Mercer Island was planning to get its offense going through its inside game against Juanita Friday night. But with four quick 3-pointers in the second quarter, it was the long-range game that proved to be the catalyst for the Islanders.

Hitting outside shots while holding Juanita to single digits in each of the first two quarters, Mercer Island boys basketball ran away from the Rebels in a 67-32 win Friday night at Juanita High School.

While hoping to see more offense created in the post, Mercer Island coach Gavin Cree said if the shots were falling, he wasn’t going to complain.

“Once we got comfortable, we started hitting and we had a lot of confidence,” Cree said. “We did a nice job of moving the ball and really anticipating where everyone was going to be. It was nice basketball to see when you share the ball and you set your teammates up.”

Leading 13-7 after one, Mercer Island (12-5, 7-1) hit four-consecutive 3-point shots in the second quarter, extending a five-point lead to 17 amidst a 13-0 run to close the first half. The Islander defense was just as good, holding the Rebels (2-15, 0-9) to four points in the quarter as Mercer Island took a 29-11 lead into halftime.

After the break, the Islanders exploded for 22 points in the third, getting eight points off the bench from Sam Nordale, who knocked down a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give Mercer Island a 51-22 advantage. Ethan Chen paced the Islanders in the fourth, scoring eight points in the final period.

Mercer Island had three players reach double figures, getting 12 points from Chen and 10 from Josh Stenberg. Nordale led the Islanders in scoring with 15 points, his second-straight game posting double figures.

“He’s really emerged for us, it’s been good to see,” Cree said of Nordale’s performance. “He’s been that guy who’s come out and given us an offensive boost, and his defense has improved. At the beginning of the season, he was a young guy who didn’t have a lot of defensive experience. Now he’s got more experience and he’s really stepping up on that end, so you can have him out there for long stretches and he gives us a great offensive touch.”

Next, the Islanders will take on Interlake at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Interlake High School.