Two dominant forwards in William McDonald and Reuhen Bhalod are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mercer Island Islanders will square off against the Inglemoor Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Tuesday, Mercer Island ended up a good deal behind Bellevue and lost 65-47. The Islanders haven't had much luck with the Wolverines recently, as the team's come up short the last eight times they've met.
Meanwhile, Inglemoor was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 58-54 to Liberty.
Mercer Island will have to keep a close watch on Aman Sterling and Bhalod, a pair of players who had a big impact on Inglemoor's prior game. Sterling went 6-for-11 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points, while Bhalod dropped a double-double with 16 points and 20 rebounds. Bhalod is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last 41 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Gabe Schutt, who posted nine points.
Even though they lost, Inglemoor smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 13 consecutive contests.
Inglemoor's loss dropped their record down to 13-9. As for Mercer Island, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-11.
Mercer Island was able to grind out a solid win over Inglemoor when the teams last played back in December of 2021, winning 62-50. Will Mercer Island repeat their success, or does Inglemoor have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
