BREAKING NEWS :

Now that teams have finished their regular season games the KingCo basketball bracket and schedule is pretty much set to go. Both the Mercer Island teams made the cut for the league tournament, which starts Tuesday night at higer seeded schools.

Boys tournament

The MI boys will play Tuesday, against Juanita at MIHS starting at 7 p.m. in a loser out game.

“Tuesday’s Kingco playoff game versus Juanita is a loser out game and you can throw the records out.  They are going to come in and play hard and they have some dangerous weapons.  We can’t be looking ahead,” said boys head coach Gavin Cree after Thursday’s home win over Mount Si.

Sammamish will take on Liberty in the No. 4/No. 5 game at Sammamish on Tuesday. The winner of the Mercer Island/Juanita game will play Mount Si at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 at Bellevue College, while Bellevue, the No. 1 boys seed, will take on the winner of the Sammamish/Liberty game.

Girls tournament

Mercer Island earned a bye in the first round after clinching the KingCo title, heading into the tournament as No. 1. They will play on Thursday night at Bellevue College at 8:15 p.m. against the winner of the Liberty/Mount Si game which takes place Tuesday night.

For the rest of the KingCo teams, Tuesday is the big day with Juanita hosting Interlake and Mount Si hosting Liberty. The winner of the Juanita/Interlake game will play Bellevue on Thursday evening.

Championship round

The KingCo tournament will finish up on Friday, Feb. 19 at Bellevue College. The 3rd/4th place boys game will be at 3 p.m. Friday, with the 3rd/4th girls tipping off at 4:45 p.m.

The boys championship will be at 6:30 p.m. and the girls is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m.

Prices

Due to the fact this is a league tournament students will not be able to get into games free with their ASB cards (as they can throughout the regular season). Here’s the price breakdown from KingCo:

Adult/students without ASB       $6.00
Students (with ASB)                     $4.00
Children K-8                                  $4.00
Pre-school                                      N/C
Senior Citizens (60 yrs +)           $4.00

Monday the principals and athletic directors of the KingCo conference met and voted on whether or not to include Eastside Catholic as a 3A school next year. The bid by the Crusaders failed. The proposal needed 80 percent to pass.

Check out Sammamish/Issaquah sportswriter Kevin Endejan’s story on the meeting and vote.

Here are the week 10 basketball rankings. A few notes before diving into the rankings  – The MI girls jumped up a spot to No. 3 this week, and last night were confirmed as KingCo champs again this year. Bellevue lost to Mount Si, clearing the way for the Islanders.

The Bellevue boys, ranked No. 2 this week, will likely/possibly drop next week after Tuesday night’s loss to Mount Si, who are ranked No. 6 right now. The shake-up could definitely make next week’s KingCo tournament an interesting one!

Class 4A boys
1. Federal Way (19-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (17-1)
3. Curtis (19-1)
4. Richland (16-3)
5. Jackson (16-2)
6. Walla Walla (16-3)
7. Kamiakin (15-4)
8. Skyline (15-3)
9. Garfield (14-4)
10. Lake Stevens
Others receiving votes: Davis (15-4), Eastlake (13-5), Decatur (14-6), Bellarmine Prep (14-6)

Class 4A girls
1. Auburn Riverside (20-0)
2. Woodinville (17-1)
3. Issaquah (15-3)
4. Federal Way (17-3)
5. Chiawana (16-2)
6. Edmonds-Woodway (18-1)
7. Newport (16-2)
8. Jackson (16-3)
9. Bellarmine Prep (14-6)
10. Kentwood (16-4)
Others receiving votes: Richland (15-4), Bethel (16-4), Marysville-Pilchuck (15-5), Mount Tahoma (17-3)

