In their third matchup against Bellevue this season and second in just under a week, Mercer Island was gunning to turn the tables against a team it couldn’t beat in its two previous tries. While the Islanders got the defensive start they were looking for, a few scoring droughts kept the Islanders from a KingCo final upset.

Mercer Island fell in the 3A KingCo tournament final to Bellevue 65-47 Thursday, Feb. 12 at Bellevue College, giving the Islanders KingCo’s second seed in the 3A Sea-King district tournament.

Experiencing their share of offensive troubles, Mercer Island coach Gavin Cree said afterward his team needed to respond better to its offensive woes.

“It’s been one of our issues this season. We go on these [scoring] droughts and we’ve got to find a way to mentally pick ourselves up,” Cree said. “If a team goes on a 4-0 run, it’s time for us to go get one for ourselves. I think we just sort of let it get us down a bit too much.”

The Islanders came out strong on the defensive end, keeping Bellevue’s scoring down in the first quarter and ending the opening period tied 10-10. But after taking a 16-14 lead on a basket from Jack Counihan in the second quarter, Mercer Island failed to score the rest of the half. A three-point play from Gunther Klimes sparked a 9-0 Bellevue run as the Wolverines took a 25-16 lead into the break.

Mercer Island’s cold shooting continued until midway through the third, with Bellevue extending its lead 36-16 before Josh Stenberg hit a 3-pointer with 4:27 left in the quarter. The Islanders managed to whittle Bellevue’s lead to 38-30 after a three-point play from Gabriel Boucaud. But a floater from Kyle Foreman to end the quarter pushed Bellevue’s lead back into double digits. The Wolverines only pulled further away in the fourth, opening with a 5-0 run and seeing their lead grow to 25.

Sharif Khan led Bellevue in scoring with 16 points, while Foreman had 14. Sam Nordale led the Islanders with 11 points.

With only about a day to rest before the beginning of district competition, Cree said his team would have to work on their mental reps more than anything else.

“We need to mentally bounce back quicker,” Cree said. “We show that we’re capable when we go on runs. Really, it starts with defense. If you get a stop, it’s a lot easier to play offense against a defense that isn’t set.”

Islander All-KingCo selections

The 3A KingCo all-conference selections were announced after the tournament final Thursday night. Mercer Island’s Josh Stenberg and Andrew Pickles both earned first team selections. Bellevue’s Gunther Klimes earned conference MVP honors, and Kyle Foreman was named conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Islanders edge Blanchet in first round

Mercer Island opened district competition edging Bishop Blanchet 50-48 Saturday, Feb. 14 at MIHS. Down two with just over a minute to go, Josh Stenberg drained his third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter to put the Islanders ahead 48-47. Stenberg wasn’t done, stealing a cross-court pass on Blanchet’s next possession, giving the Islanders the ball and taking precious time of the clock. Mercer Island was unable to capitalize, but got the ball back on another steal by Ethan Chen. After an Islander miss, Sam Nordale drew contact corralling the offensive rebound. Stepping to the line with 10 seconds left in regulation, Nordale sank two free throws to give Mercer Island its winning points. Stenberg led the way with 12 points, while Chen had 10. Blanchet’s Sam Cunliffe led all scorers with 23.

Mercer Island will take on Seattle Prep at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Chief Sealth High School.