Islander seniors Janelle Chow and Chloe Snethen saw every possible outcome to a varsity basketball season during their four years at Mercer Island High School. The history of the program was such that the team’s three-win season in 2005-2006 actually gave the players a reason to be happy.

“All the seniors saw us through the toughest times,” said Mercer Island coach Jamie Prescott, including Kelly Han, Allison Stoney and Sosha Mathew. “But they have made it so that girls like Heidi [Black, a freshman] expect to compete every year now.”

That expectation comes as the Islanders bring the state’s eighth-place trophy back to Mercer Island after finishing the state tournament with a 2-2 record at the Tacoma Dome last weekend.

“It is great to be able to celebrate history,” said Snethen. “We are happy with what we have accomplished.”

For Chow, it puts a gigantic exclamation point on a legendary high school career that has seen the senior go to state in the three high school sports in which she has competed.

“This one is the most meaningful because it is the first in school history,” said Chow.

But history was not easily accomplished, as Mercer Island had to recover from a collapse during the final two minutes of a first-round loss to Prairie.

First round:

Prairie 62,

Mercer Island 45

Prairie came into the state tournament with a No. 2 seed to Mercer Island’s No. 4 and just four losses. But Mercer Island threw records out and played the Falcons from Vancouver close throughout the game on Wednesday. Tied at 21-21 during halftime, Mercer Island showed its offensive prowess by spreading the ball around as eight different players scored.

“You just have to go to work and play hard; the nerves go away,” said Kaylia Balinbin, one of just two players on the team with state experience in any sport on the team. “I told them, they just have to play.”

Black took the advice to heart. The freshman, who would have one of the most impressive runs of any Mercer Island player during the tournament, led the team with 14 points, while Chow contributed nine points. But neither Chow nor Black could save Mercer Island during the final two minutes. Mercer Island trailed by just one point with 2:40 left in the game and by three with 2:04 remaining. The final 124 seconds would become a nightmare as none of the Islander shots would fall. In contrast, Prairie scored 14 unanswered-points to secure the win. Mercer Island finished the game with 22 turnovers.

One bright spot for the Islanders during the game was the return of guard Hannah Lilly. The junior, who tore her ACL during the summer, stepped onto the court for the first time all season.

“It was so scary, and I still haven’t got used to it,” said Lilly, who would get into all four games at state. “It was fun, though. It was just good to get out there and contribute.”

The loss forced Mercer Island into two consecutive loser-out games in order to bring home a trophy.

Consolation quarterfinal: Mercer Island 57, Ferndale 51

Despite the loss, Mercer Island came out with a sense of determination on Thursday as it would have to defeat Ferndale to stay alive. Chow took it upon herself to get the team started, hitting two three-pointers during the team’s first two possessions. The shots set a tone for the team as the Islanders never trailed during the game.

Islander sophomore Hailey Gullstad took that momentum and ran with it, scoring 20 points during the first three quarters as Mercer Island built a 10-point lead. Gullstad finished with 23 points, and Chow added 15 points. Ferndale got as close as 35-32, but could never gain the lead thanks to key rebounds by Islanders Kate DaPron and Sara Taylor.

The win gave Mercer Island what the team wanted: a chance to place at state. That opportunity came in the form of a contest with Yelm on Friday.

Consolation semifinal:

Mercer Island 56, Yelm 47

The Islanders’ ability to shoot from beyond the arch was so potent this season that most opponents would let the key go unguarded at times. But no matter what other team’s defenses threw at Mercer Island, the only thing that seemed to stop the Islanders’ three-point shooting was the Islanders themselves.

Three-point shooting would become the theme of the contest as Mercer Island set two state tournament records from beyond the arch.

The first record was for three-point shots taken at 41, and the second was for three-point shots made in a game: 11. The Islanders would also set the record for shots taken in during the tournament as a whole, with 111 during the four games.

“One person asked me if we set out to break those records,” said Prescott. “I wouldn’t even know where to look to find those records. We had kids who have taken just two threes all year taking threes, so it was contagious.”

The barrage worked out in Mercer Island’s favor against a Yelm team that decided to take a chance and defend the key, said Prescott.

Despite the records, Mercer Island hit just one three-pointer during the first quarter and trailed Yelm 14-11 at the end of the first quarter. But rebounds were key for Mercer Island, as DaPron pulled down four during the first quarter and 11 for the game.

Black began the barrage during the second quarter, knocking down three threes. Gullstad knocked down one three and Taylor, a forward, hit the fifth three of the quarter, giving Mercer Island a 26-20 lead. In all, five Mercer Island players made a three-pointer during the game. Despite the shots, Yelm took the lead back during the third quarter, 42-38, on a last-second shot.

The fourth quarter saw the re-emergence of a powerful Mercer Island weapon, Jae Shin.

“She struggled for about five straight games,” said Prescott. “I never thought about benching her. I just backed off and told her, you can keep shooting. Good shooters have to find their rhythm.”

The sophomore found more rhythm than if she had joined a drum circle at Bumbershoot. Inside, outside and all around, Shin took shots and hit them, finishing with 21 points to lead the team, 15 of them during the fourth quarter as the Islanders pulled away for the victory.

“Everyone on the team said they believed in me,” said Shin. “I knew that they needed me right then.”

The win put Mercer Island into the fifth-place/eighth-place game on Saturday against Franklin.

Consolation final: Franklin 67, Mercer Island 44

The consolation final was a rematch of the district tournament’s consolation final between Franklin and Mercer Island. The game would have a different journey, but the same result. During districts, the Quakers took advantage of an undermanned Islander team plagued by injury and academic ineligibility. The rematch for the Islanders was a nightmare of missed shots and missed opportunities. Mercer Island as a team shot just 10.3 percent from beyond the arch and 19 percent overall, one of its worst of the season.

Franklin led during the third period by a margin of 50-25, but the Islanders continued to attack the basket despite the fact that nearly every time, the ball bounced away from the rim. None of the Islanders would finish in double figures in scoring.

Despite the loss, the Islander girls were happy to hoist their eighth-place trophy high into the air in front of the largest contingent of Mercer Island fans they had seen during nearly the entire postseason.

“This, I think, will push us to get back here in years to come,” said Black.

The new reality for Black and her freshmen teammates of expecting success was started during a season with just three victories.