Spartans down Ingraham, 64-48

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Gray, Gibler lead the way as Bainbridge starts the season off on the right foot.

About the only things that didn’t work for the Bainbridge boys basketball team Friday night was free throw shooting and the missed alley oop to Steven Gray in the second quarter.

But the Spartans, ranked second in the WashingtonPreps.com and Seattle Times 3A state polls, weren’t affected by the bricks at the charity stripe.

They used their height advantage to defeat the Ingraham Rams 64-48 in their home debut and their season opener in front of a pumped up student section Friday at Paski Gymnasium.

“I thought we played a great first half,” head coach Scott Orness said. “Our guys came out and attacked the basket. Whether it’s through post up or penetration, we got to the basket.

“I don’t know how many shots we took inside the paint, but they were lay-ins,” he continued. “Our guys really made the extra pass to the open man and we played unselfish basketball.”

They did just that, as Steven Gray and Austin Wood combined for nine points in the first quarter.

Coby Gibler contributed with an assist, several rebounds and numerous alterations of shots near the basket.

“We were a little nervous at first, but then we started jelling,” Gibler said. “They’re not very big, so it was easier to get through their stuff.”

Davon Dennis scored for the Rams to get the donut off the scoreboard, but Ben Eisenhart came off the bench to score four points as the Spartans took control.

Even when Ingraham had a chance to score, they couldn’t convert.

Rudy Sharar made a great hustle play by racing over to alter Dennis’ shot early in the second quarter.

Gibler scored five points in the period while Gray scored four and handed out several assists.

Gray said he wasn’t surprised at how the team dominated in the first half.

“We knew that if we came out and played defense the way we’re capable of playing all the time, then we’re going to disrupt shots,” he said. “Even when we’re running in practice, we disrupt our own shots.

“We’re going to have that (height advantage) on a lot of teams,” Gray continued.

Ingraham finally broke through their slump when guard Robert Spikes hit a three.

In the third quarter, Dennis got hot as he went on a 11-2 run to pull Ingraham to a 18-point deficit.

But Gibler and Gray did their part as the 6-9 senior center hit three straight jumpers in the lane – all on assists by Gray – while the 6-4 senior guard scored on a beautiful layup after Nick Fling made a big block on a three point attempt by Ram guard Devin Gill.

Gibler finished the scoring by hitting two free throws with 1:01 left in the quarter.

That was it for the Rams.

They outscored the Spartans in the fourth quarter, but Gibler scored five points and Bainbridge did the rest by keeping Ingraham from getting a consistent offense going.

Gibler thinks they did well, but there are still things to work on.

“We need to close the middle,” he said. “They got a lot of shots off in the paint, and a lot of open shots. (There were) some lapses on defense.”

Orness said they’ll need to work on free throws (they shot 45 percent from the line) and they’ll need to keep the effort up for an entire game.

“We’re always looking for things to work on,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of practices and now we know certain things to tighten up.”

Gibler finished with 24 points, 17 of which came in the second half, and 11 rebounds. Gray had 17 points, 11 assists, six blocks and seven rebounds.

The Spartans also had 34 rebounds.

Bainbridge plays West Seattle Friday at home at 6:15 p.m.