The AP 4th-ranked Mercer Island Islanders jumped out to an early lead over Juanita and never looked back beating the Rebels 63 - 35 to remain undefeated in 3A KingCo play.
The Islanders (13-1, 8-0) played stifling defense, holding the Rebels to just 10 points in the first half. MI also established their inside advantage with Espen Platou and Joe Rasmussen having their way in the paint. Rasmussen turned another dominant performance, ending with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Kaleb Warner came off the bench to roll in 13 points scoring inside and out. Nick Nordale and Jake Shaddle distributed the ball well and contributed 9 and 5 points respectively.
Trevor Andrews led the way for Juanita with 11 points. The Islanders didn't allow Ty Eng, the leading Revel scorer, to hit any field goals, ending the game with just 3 free throws.
"I am proud of the defense we played in the game, particularly in the first half," said Islanders head coach Gavin Cree. "We have worked hard on preventing dribble penetration and I think we did a nice job with that tonight. I also like what Jake Stenberg did for us, starting his second game. It is great to know I can ask our guys to step into bigger roles and they perform."
The Islanders next game is at home against the Sammamish Totems this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
