Before the start of the season, Mercer Island girls basketball coach Kaela Yuen drew comparisons between this year’s Mercer Island squad and last year’s league-winning Juanita team, citing both as teams that found success through their scrappy play. Her comparison was put to the test Wednesday night, with her team looking every bit the part of a KingCo contender.

Mercer Island girls basketball pummeled Juanita 73-46 Wednesday, Dec. 17 at Mercer Island High School, improving to 3-0 in league play over the reigning KingCo champs.

Despite coming into Wednesday’s game winless, Yuen wasn’t sleeping on the Rebels. She said afterward she wasn’t sure what to expect from either team heading into the game, with Mercer Island coming off a tough run of three games in three nights last weekend. Even though winless, the Rebels posed threats with point guard Tea Adams and post player Jaisa Nunn.

“In their last game, Jaisa Nunn had 29 points and 17 rebounds and Tea had scored 17 of their last 25 points, so we were really focusing on those two,” Yuen said. “They are phenomenal players. They are Division 1 bound and they’re really carrying their team, so our game plan going in was if we could hold them, we’d have a really good chance of winning the game.

“I’m just really proud of how our girls responded. I feel like they came to life and we finally saw the MI team we’ve been waiting for.”

Once again, it was long-range shooting that got Mercer Island (5-2, 3-0) going early. The Islanders knocked down four first-quarter 3-pointers to take a 22-11 lead after one. Their lead grew to 13 early in the second before the Rebels (0-5, 0-3) cut the deficit to ten, with Mercer Island ahead 32-22 at the half.

Juanita managed to gain some momentum in the third quarter, with a 7-0 run opening the second half to bring the Rebels within three. But the Islanders responded with eight unanswered points of their own, getting five from Julia Blumenstein and three free throws from Taylor Krause in that stretch. A 13-2 run by Mercer Island to open the fourth gave the Islanders a 24-point advantage, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Mercer Island had three players reach double figures, with Blumenstein posting a game-high 16 points. Taylor Krause had 14 and Anna Luce had 11. Adams led Juanita with 14 points, while Natalie Kalda posted 12 and Jaisa Nunn had 10.

The Islanders have back-to-back home contests this weekend, taking on Interlake at 6:30 p.m. Friday followed by a 3:45 p.m. matchup with Todd Beamer Saturday, both at MIHS. Then Mercer Island will take a week off for the holidays, a change from recent years that Yuen thinks will be good for her team.

“In years past, we’ve lost a lot of energy and vitality at playoffs and at state, so I think having a breath to rest, to be with family, to travel, to do something other than basketball, is going to be beneficial for our team this year,” Yuen said. “A lot of our girls play all year round or they play sports all year round, and sometimes taking a step away is exactly what your body, your head and your heart need.”