to 33-25 at halftime, then had to weather a foul-filled second half that included a couple of technicals, one to Riley and another to Dillon Shain.

Mount Si had as much as a 15-point lead at one point in the frame before Mercer Island, behind the efforts of Quinn Sterling and Kaj Sherman, rallied to tighten things up. The Wildcats did not back down, though, and critical points from both Zupan and Dallas Smith in the fourth quarter helped to seal things up for Mount Si.

“Joe played real well (and) gave us a nice boost,” Mount Si coach Jeff D’Ambrosio said.

The Wildcats continued their winning ways last Friday, Jan. 22, as they exploded in the third quarter on their way to a rout of the Liberty Patriots, 67-48. Mount Si outscored Liberty 27-11 in the pivotal frame as the Wildcats maintained second place in league with the victory. Riley scored 21 and Lucas Zupan added 13 to help the Mount Si efforts.