Had Taylor Krause been born in a different decade, she may have found it appropriate to shrug after sinking her sixth 3-point shot against the Juanita Rebels Friday night.
Typically a post player because of her height, the Mercer Island senior doesn’t usually shoot the three for the Islanders, let alone six in one half. Alas, it may have been a fitting reference for another generation.
Krause found her stroke from deep, hitting six of eight 3-point attempts to rally Mercer Island past Juanita 70-54 Friday at Mercer Island High School. All six 3-pointers came in the second half, giving Krause a career-high 25 points for the evening.
“Originally, I was looking for the drive,” Krause said of her second-half effort. “I was put in the guard position to drive against [Juanita guard] Tea Adams because she was drawing fouls. I was open for the shot, took it and it was going in, so I continued to keep shooting.”
“She really stepped up,” Mercer Island coach Gillian d’Hondt said of her starting forward’s shooting display. “We emphasized taking what’s given, taking what the defense gives you, and they played off of her… We know she’s a good shooter. She doesn’t take her threes as much and usually drives to the hole, so I’m just really proud of her for stepping up for us as a senior.”
The Islanders (13-2, 7-1 in KingCo) had lost two of three coming into Friday’s game, and found themselves trailing throughout much of the first half. Shalexxus Aaron scored 10 first-half points for the Rebels (9-7, 5-4) as Juanita took a 27-25 advantage at the break. Anna Luce was active in the post for Mercer Island, pacing the Islanders with 16 points in the first half.
The Rebels continued their aggressive play after halftime, with a 3-pointer from Aaron giving Juanita a 35-27 advantage two minutes into the second half.
“At the beginning of the third quarter, we went to a different defense because they were making their threes,” d’Hondt said. “We went back to a 2-3 [zone] and it worked well for us. We wanted to make sure to take away those drives. We forced them into tough shots and we started boxing out.”
After a Mercer Island time out, the Islanders went on a 10-0 run, with Krause knocking down the first two of her six 3-pointers. A three point play from Krause gave the Islanders a 47-45 lead to close the third quarter. In the fourth, the Islanders kicked off a 12-2 run to begin pulling away, getting two more 3-pointers from Krause during that stretch. Her sixth of the night served as the exclamation point, giving the Islanders a 15-point advantage with just over a minute to go.
Krause had the game-high with 25 points, while Luce finished with 24 points for the Islanders. Aaron led Juanita with 17 points.
Mercer Island was celebrating Senior Night, and saw the return of senior captain Jess Blakeslee, who had been out of action since late December with an ankle injury. Though she struggled to find her shot at times, she made her presence felt on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds.
“I was a little rusty,” Blakeslee said. “My wind was gone and it was kind of overwhelming because it was Senior Night. I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but at least we got the win. I just wanted to help the team in whatever way I could.”
Next, Mercer Island will host Interlake (10-7, 2-7) at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27 at MIHS. Juanita will host Mountlake Terrace (2-13, 0-8) at 7:15 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27 at Juanita High School.