Class 3A boys
1. Enumclaw (18-0)
2. Bellevue (17-1)
3. Rainier Beach (15-3)
4. Seattle Prep (14-4)
5. Lakes (15-3)
6. Mount Si (14-4)
7. Capital (16-1)
8. Shadle Park (14-4)
9. Meadowdale (14-4)
10. O’Dea (13-6)
Others receiving votes: Mead (13-5), Bremerton (11-4), Kennedy Catholic (13-6), Franklin Pierce (12-5), Foster (13-5)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (17-2)
2. Kennedy Catholic (16-2)
3. Mercer Island (14-4)
4. White River (15-3)
5. Bonney Lake (15-4)
6. Port Angeles (15-2)
7. Mount Rainier (15-3)
8. Prarie (14-4)
9. Lakes (12-6)
10. Central Valley (14-4)
Others receiving votes: West Valley (12-6), Bellevue (12-6), Olympic (13-4), Yelm (13-5), Shorecrest (13-6), Capital (13-5), Seattle Prep (11-6)

Here is the Week 9 basketball poll. Things are starting to cement as the post-season draws closer – at least in the top spots. Although I will say teams who lose at this point are likely to fall far, as was the case with Issaquah, who went from No. 2 in the 4A girls poll all the way down to No. 4. The Newport girls hung tough, edging up to the vacant No. 2 spot.

Bellevue is still dominating the 3A boys league, locally and across the state with a perfect Enumclaw team their only obstacle to No. 1. Tonight the Wolverine’s host the Mercer Island boys and tomorrow the Mercer Island girls, who stayed in No. 4 travel to take on Bellevue.

As the post-season gets closer – who do you think will be moving up or down as the season continues? Thoughts/comments? Let me know!

Class 4A boys
1. Federal Way (16-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (16-1)
3. Curtis (17-1)
4. Jackson (15-1)
5. Walla Walla (15-2)
6. Kamiakin (12-3)
7. Richland (14-3)
8. Skyline (13-3)
9. Lake Stevens (13-4)
10. Garfield (12-4)
Others receiving votes: Beamer (13-5), Decatur (13-6)

Class 4A girls
1. Auburn Riverside (18-0)
2. Newport (15-1)
3. Woodinville (15-1)
4. Issaquah (13-3)
5. Federal Way (15-4)
6. Edmonds-Woodway (15-1)
7. Chiawana (16-1)
8. Jackson (13-3)
9. Kentwood (14-4)
10. Wenatchee (11-4)
Others receiving votes: South Kitsap (13-5), Richland (13-4), Mount Tahoma (16-3), Marysville-Pilchuck (13-4), Bethel (14-4)

Class 3A boys
1. Enumclaw (16-0)
2. Bellevue  (16-1)
3. Rainier Beach (13-3)
4. Seattle Prep (14-3)
5. Lakes (14-2)
6. Mount Si (12-4)
7. Capital (14-1)
8. Shadle Park (12-4)
9. Meadowdale (13-3)
10. O’Dea (12-5)
Others receiving votes: Bremerton (10-4), Mount Rainier (11-5), Franklin Pierce (10-5)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (15-2)
2. Kennedy Catholic (14-3)
3. White River (15-2)
4. Mercer Island (13-3)
5. Bonney Lake (13-4)
6. Port Angeles (13-2)
7. Mount Rainier (14-2)
8. Yelm (12-4)
9. Sumner (11-5)
10. Lakeside (11-6)
Others receiving votes: Central Valley (12-4), Shorecrest (11-5), Prarie (13-3), West Valley (11-4)

Here’s the latest basketball poll as voted on by sports writers in the Reporter Newspaper group.

