Coming off weekend contests Friday and Saturday followed by two league games opening the week on Monday and Tuesday, Mercer Island coach Gavin Cree looked a little worn. His team had just played its fourth game in five nights and hadn’t practiced during the stretch.

On the bright side, the Islanders came out of it unscathed.

Mercer Island capped a four-game run with a 76-48 win over Juanita Tuesday, Dec. 16 at MIHS, bringing the Islanders to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in KingCo competition this season.

For Cree, a break from game play was warranted.

“I think coaches like to have practice, but it’s nice to get a win and get some guys in and see everybody get an opportunity,” Cree said afterward.

Mercer Island saw wins over Stanwood and Liberty, as well a win in an “international friendly” with the touring Mornington Breakers of Australia, before heading into Tuesday’s game. The Islanders didn’t show many signs of wear, going on scoring tears early to pull ahead of the Rebels (1-4, 0-3).

Trailing Juanita 13-10 in the opening period, Mercer Island finished with an 8-0 run to claim an 18-13 advantage at the end of one. After a 3-pointer from Juanita’s Dylan Moctezuma brought the Rebels within four in the second quarter, two baskets from Andrew Pickles and another from Ethan Chen gave Mercer Island a 39-29 halftime lead.

But the Islanders really broke the game open coming out of the break, holding the Rebels to eight points in the third quarter as Mercer Island’s lead grew out of reach. Pickles led the Islanders with 16 points, while Josh Stenberg had 12.

Mercer Island has one more KingCo game, a home contest against Interlake at 8 p.m. Friday at MIHS, before heading to West Hills, Calif. for the Chaminade Prep Classic Dec. 26-30. Cree said he’s looking forward to seeing how his team handles the rigors of the competition during the trip, which in terms of game scheduling, won’t be unlike the four-game stretch the Islanders just finished.

“I want to see us play consistently,” Cree said. “We’ve been a little bit inconsistent. Sometimes we start the game off real well and have a lull, and sometimes we have a lull at the beginning and finish strong. I want to see us put four quarters together of good, defensive pressure and attentiveness and taking care of the ball.”