The Mercer Island girls basketball team saw its bid for a third-consecutive state tournament appearance come to an end in the 3A regional round Saturday, falling in overtime to the Wilson Rams 71-64 at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

It was Mercer Island’s third overtime game of the postseason, and the team’s third postseason loss to Wilson in the last three years.

The Islanders appeared poised for a different outcome this time around, but after taking a seven-point lead into the game’s final quarter, Mercer Island struggled against Wilson’s pressure defense down the stretch, giving up 12 turnovers in the game’s final quarter and overtime period.

“There were a select few possessions where we turned the ball over because we got tight,” Mercer Island coach Kaela Yuen said. “We made some poor decisions because of their pressure, and then we obviously missed some boxouts toward the end and that’s how it got away.”

The Rams (21-4) came into Saturday’s game riding a 10-game winning streak and led 11-8 after the opening period. Mercer Island (17-10) rallied with a 14-0 run to open the second quarter, going ahead 22-11 and extending its lead to 15, before the Rams turned up their full-court press. Wilson finished the first half on a 9-2 swing to cut the deficit, trailing the Islanders 32-24 at the half.

Wilson kept its run going in the third, scoring the first eight points of the quarter to tie the game 32-32. But the Islanders came back with nine straight points of their own and took a 41-34 lead into the fourth.

The Rams clawed their way back in the final period, disrupting Mercer Island’s offense with its press, and managed to tie the game 49-49 with 1:22 remaining. Julia Blumenstein responded with a three-point play to put the Islanders ahead, but the Rams took back the lead on back-to-back buckets from Kiara Knox. The game saw five lead changes in the final minute, with Knox scoring the Rams’ final eight points before fouling out with nine seconds to go. Jess Blakeslee was the answer for Mercer Island, drawing three trips to the foul line in the final 35 seconds. Blakeslee sank five of six, with her final free throw tying the game 57-57 with nine seconds left, eventually sending the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Blumenstein and Blakeslee each hit a pair of free throws to give the Islanders a 61-57 advantage. But once again, Wilson turned to its press, forcing turnovers and creating offense with its defense. The Rams tied the game 61-61, and after forcing back-to-back Mercer Island turnovers, took a 65-62 lead off two free throws from Josie Matz.

A basket from Blakeslee pulled the Islanders within one, but she soon after fouled out with 20 seconds to go. Mercer Island wouldn’t score again, as the Rams went on to score the final six points of the game. Blakeslee led the Islanders with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Blumenstein had 11 and Taylor Krause had 10.

Playing against the hometown team in front of a raucous crowd, Yuen said the Islanders may have got caught in the moment down the stretch of a big game.

“In the first half, we were breaking [the press] very well, except at the end of the second quarter; it was like it was a new thing,” Yuen said. “I think sometimes jitters got people out of position and we just lost a little bit of that attack mentality against them as the game went on.”

Although not reaching their goal of making it back to state and getting a win at the tournament, Yuen said she was pleased with the Islanders’ accomplishments on the court this season, particularly with the toughness and team chemistry she saw from her team throughout the playoffs the last couple weeks.

“We’re really proud of the work we did,” Yuen said. “We beat some tough opponents and we played some opponents real tight throughout the course of the season, so it was just a great year. I told [the team] I felt like this was the most life I’ve lived in a season. A lot of ups and downs, they made me happy, they made me irritated, but that’s what it’s supposed to be about: feeling everything. This was just a special group of kids.”

The Islanders graduate seniors Julia Blumenstein, Jamie Mounger and Maddi Salvino.