Class 4A boys
1. Federal Way (13-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (13-1)
3. Curtis (15-1)
4. Jackson (13-1)
5. Walla Walla (13-2)
6. Richland (13-2)
7. Skyline (12-2)
8. Kamiakin (12-3)
9. Lake Stevens (11-4)
10. Decatur (11-5)
Others receiving votes: Kentridge (11-5), Garfield (10-4), Foss (11-4), Lake Washington (11-3)

Class 4A girls
1. Auburn Riverside (16-0)
2. Issaquah (13-1)
3. Newport (13-1)
4. Woodinville (13-1)
5. Edmonds-Woodway (13-1)
6. Federal Way (12-3)
7. Chiawana (12-1)
8. Jackson (12-2)
9. Marysville-Pilchuck (12-3)
10. Kentwood (11-4)
Others receiving votes: Bellarmine Prep (11-5), Mount Tahoma (13-3), Lewis and Clark (9-5)

Class 3A boys
1. Enumclaw (14-0)
2. Bellevue (14-1)
3. Rainier Beach (12-3)
4. Seattle Prep (12-3)
5. Lakes (10-4)
6. O’Dea (11-4)
7. Mount Si (11-4)
8. Shadle Park (10-3)
9. Capital (12-1)
10. Foster (11-3)
Others receiving votes: Sammamish (11-4), Meadowdale (11-3), Franklin (7-7), Kennedy Catholic (10-5)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (13-2)
2. Kennedy Catholic (12-3)
3. White River (12-2)
4. Mercer Island (11-3)
5. Lakes (10-4)
6. Mount Rainier (12-2)
7. Bonney Lake (11-4)
8. Yelm (11-4)
9. Port Angeles (12-2)
10. Sumner (10-4)
Others receiving votes: Shorecrest (9-4), Seattle Prep (10-4), Juanita (10-5), Shadle Park (8-5), Lakeside (9-6)

The poll is voted on by sportswriters from various Reporter papers in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and opinions.

The Mercer Island girls are sitting at No. 4 in the 3A poll, but those top four teams essentially hold the same record. The Islander girls outlasted a tough Mt. Si team last night 51-50.

Issaquah and Newport in the girls 4A poll still sit in top spots, as do the Bellevue boys who held on to No. 2 this week, despite a close game against Sammamish last week.

Class 4A boys
1. Federal Way (12-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (12-1)
3. Curtis (14-1)
4. Richland (12-1)
5. Jackson (11-1)
6. Walla Walla (11-2)
7. Skyline (12-1)
8. Lake Stevens (10-4)
9. Decatur (11-4)
10. Foss (10-3)
Others receiving votes: Kamiakin (11-2), Lincoln (8-5), Kentridge (11-4)

Class 4A girls
1. Auburn Riverside (15-0)
2. Woodinville (12-0)
3. Issaquah (11-1)
4. Newport (11-1)
5. Federal Way (11-3)
6. Edmonds-Woodway (11-1)
7. Kentwood (11-3)
8. Jackson (11-1)
9. Chiawana (11-1)
10. Lewis and Clark (8-5)
Others receiving votes: Bellarmine Prep (9-5), Marysville-Pilchuck (10-3), Mount Tahoma (12-2)

Class 3A boys
1. Enumclaw (13-0)
2. Bellevue (13-1)
3. Rainier Beach (11-3)
4. Seattle Prep (11-3)
5. Lakes (11-2)
6. O’Dea (10-4)
7. Shadle Park (9-3)
8. Mount Si (10-4)
9. Capital (10-1)
10. Kennedy Catholic (9-5)
Others receiving votes: Meadowdale (10-2), Franklin Pierce (8-4), Sammamish (10-4), Shorecrest (9-3), Franklin (7-6)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (11-2)
2. Kennedy Catholic (11-4)
3. White River (11-3)
4. Mercer Island (11-3)
5. Lakes (9-4)
6. Bonney Lake (10-3)
7. Yelm (10-1)
8. Mount Rainier (11-2)
9. Lakeside (8-5)
10. Seattle Prep (7-6)
Others receiving votes: Shadle Park (7-5), Port Angeles (11-2), Shorecrest (7-4), Sumner (8-4), Meadowdale (8-4), Renton (7-4)

The season is right around the half way mark and the basketball polls couldn’t be any closer. The top three teams in the boys 3A poll were separated by just one point this week with undefeated Bellevue nabbing the top spot.

