In a huge upset, the Mercer Island girls basketball team found their way around top ranked Kennedy Catholic Thursday night for a 52-50 win in the state quarterfinals.

“This is what we’ve worked for all season,” said head coach Jamie Prescott following the win. Mercer Island ended an 18 game winning streak for the Lancers, who won last year’s state title.

The Islanders, who trailed for the majority of the game, rallied in the fourth quarter, which started with a 43-35 lead for Kennedy.

Senior Hannah Lilly hit a three point basket with 3:22 remaining in the game to lift the Islanders to a momentary 50-49 lead, before Kennedy hit a free throw to tie the game in the last minute.

Hailey Gullstad pushed the Islanders over the edge with 7.9 seconds remaining for the final 52-50 lead. Gullstad had nine points tonight, while Heidi Black had 12 points for the Islanders, as did Jae Shin.

Prescott said the Lancers forced MI to play a different style of defense throughout the game, throwing the girls off for the first half.

The Islanders, who finished in eighth place at state last year, will face the winner of the Shorecrest/Cleveland game tomorrow night in the state semifinals. The game has an 8:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Dome.