Boys Roundup: Liberty just speed bump for Issaquah

The 6-foot-10 senior scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Issaquah to a 63-38 victory over Liberty in the KingCo 3A season opener last night. Gasser was thankful for the victory, but had more important things on his mind as he walked off the court.

"There's still a season to play," Gasser said, "but I can't wait for the playoffs. We're better than last year, and I think the playoffs are going to be a lot of fun."

Sophomore guard Garrison Carr had three steals to go with 10 points for the Indians (3-0).

Junior Jeff Bice scored 12 to lead the Patriots (1-4).

Both teams came out in a full-court press, but Gasser and the Indians quickly took control with their quickness and precision passing. They broke the press time and again, and used physical play to gain the upper hand. Gasser scored eight points in the first quarter, leading the Indians to a 20-9 lead.

"In order for us to beat the really good teams," Issaquah coach Jeff Patrick said, "we have to play hard and get out and run. We did a good job of that in the first quarter."

With Gasser on the bench to start the second period, Liberty went on an 11-2 run that cut the lead to two. But the Indians rallied when Gasser returned and used a 12-2 run of their own to close out the first half.

The third quarter brought more physical play and defensive pressure. The Indians outhustled Liberty to loose balls and were continually one step ahead. Everywhere Liberty went, Issaquah was there first to get a steal or simply jar the ball loose. They outscored Liberty 19-7 in the quarter to put the game away.

Patrick was pleased with Issaquah's intensity and execution, and not the least bit surprised by his star center's postseason aspirations.

"I'd be really worried if this wasn't such an experienced team," Patrick said. "But these guys know what it takes to get to the next level and they're ready to go and get it."

ROOSEVELT 81, AT FRANKLIN 75: Roosevelt took advantage of a depleted Franklin roster to shock the Quakers in a KingCo 4A game.

Six Franklin (1-1) players, including star point guard Aaron Brooks, sat out, serving one-game suspensions for violations of team curfew rules Saturday following Franklin's victory over Central Valley in Spokane.

"We decided that making an emphasis on our kids' safety was more important than winning a basketball game," Franklin coach Jason Kerr said of the suspensions.

Sophomore guard Marcus Williams led the Roughriders (2-3) with 24 points to offset a spectacular effort by Franklin senior wing Kellen Williams, who finished with 29 points and 19 rebounds.

"We had some kids who played their hearts out," Kerr said of the seven who saw action. "They gave us everything they had, but they were all asked to step outside their normal roles. I was proud of them."

AT MERCER ISLAND 88, CEDARCREST 46: The defending state 3A runners-up lost their starting point guard five seconds into the game, but never slowed down in a rout of KingCo rival Cedarcrest.

Senior Austin Yuen suffered a facial injury in a collision moments after the opening tip and didn't return, but his replacement, Kahlil Matthews, directed the offense with aplomb. The junior finished with nine points, eight assists and two turnovers, and Mercer Island (2-0) enjoyed a 51-16 lead at halftime.

Forward Brandon Burmeister hit six 3-pointers, scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for Mercer Island, and center Brayden Billbe added 24 points. Pat Conrick led Cedarcrest (3-2) with 10.

SKYLINE 82, AT INTERLAKE 81 (3OT): It took four quarters, three overtimes, and an errant last-gasp Interlake shot to make Skyline (2-1) the winner in the KingCo 3A game.

Skyline's Ian Tushar and Matt Nelson each scored 21 points to offset a combined 54 points from Brian Burke and Bryce Brigham of Interlake (1-2).

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