The Mercer Island girls jumped into the top five with a No. 4 ranking in the state. They are in firm command of the 3A KingCo league after dominating against Bellevue last Friday. As a little side note based on the numbers I’ve been seeing there are no undefeated 3A girls teams in the state this season.

The Bellevue boys took the top place in the 3A ranking as they are undefeated at 11-0. After watching them play against a fired up MI boys team last Friday, the Wolverines were cool and calm, obviously in control as they have been all season.

In the 4A girls arena Issaquah and Newport swapped No. 3 and No. 4 after the Lady Eagles beat Newport in the Knights first loss this season. Should be interesting to see how things play out until March.

Class 4A boys
1. Federal Way (10-0)
2. Curtis (11-0)
3. Gonzaga Prep (9-1)
4. Richland (10-0)
5. Jackson (9-1)
6. Decatur (8-2)
7. Kamiakin (9-1)
8. Skyline (8-1)
9. Foss (9-2)
10. Kentridge (8-3)
Others receiving votes: Walla Walla (7-2), Lake Washington (8-2), Lake Stevens (8-3)

Class 4A girls
1. Auburn Riverside (11-0)
2. Woodinville (10-0)
3. Issaquah (9-1)
4. Newport (9-1)
5. Federal Way (9-2)
6. Kentwood (8-2)
7. Lewis and Clark (7-3)
8. Edmonds-Woodway (8-1)
9. Jackson (8-1)
10. Chiawana (9-1)
Others receiving votes: Bellarmine Prep (7-3), Monroe (9-1), Richland (8-2), Wenatchee (7-4), Kentlake (8-3), Marysville-Pilchuck (8-3)

Class 3A boys
1. Bellevue (11-0)
2. Enumclaw (9-0)
3. Rainier Beach (7-3)
4. Seattle Prep (8-3)
5. Lakes (7-2)
6. O’Dea (8-3)
7. Shadle Park (8-2)
8. Mount Si (8-3)
9. Hazen (9-2)
10. Capital (7-1)
Others receiving votes: Franklin (5-5), Meadowdale (7-2), Columbia River (7-3), Foster (7-2), Hudson’s Bay (8-1), Sammamish (9-3)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (9-2)
2. Kennedy Catholic (8-3)
3. White River (8-1)
4. Mercer Island (8-3)
5. Sumner (8-2)
6. Bonney Lake (8-3)
7. Lakes (7-3)
8. Mount Rainier (8-2)
9. Shadle Park (7-3)
10. Lakeside (7-5)
Others receiving votes: Prarie (6-3), Yelm (9-1), Mount Tahoma (10-2), Meadowdale (5-4), Shorecrest (5-3)

A while back I put out some information that Eastside Catholic was considering a bid to join KingCo as a 3A school.  Well sounds like the process is still going on (thanks to an update from my colleague Joel Willits at the Bellevue Reporter). In his blog, after discussing the recent new Interlake football hire, Art Kuehn, Interlake’s AD, made a quick mention of the Crusaders bid.

Check out From the Sidelines to see what Kuehn had to say about EC and the Saints new coach. As we hear more we’ll keep you posted!

Next week marks the last week of the regular season for many of Mercer Island’s fall sports. For some the post season hunt has already begun, like cross country and boys golf.
The cross country teams will head to Issaquah for the KingCo league meet on Thursday afternoon and the boys golf team is looking to score a win at the district tournament to complete their season in undefeated fashion. Swimming is also undefeated, looking to take down Bothell this afternoon before Bainbridge on Tuesday. The KingCo Championships will be held Thursday, Oct. 29 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. The boys tennis team also remains undefeated this season, putting an 8-0 dent on the season thus far.
As the season winds down and the wins become so much more important for playoff potential here is a quick look at where the KingCo 3A league is in volleyball, girls soccer and football.

