The Issaquah girls basketball team cruised to a 60-14 season opening victory over the visiting Mercer Island Islanders on Dec. 4.

The scoring for the Eagles was spread out, with senior center Katie MacNary (14 points), junior forward Alivia Stephens (12 points) and sophomore guard Keira Hanson (11 points) ending up with double-digits in points.

After being tied at five early in the first quarter, the Eagles outscored the Islanders 18-4 to hold a 23-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Issaquah continued to pull away in the second quarter for a 39-11 lead at halftime.

The Eagles only allowed three points in the second half to cruise to a 60-14 victory over the Islanders.

Issaquah head coach Doug Crandall earned his first win as the Eagles’ new head coach. Crandall said he was proud of the way his players worked in their convincing victory.

“I’m almost surprised at how hard they work,” Crandall said. “Not because I don’t expect it out of them, because I do, it’s just that tonight we saw this great effort and great togetherness on the bench.”

Crandall said the conditioning that they have worked on during practice paid off in the game.

“(The coaches) said very clearly, ‘If you’re tired, get a sub,’ and I didn’t see any girls dragging and no one asked for a sub,” Crandall said. “So that’s a good sign that they’re in shape and they’re working hard.”

Hanson said it was nice to see all their hard work during the offseason show up on the court.

“I feel like I’m in good shape and the team is in good shape,” Hanson said. “We just have to keep pushing and I think we’ll go far this season. I’m really proud (of the team). I know we put in a lot of work, so it’s nice to see it pay off. We just have to keep going.”

By getting off to a good start to the new season, Hanson said they will try to keep that momentum going.

“It’s good to start out with a win,” Hanson said. “We can just ride the momentum the whole season as long as we can.”

Boys team: The Issaquah boys basketball team lost its season opener to Mercer Island, 62-54, on Dec. 4. The Eagles were led by senior forward Charlie Dietiker who had a team-high 20 points.

Issaquah held a narrow 17-15 lead after the first quarter, thanks to six points from junior guard Timmy Crandall and five points from senior guard Saxon Cullimore.

The Islanders regained the lead before halftime, taking a 30-28 lead over the Eagles into the break. Mercer Island pulled away in the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles managed to cut the Islanders’ lead to 60-54 with a three-pointer from senior guard Tommy Reisner with 29.6 seconds left, but that was as close as they would get. The Islanders added two more free throws to secure the 62-54 victory. Crandall added 11 points and Cullimore had 10 points for the Eagles.

Issaquah center Katie MacNary (left) scored a game-high 14 points during a 60-14 victory over Mercer Island on Dec. 4. Photo courtesy of Don Borin/Stop Action Photography

Issaquah guard Timmy Crandall (right) scored 11 points in the Eagles’ 62-54 loss to Mercer Island on Dec. 4. Photo courtesy of Don Borin/Stop Action Photography