Through two games, the Mercer Island girls basketball team appears to be picking up right where the Islanders left off last winter.

The night after opening the season with a 17-point win over King’s High School, Mercer Island scored another dominant win in its home opener against Sammamish, beating the Totems 69-33 Friday night at Mercer Island High School.

The Islanders (2-0, 1-0 in KingCo) were quite disruptive to Sammamish’s offense, holding the Totems (0-2, 0-1) to four points through the first quarter of play and allowing only five more the following period. On the other end of the court, Mercer Island exploded for 41 first-half points.

Mercer Island coach Gillian d’Hondt said her team’s defensive effort and intensity through the first two games are what have impressed her most so far. As a team, the Islanders swiped 24 steals from the Totems on Friday and recorded 20 steals against King’s the evening prior.

“I’m just impressed because with this group, everybody works hard everyday and you don’t get that very often. It’s special,” d’Hondt said. “They all have chemistry. They’ve been playing together for years and they have this defensive speed, foot speed, and intensity that is impressive.”

Three Islander players scored in double figures against Sammamish. Anna Luce led the way with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Jessie Stenberg scored 12 and Josie Blakeslee added 11 points and three steals. Claire Mansfield tallied 10 assists to go with five steals.

Next up, Mercer Island will take on Juanita (1-1, 0-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at Juanita High School.