By Matt Phelps

Senior Jessie Paull knew that the Mercer Island girls basketball game against Liberty Wednesday at Issaquah High School might be her last. Every rebound, every jump ball and every shot she took had a sense of urgency behind it. But in the end, the senior’s 13 points and 12 rebounds were not enough to stave off elimination from the 3A KingCo playoffs, as the Islanders fell 52-48.

“She is always a factor,” said Mercer Island girls basketball head coach Jamie Prescott. “I think at times she was forcing shots, but that is understandable. She is so passionate about the game and her teammates.”

Katie Stadius also had 13 points for the Islanders.

Mercer Island struggled to tie the score over the final four minutes of play, despite the cheering of the Islander boys basketball team.

With the Islanders down by four points, a Liberty player grabbed an offensive rebound, but Paull tried to snatch the ball out of the player’s hands. Without fouling, Paull forced a jump ball and Mercer Island received possession.

“A month ago, she had problems fouling out of games and she realized that it was hurting the team,” said Prescott. “She made some adjustments and we became more competitive.”

But the Islanders turned the ball back over to Liberty after two scoring attempts.

A missed shot by the Patriots gave Mercer Island another chance, as Paull pulled down the defensive board. Mercer Island again turned the ball over after two shots missed their mark.

Finally, Islander Georgia Gier hit a bank shot off an inbound pass, during the team’s next possession to pull within two points. But the next two Mercer Island possessions ended in a turnover and a Liberty rebound.

Mercer Island did earn a shot to win the game. Gier, grabbing a defensive rebound, was fouled with 38.2 seconds left. The sophomore hit both shots from the line to tie the score at 48-48. But the players’ struggles from the floor continued, as they missed two more shots in the final moments of the game. Both of those shots resulted in a Liberty possession as Sarah Barber, who blanketed the boards the entire game, brought down both rebounds and hit the final two free throws to send the Islanders home.

“We practiced those situations a lot during practice because we knew that was what it would come down to,” said Prescott. “They kept saying `We’ve done this’ but we just couldn’t get the shots to fall.”

Barber, who had not been a factor in the teams’ first two meetings of the season, led all players with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

“We haven’t had too many (post players) that have killed us, so we were more focused on (the players) that hurt us before,” said Prescott.

Close games were normal over the course of the season between the two teams. Both previous meetings saw Mercer Island with double-digit fourth-quarter leads that evaporated, thanks to fouling trouble.

The Islanders cleaned up the fouling problems but never held more than their four-point first quarter lead, and were down 33-26 during the third period.

Mercer Island began the playoffs with a tough game against Newport. Despite Paull’s 16 points, the Islanders could not overcome a single digit scoring effort during the second period.

Both losses end a 6-17 season for Mercer Island, which will lose Paull and Annie Taylor to graduation. But the young team will have to make some changes in the off-season if they want to be more competitive next year.

“A lot of the kids are multi-sport athletes playing against players that play basketball all year long,” said Prescott. “We saw a lot of improvement this season and I feel more confident about where we are going.”