In an unprecedented run last year, the Mercer Island High School girls basketball team forged a successful season, finishing eighth in state. This season the core is back, and they are once again looking to dominate the league, district, and — if all goes as planned — the state.

The Islanders are returning six players from last year’s varsity squad, all of whom were a part of the unprecedented state placing team last year. That squad also saw its first KingCo tournament title, as well as a fourth seed going into the state tournament.

“Every year before the season starts, Jamie has them write down goals,” said assistant coach Beth Christofferson.

“A lot of the girls had the goal of winning KingCo again, and then a lot of the girls had the goal to get to the state tournament again and place higher than last year,” said Christofferson.

Helping those returning players will be a strong underclassmen group, including freshman Kris Brackmann, who will be playing on the varsity squad. Christofferson said there are also three sophomores who will be making varsity appearances as they gain more experience.

Aided by a few key players last season, the Mercer Island girls became known as a shooting team, but this year the focus is knowing when to head inside.

“They are focusing a lot on good decision making, when to push the ball, when to bring it back and trying to get the ball inside,” said Christofferson. “For the first time in the program history of Mercer Island girls basketball, we really have a set of athletes who are just amazing, so our goal is just to be able to have anyone come off the bench for the state five and be able to continue — using everyone as an asset and not depending on just one girl.”

While most teams in the Islanders’ league will be gunning for Mercer Island, the returning KingCo champs are keeping their eyes in, looking at what they can do and not necessarily what others are.

“Jamie always focuses on what we can do to win, and so as far as I know, we haven’t been focusing on anybody except preparing the girls to work as a team and doing the best they can do,” said the assistant coach. But she did admit that the girls have an early season match-up picked out: Issaquah.

“The girls are really looking to Issaquah on Wednesday, but that’s an old non-conference rivalry,” she said.

Returning head coach Jamie Prescott, who has led the Islander girls program for six years, will miss part of the beginning of the season on maternity leave. However, along with her returning assistant coaches, such as Christofferson from last year, Prescott added another big name to the coaching roster: the celebrated professional women’s basketball player Sheryl Swoopes. Christofferson said Swoopes will be handling much of the sideline coaching while Prescott is away.

“She’s one of the most successful women basketball players,” said Christofferson. “But she really just wants to help the girls get better.”

The MIHS girls basketball season started last night, after Reporter deadline, with a scrimmage against Eastlake. The team hosts Issaquah tonight at 5:45 and will host Archbishop Murphy on Friday at 7:30 p.m.