The day after earning the first KingCo win of the season over Sammamish, the Mercer island boys basketball team traveled to Tacoma to take on 4A Bellarmine Prep in a non-league game. Prep was ranked No. 3 in the state, but the Islanders hung on to win 56-48 in overtime.

Bellarmine held a 26-22 lead at halftime, and added 11 points in the third quarter to extend the lead going into the final minutes of the game. In the fourth quarter, Mercer Island surged, scoring 11 points, while holding Prep to just six points to tie the game at 43 points each forcing the game into overtime. The Islanders dominated the extra period, scoring 13 points to Prep’s five to win the game.

Senior captain Nick Nordale had 17 points in the win, while the team’s other captain Joe Rasmussen added 15. Will Taylor had eight points, Espen Platou had six, as did Kaleb Warner, while Jake Shaddle had four points.

Friday night, Mercer Island traveled to play Sammamish in the Islanders first KingCo game of the year. The Islanders won 72-48.

The team dominated the game through, holding a 34-23 lead at halftime, adding another 18 points in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth to earn a 1-0 KingCo record.

Taylor had 18 points in the match, Nordale posted 16, Warner had 10, Shaddle added eight while Platou had seven. Rasmussen posted six points for the Islanders, while Max Tilden added four and Daniel Sims had three.

Mercer Island, now 3-0 this season, will host Juanita on Friday, Dec. 14 at home, followed by a rescheduled KingCo game on Saturday, Dec. 15 against Mount Si at MIHS. Both games are set to begin at 8 p.m.