In their fourth consecutive non-district game this season, Gig Harbor dominated the Mercer Island Boys Basketball team 71-37 on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
The pace of the game was intense from the start, with a multitude of crucial Gig Harbor three-pointers and breakaways leading the Islanders to end the first quarter down 20-8.
However, in the second quarter, the game slowed down and the Islanders focused on setting up plays and having patience with passes. This still wasn’t enough, though, as the Islanders were losing 42-15 at halftime.
“We didn’t let the big lead that they had [from the first] defeat us in the second half,” senior Ryan McCrary said.
The third quarter carried much of the same energy as the second quarter, and the Islanders continued on with their strategy of patience in finding passes and creating plays, although the score still had the Islanders losing by a large deficit of 62-20.
By the fourth quarter, all the players were tired, and Gig Harbor settled for defending their lead, while the Islanders fruitlessly tried to gain any points back.
Despite strong performances from sophomore Spencer Korblum and junior Alex Henderson with eight points apiece and a nine-point game from sophomore Syver Lanctot, the Islanders still could not come close to Gig Harbor, eventually losing by a final score of 71-37.
“I think defense, definitely, wasn’t the greatest at [times] and [we were] just hitting shots,” McCrary said. “The guys on the bench came in, they played really hard, [and] showed what they can do, and that was their first chance to prove themselves this season….”
The team will hope to redeem themselves with an at-home Quad Night game versus rival Bellevue on Friday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m.
