Mercer Island boys water polo rolled in postseason play with impressive victories over Gig Harbor and Roosevelt to reach the Region 1 championship game where they narrowly lost 10-9 to league nemesis Bellevue.

The Islanders displayed defensive might in their first game showdown beating West League’s no. 2 seed Gig Harbor 19-5. The Tides averaged 14 goals per game during the season, but came up far short when facing the Islanders stingy defense.

Sam Nair’s field block of an early Gig Harbor goal attempt set the defensive tone. The Islander offense went out strong as well with hole set Eric Raisys scoring two goals in 20 seconds at 4:39 and 4:17 in the first quarter. The Tides kept it tight in the first quarter scoring at :03 to make it 3-2 at the end of the first. The Islanders broke open the game with six unanswered goals in the second quarter to lead at the half 8-2.

The Islanders continued aggressive offense, torpedoing the Tides with 11 goals in the second half for a lopsided win. Raisys and Conner Vacca led the Islanders with five goals each, Hunter Peshkin had five saves on the game.

The Islanders went on to rough up Roosevelt 16-4 in the regional semifinals. The Islanders jumped to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Roughriders were plagued by shot-clock violations throughout the game, and had trouble finding their offensive rhythm with the absence of leading scorers Conrad and Jake Gordon.

The Islanders scored six goals in the second quarter to command a 10-2 lead at the half. Early in the third quarter, Carson Coe fed the ball to Nik Lacrampe, whose back was square to the goal and a Roughrider. In one seamless motion, Lacrampe caught the ball, side-stepped the defender and rotated 180 degrees to fire a shot into the lower right corner. Lacrampe’s “spin move” was indicative of creative Islander shot-making in the second half. Vacca led with four goals and Cole Nielsen had six saves on the game.

Cross-lake rivals Bellevue and Mercer Island played for the championship, with Bellevue besting the Islanders 10-9. This is the fourth time the teams have played this season, with the Wolverines coming out on top in all four contests.

Bellevue was up 8-2 at the end of the third quarter and the Islanders seemed deflated when coach Andrew Smith-Jones challenged the team to “win this quarter.” The Islanders responded mightily and came nearly all the way back, outscoring the Wolverines 7-2 in the fourth. The Islanders were down 10-7 with a minute left when the Vacca scored on a 5-meter shot to bring it within two. Both teams thought “game over” when the shot clock buzzer sounded, but one second remained on the game clock. Goalie Hunter Peshkin recognized the differential and threw a Hail Mary the length of the pool which was swatted into the net by Vacca at the buzzer, giving the Islanders some momentum heading into state despite the frustrating loss. Vacca led the Islanders with five goals in the game.

The Islanders’ first state game is 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12  at Curtis High School. Game updates can be found on Twitter @MIh2oPolo.