Redmond High’s girls lost their first 3A KingCo basketball game of the season, 52-44 to Mercer Island High, on Wednesday night.

Mercer Island (3-0 league, 4-0 overall) held a 24-19 lead at halftime en route to the victory, which put the Islanders at the top of the standings.

Haley Hanson was Redmond’s leading scorer with 12 points, including four treys. Also for the Mustangs (2-1 league, 3-2 overall), Megan Egberg had seven points, Kiki Milloy had six points and 13 rebounds, Barbara Sutara had six points, Cami Kieneker had five points and Katie Hartman had eight rebounds.

“We did a good job competing with them. They’re going to be tough to beat,” said Redmond coach Ashley Graham, adding that her team is playing strong in the tough league. “Every game in 3A KingCo is for anyone’s taking.”

Focusing on defense and continuing to display a solid offense will be keys for Redmond as the season unfolds, Graham said. The Mustangs, who have one 6-footer in Sutara and several girls at 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11, have been snagging plenty of rebounds as well.

“We want to keep rolling and don’t want to slow down,” said Graham, noting that as her players have gotten older over the years, they’ve stepped up their games.

Redmond will next play at Sammamish (0-3 league, 0-4 overall) at 7 p.m. Friday.