A 23-0 run in the first half by Mount Si was the key to victory as the Wildcats routed the Interlake Saints at Interlake High School last Wednesday night.
Five different players scored in double figures and all but one of the 10 Mount Si girls who suited up scored, as the Wildcats tied their season-high point output with an 81-59 blowout.
“I was happy with the way our girls came out and played tonight. We played with a lot more energy than we did in the previous game versus Sammamish,” said Mount Si Coach Dirk Hansen.
The Wildcats also scored 81 points in a win on Jan. 4 over Mercer Island.
Senior Tara Eddings, with 12 points and 11 rebounds; sophomore Symone Shaw, with 15 points and 10 rebounds; and freshman Caitie Richards, with 15 points and 10 assists all had double-doubles to lead Mount Si. Nicole Remish with 17 and Madison Yakaboski with 10 also hit double-figures in scoring for the Wildcats.
Junior Sonya Nyasulu scored a game-high 22 points for Interlake.
The talented Mount Si depth once again showed up in this game. JV call-ups Veca Falcon and Jordyn Wilson, both freshmen, did great work in mop-up duty for the Wildcats late in the contest, and both players scored points. Wilson finished with five points.
“I was just really proud to be part of the team today. I know I sat on the bench a lot, but I learned a lot just from all the girls and stuff. It’s a whole other level, and then when I went in, I just tried as hard as I could. I got five points, and it was really cool,” Wilson said.
The night, as one could imagine, was frustrating for the Saints, under scored by a technical foul on Interlake coach Scott Marcum with 57 seconds left in the game, but Hansen offered praise for the Saints.
“Interlake’s got some quick kids. They’re a young team and a good shooting team, and they’re going to be good for years to come,” Hansen said. “It’s not the Interlake of old.”
The 23-0 first half run was keyed by speed.
“We’ve got some really fast players on our team, and we know one of the best parts of our game is our fast break and running, and so we try to do as much as we can, and we’re doing a pretty good job of it,” Remish said.
Mount Si continued its winning ways last Friday, as the team beat the Mercer Island Islanders on the island. Remish scored 21 and picked up nine rebounds to lead the Wildcats to a 53-37 win over MI. Yakaboski pitched in 14 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and five assists to the efforts. Richards’ favorite number against the Islanders was eight: she recorded that number in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Eddings and Shaw each also added nine rebounds to pace Mount Si. All of those rebounds were important, too; Mount Si barely outrebounded the Islanders as a team 46-42.
This Thursday, the Wildcats host the Newport Knights. It will be the final home game for the Mount Si seniors: Remish, the Eddings twins Tara and Chelsie, Kali Walker and Jessica Marley. Newport is contending for the top spot in the Kingco Tournament and, based on their play against the Wildcats on Jan. 11, this team has a potential to go quite far this postseason. Tip is 7:30 p.m.
Mount Si plays in the Kingco Tournament next week. Games start next Tuesday and continue all week. Look for the Wildcats to seed No. 3 in the tourney, and open Tuesday against the No. 6 seed, either MI or Liberty. That game will either be at 4:45 p.m. or at 8:15 p.m. at Bellevue Community College.
