The Mercer Island girls basketball team stayed alive in the SeaKing District 2 basketball tournament on Saturday night, beating Bishop Blanchet 50-46.

The Islanders held a 12-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Blanchet scored 12 in the second quarter while holding the Islanders to nine tied the game at 21 points at halftime.

Mercer Island gained the upper hand offensively in the third quarter, hitting 18 points and keeping Blanchet to just 11. Though Blanchet tried to earn a last minute win by scoring 14 to the Islanders 11 in the final minutes of the match, the Islanders hung on to win.

Kris Brackmann scored 17 points for the Islanders in the game, while Rachael Tessem had eight and Renae Tessem scored seven. Jessica Blakeslee added five points, while Suri Johnson and Arianna Moscatel had four points. Julia Blumenstein had three points and Christina Williamson added two points.

The Islanders will play West Seattle in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Chief Sealth High School. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

If Mercer Island wins on Tuesday, they will play the winner of the Juanita vs. Cleveland game on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 8:15 p.m. at Bellevue College.

A loss on Tuesday and Mercer Island will play against the loser of the Juanita vs. Cleveland game on Friday, Feb. 15 at Bellevue College at 8:15 p.m. The top five teams advance from the district tournament to the state regionals.