Volleyball
Mount Si       9-0 (10-1)
Mercer Island  7-2 (8-4)
Interlake     4-4 (6-5)
Juanita     4 -5 (4-7)
Bellevue     3-5  (3-7)
Liberty     3-5 (5-6)
Sammamish     0-9

Girls soccer
Mercer Island  8-1-0 (10-2-1)
Sammamish     4-2-2 (5-3-3)
Mount Si     3-3-3 (4-6-3)
Juanita     3-3-2 (3-3-6)
Liberty     2-2-4 (2-6-4)
Bellevue     2-5-1 (5-6-1)
Interlake     1-7-0 (4-8-0)

Football
Bellevue       3-0 (4-2)
Liberty     3-0 (6-0)
Interlake     3-1 (5-1)
Juanita     2-1 (5-1)
Mount Si     1-2 (3-3)
Mercer Island 0-4 (1-5)
Sammamish     0-4 (1-5)

In other news, in the Cross Country Coaches Association weekly team rankings the Mercer Island girls team was ranked sixth overall. Glacier Peak of Snohomish was first, Shadle Park of Spokane second, Mount Spokane third, North Kitsap fourth, Columbia River of Vancouver, fifth, Capital of Olympica seventh, Seattle Prep eighth, Bellevue ninth and Enumclaw 10th.

Here is a more cohesive listing of recent swimming results. Due to space in the print edition this week the full results for recent matches could not be included. The Islanders swim and dive team is still undefeated in their season this fall, with several swimmers already earning places at the state meet.
Below are results for the last week’s swim meets, including this weekend’s non league meeting between Mercer Island and Kentwood. An asterisk denotes a swimmer qualifying for the state meet.

Mercer Island 130, Woodinville 56
200 medley relay — Mercer Island (Sara Gluck, Alyssa Hatsukami, Danielle Deiparine, Christina Williamson) 2:04.61
200 free — Madeline Larkin, MI, 2:09.12
200 IM — Kira Godfred, MI, 2:23.28
50 free — Stephanie Hammond, MI, 26.35.
Diving — Meggie Lindsey, MI, 159.25
100 fly — Danielle Deiparine, MI, 1:04.50
100 free — Stephanie Hammond, MI, 58.62
500 free — Kira Godfred, MI, 5:48.54
200 free relay — Mercer Island (Emma Nelson, Laura Remy, Sara Gluck, Danielle Deiparine) 1:52.03
100 back — Vee Vee Wang, MI, 1:09.88
400 free relay — Mercer Island (Christina Williamson, Kira Godfred, Madeleine Chandless, Stephanie Hammond) 3:59.76

Mercer Island 104, Inglemoor 82
200 free — Grace Wold, MI, 31.17*
500 free — Grace Wold, MI, 5:26.15*
100 back — Danielle Deiparine, MI, 1:06.73
100 breast — Jennifer Pak, MI, 1:12.27*
400 free relay — Mercer Island (Danielle Deiparine, Stephanie Hammond, Kristin Hoffman, Grace Wold) 3:56.52

Mercer Island 118, Kentwood 52
200 medley relay — Mercer Island (Grace Wold, Danielle Deiparine, Madeleine Chandless, Jennifer Pak) 1:54.67*
200 free — Jennifer Pak, MI, 1:57.77*
200 IM — Grace Wold, MI, 2:14.14*
500 free — Madeleine Chandless, MI, 5:34.07
200 free relay — Mercer Island (Stephanie Hammond, Christina Williamson, Masami Cookson, Pak) 1:46.12
100 back — 1, Grace Wold, MI, 1:00.42*; 2, Kira Godfred, MI, 1:03.90*
100 breast — Danielle Deiparine, MI, 1:11.92*
400 free relay — Mercer Island (Jennifer Pak, Stephanie Hammond, Madeline Chandless, Grace Wold) 3:53.99*