Mercer Island girls knock off Juanita in KingCo semifinal

By John William Howard • February 6, 2017 1:30 am
Mercer Island’s Anna Luce, left, and Juanita sophomore Alexis Intong fight for positioning in the fourth quarter of Mercer Island’s win on Feb. 4 in the conference semifinals. Luce led all scorers with 29 points. JOHN WILLIAM HOWARD/Kirkland Reporter
Mercer Island’s Anna Luce, left, and Juanita sophomore Alexis Intong fight for positioning in the fourth quarter of Mercer Island’s win on Feb. 4 in the conference semifinals. Luce led all scorers with 29 points. JOHN WILLIAM HOWARD/Kirkland Reporter

Mercer Island senior Anna Luce scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Mercer Island High girls basketball team beat Juanita, 71-51, in the Class 3A KingCo semifinals on Saturday on Mercer Island.

Luce led the Islanders (17-3) to a 63-33 advantage after three quarters. Fellow senior Josie Blakeslee added 12 points in the win for Mercer Island, which advances to the conference title game on Wednesday.

The Rebels were without several starters, including senior guard Brittany White (arm) and junior forward Hannah Kleppe (concussion). Juanita senior Tea Adams led the Rebels in scoring with 20 points. Junior Taylor Bryne added 15 points.

Mercer Island, the regular season conference champion, is scheduled to play Bellevue at 8:15 p.m. on Feb. 8 at Newport High School in Bellevue for the top seed to the Sea-King District Tournament.

Juanita (14-9) is scheduled to play Redmond in a loser-out game for the final berth in the district tournament, scheduled for 4:45 p.m. on Feb. 8 at Newport High School. Redmond beat Juanita in a seeding game prior to the start of the conference tournament.