The battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 KingCo girls teams was decided by just two points last Wednesday, knocking the Islanders off their perfect league record after a 59-57 loss to Bellevue. The Islanders (13-4, 8-1) couldn’t get around the Wolverines’ defense in the final moments, a story line which played out for most of the match.

Bellevue grabbed an early lead in the first quarter, ending the first eight minutes up by two points, a lead that Mercer Island was able to cut by one going into halftime at 30-29.

Both Mercer Island and Bellevue had 15 points in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to push the Islanders past their opponent, remaining behind by just one point, a status quo for the game that the Bellevue defense was working hard at keeping. The last minutes of the game were a testament to the defensive strategies for both teams, but Bellevue held on to keep the Islanders at bay, handing the team its first league loss this season.

Haley Gullstad had 18 points during the loss, while Jae Shin, whom Bellevue targeted in their defense, had 13 points. Heidi Black put up nine points for her team, while Bellevue’s Kelly Meggs had 14 and Catelyn Webber added 12 for the Wolverines.

The week started with a loss, but the Islanders made sure to end it with a win, despite missing most of the starting lineup. Against Sammamish on Friday night, the Islanders made a 68-20 impression, proving that the whole bench has enough talent to go around.

The Islanders kept the Totems to just two points in the first quarter and held the opposing team to under 10 points a quarter during the entire game. Gullstad had 17 points, Christina Williamson put up 14, Lauren Ellis had 11 and Carly Andersen had eight.