Neither the boys nor girls Mercer Island High School basketball teams made it to the finals of their respective tournaments in California, but both proved they can play with some of the best teams in the west.

Boys

The Islander boys suffered their first loss of the season on Friday, 70-66, during the semifinals of the Desert Heat Classic in Palm Springs.

The loss to Los Osos High School came despite four players scoring in double figures, including Matt Schut, who led the team with 18 points.

The Islanders played in the consolation final Saturday night (after Reporter deadline).

Mercer Island picked up a win during the first round 55-53 over St. Mary’s (Calif.), despite Leroy Lutu scoring just 11 points. Drew Sexton led the Islanders with 17 points. It was the first game this season that Lutu failed to score over 20 points but it would become a trend.

During the quarterfinals Sexton would again lead the Islanders with 20 points as his team defeated Reno of Nevada, 58-51.

Girls

The Mercer Island girls basketball team lost during the first round of the San Diego Surf n’ Slam tournament in a close game, 41-39, against Sonora, Calif.

The team was scheduled to take on Justin-Siena during the second round of the consolation bracket on Friday. Results were not available at press time for the game or another contest scheduled for Saturday.