Matt Phelps
Mercer Island Reporter
The Mercer Island girls basketball season came to a close on Feb. 26 when the team lost its second district playoff game to Lakeside, 49-46.
“We would have liked to make it to state but we had a really good season and went farther than anyone expected,” said sophomore Hannah Lilly.
Mercer Island got off to a good start during the first half by building a seven-point lead. But Lakeside came back to take a 24-22 lead at the half as the Islanders only scored five second-quarter points.
Mercer Island stayed in the game during the third period with two critical three-pointers from Lilly. A late basket by Jannelle Chow tied the game at 34-34 as the third period came to close. The Lions would reclaim the lead during the opening moments of the fourth period and never looked back. Lilly had a chance to tie the game as the final seconds ticked away, taking a long three-pointer that narrowly missed the mark.
“I came off a double screen, and the shot was a bit off balance,” said Lilly.
Chow led the team with 18 points, and Lilly had 13 during the game.
Mercer Island had an up-and -down season. The team began the year with a 3-2 record, including its first win against Mount Si in a decade. But then the team went on a losing streak that nearly knocked them out of the playoff picture.
Third-quarter collapses dogged the Islanders during the entire season, despite it being their best quarter statistically.
“We played well against Lakeside during the third period, so that was one of the only good things about that game,” said Lilly.
This was the season of youth and rebuilding as Islanders Shinn and Hailey Gullstad made a big impact. Lilly finished the season in the top five of four offensive categories, including scoring.
The Islanders managed to pull off two consecutive upsets during the KingCo playoffs to qualify for districts for the second consecutive year.
But injuries hurt the Islanders as senior Holland Fleming and freshman Sarah Taylor were lost to injury during the playoffs.
“Next year I hope we can avoid injuries,” said Lilly. “That, along with our younger players gaining more experience will help us a lot.”
