Many great coaches are associated with Washington state high school athletics. But just one has 900 victories.

Mercer Island High School boys basketball head coach Ed Pepple achieved that lofty number Dec. 5, as the Islanders held on for a 67-65 victory at Mount Si High School.

“He is the best coach in Washington state, regardless of the sport,” said junior Leroy Lutu. “It is just an honor to play for him.”

Pepple’s win total is made all the more impressive by the fact that he has more than 300 victories on Pat Fitterer, who is second on the list.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” said Pepple. “Everyone gives me the credit, but the kids did all the work. I have been coaching a long time and I have had a lot of talented players, coaches and the administration has been so supportive. It truly is a team effort and I thank them.”

But all those teams had just one man at the helm, and he is among the nation’s elite. Pepple is currently fourth all-time in the United States, trailing the all-time leader Morgan Wooten of South Carolina.

“You can’t compare from state to state because we don’t play as many games each year,” said Pepple. “But we are 1-0 against Wooten.”

Wooten, who coached for 46 years at DeMatha High School in Washington D.C., retired in 2000 with 1,274 wins.

Of Pepple’s 900 victories, 828 have come during his 39 years at MIHS.

“That number is not only longevity, but quality, and he has maintained a quality program,” said Mercer Island High School athletic director Craig Olson. “He still has the fire, passion and enthusiasm and the kids work hard for him.”

The Islanders’ rocky season last year put off the celebration, but it still meant a lot to the players to be a part of such a historic event.

“Playing for coach Pepple is something I have been dreaming of since I was in fifth grade,” said Islander Evan Zahniser. “It truly is an honor to be a part of it.”

Mercer Island 67,

Mount Si 65

The Islanders nearly put the celebration on hold against the Wildcats as they let a 15-point halftime lead disintegrate. Mercer Island held Mount Si to just five second-quarter points and took all the momentum into the locker room at halftime. But the Wildcats battled back with 29 fourth-quarter points behind the play of Tommy Abbott, who led his team with 23 points. Luckily, Mercer Island had the game’s high scorer in Matt Schut with 25 points.

“You can’t let that kind of lead slip away,” said Pepple.

Issaquah 61,

Mercer Island 55

The Islanders had a repeat on Friday as they let Issaquah whittle away a big first-quarter lead. But this time, the Islanders failed to hold on for the win. Mercer Island dominated the first quarter on the boards with a 10-5 advantage. Grabbing a defensive rebound in the key, Lutu looked as if he was back on the football field trying to find a wide receiver as he fired a half-court pass to Schut for the lay-in. The play gave Mercer Island an early 12-2 lead.

When the first quarter came to a close, Issaquah had more fouls — five — than points — four. The Islanders took the biggest lead of the game at 16-4 with the first basket of the second period.

But that momentum slowly dissolved as the Eagles found their touch and played the Islanders nearly shot for shot during the second quarter. Mercer Island went into the half with a 10-point lead.

“It doesn’t get much better than holding them to 17 first-half points,” said Pepple.

But that lead would soon disappear and the Islanders knew they missed an opportunity to put Issaquah away.

“We knew that we should be up more at the half, and then we just came out flat to start the third,” said Lutu.

A third quarter let-down again hurt Mercer Island, as Issaquah started the second half with a 9-0 run. The Eagles eventually took their first lead of the game at 37-35, thanks to their fourth three-point shot of the quarter. The Islanders finished the quarter by retaking the lead by one. The flurry included a three-point play by guard Trevor Fulp and a buzzer-beating half-court bomb by Lutu as time expired. But the game would not be decided by long range shots, rather by uncontested free throws.

The Eagles hit nine of 10 free throws during the fourth quarter and 18-of-19 for the game as Mercer Island was 12-of-18 for the game.

“We had breakdowns on defense and mental breakdowns on shot selection,” said Pepple. “They are an outstanding shooting team, and we have to figure out how to win these kind of games.”

The final period was like a heavyweight fight, with both combatants trading big shot after big shot.

“You have to be mentally toughthrough that and it wasn’t there all night,” said Zahniser.

But the Eagles caught a break by earning and hitting eight foul shots during the final two minutes of the game. Down by two, the Islanders still had a chance to send the game into overtime, but an errant pass ended the Islanders’ hopes.

“They just made a few more shots,” said Pepple. “(The 900th win) was nice, but I would have rather have number 901.”

Pepple and the Islanders chased No. 901 Monday at Liberty High School (after Reporter deadline) and will be back on the court Tuesday at Interlake High School.

“A milestone like that doesn’t come around very often, and we were all honored to be a part of it,” said Mercer Island forward Jack Gala.