Season ends at regionals for Islander girls | Prep girls basketball

Prairie pulls away holding Islanders to single digits in decisive third quarter.

February 28, 2016 3:40 pm
Mercer Island’s Jess Blakeslee fights for her shot against Prairie’s Macey Hsu (center) and Mallory Williams (13) during the Islanders’ regional matchup with the Falcons on Saturday at Battle Ground High School.
Mercer Island’s Jess Blakeslee fights for her shot against Prairie’s Macey Hsu (center) and Mallory Williams (13) during the Islanders’ regional matchup with the Falcons on Saturday at Battle Ground High School.

The Mercer Island girls basketball team saw its quest for the Tacoma Dome come to an end at the 3A state regionals, falling to the Prairie Falcons 57-41 Saturday, Feb. 28 at Battle Ground High School.

Though falling short of the team’s season goal to earn a win at the state tournament, Mercer Island coach Gillian d’Hondt said the Islanders had plenty to be proud of this year.

“We had an amazing season and they’ve got to keep their heads up,” d’Hondt said of her players. “They had to adjust to a whole new coach and offensive and defensive systems. A lot of teams wouldn’t be successful under those circumstances.”

Playing a 10-minute drive away from Prairie High School had the Islanders (20-6) filling the role as visitors at Saturday’s game. The Islanders found themselves facing a 10-point first-quarter deficit, but fought back to tie the game 26-26 late in the second quarter. A 3-pointer from Grace Prom gave the Falcons (21-4) a 29-26 advantage at the half.

In the third, Prairie broke the game open to pull away. The Falcons held the Islanders to three third-quarter points while extending their lead to 14 to close the period. Prairie never relinquished its double-digit advantage, with the Falcons denying possessions to Mercer Island leading scorer Anna Luce and forcing the Islanders to their outside shooting.

As a team, Mercer Island struggled from the field, connecting on only 25 percent of their attempts.

“We couldn’t hit a shot. Blame it on the rims, blame it on the travel. Honestly, it’s just the way it goes sometimes,” d’Hondt said.

Luce led the Islanders with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Taylor Krause posted 10 points and nine rebounds.

The loss marked an end to the prep careers of senior captains Krause and Jess Blakeslee, both of whom d’Hondt praised for fighting all the way until the very end. Blakeslee fought through shooting woes Saturday to finish with six points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

“Our seniors did an amazing job leaving it all on floor,” d’Hondt said, adding both Krause and Blakeslee fouled out of Saturday’s game. “Getting to the sweet sixteen all [of their] four years, that’s putting our program to a whole new level. They have nothing to be ashamed of, none of the girls do.”