In many basketball leagues in the state, an off-night for a team means little beyond that: a rough night. In KingCo, an off-night can mean a drop in the league standings, which is what happened after two losses last week for the Mercer Island boys.

Last Tuesday night, the Islanders fell to Sammamish, 52-47, in a game that the Totems controlled in the beginning and Mercer Island fought to take back in the second.

Sammamish had the defensive edge in the first quarter, ending the first eight minutes with a 15-8 lead. Mercer Island’s shots wouldn’t stick but picked up speed in the second quarter, nailing a last-minute shot for a 25-25 tie between the teams.

The Islanders pushed and pulled their way back into the game during the third quarter, fighting for every shot and trying to make it count, and were able to hold Sammamish to just nine points in the third to their 16. But a big fourth quarter for the Totems, against a sluggish Mercer Island, meant that a last-second effort to take the win fell short. Sammamish had 18 points in the final minutes, while Mercer Island had six.

Derek Newhof had 15 points for the Islanders in the loss, while Brian Miller had 13 before fouling out in the last minute of the game. Sammamish’s three-point threat John Steinberg had 12 points, while teammate George Valle had 15 overall. Sami Jarjour scored 11 points for the Totems, while Jeff Lindquist popped in six points for Mercer Island.

Friday evening, the Islanders lost to the No. 1 KingCo team, 69-58, to secure the No. 3 position.

In the second home game of the week, the Wolverines battled for the lead early on, holding Mercer Island off.

Going into the half, the score was 30-26 for Bellevue. A 27-point fourth quarter for Mercer Island wasn’t enough to propel the team to the lead.

The team rallied for a 50-48 win over Lake Washington Monday night to hold on to the No. 2 spot.

The Islanders face Liberty after Reporter deadline and will travel to Juanita this Friday for an 8 p.m. match-up.