Pigtails are out, and Bainbridge hoops are in. The move to 2A has both high school teams in position not just to compete but to make headway toward ending some lengthy state tournament droughts.
Boys basketball
Coach: Will Ferris
2023-24 record: 11-6
Key returners: seniors Charlie Hill and Luke Johnson
Quadrant wins may not have the same importance in high school like they do in college, but the resume Bainbridge put together last season showed that it might just be on the precipice of legitimate playoff contention. Yet despite managing a one-point victory over the eventual 2A fifth-place Bremerton Knights, coach Will Ferris found himself valuing the lessons learned from losses that kept them out of districts.
“As a coach, I found a lot of things I really valued in what I wanted to teach the program and the philosophy we wanted to have,” he said. “There were points in the bigger games where you have more intentional planning late in games to help your kids through those tough moments, but we showed we could compete with anybody.”
Back for his second season, Ferris will be tasked with leading the now 2A Spartans into a stacked Olympic League schedule and finding a lineup capable of high-tier victories following offseason graduations. Hill, Johnson and Milo Haizlip could all take on bigger roles in on-the-court schemes, and once healthy, Luca Scheltens could add leadership to the varsity roster.
Exciting too for Ferris is the incoming freshmen, some of whom he has coached with the Bainbridge Roots youth program. “I knew the type of talent we had. A lot of those kids played in Seattle, and a lot of these kids are coming in with some special talent.”
Bainbridge will get an early test Nov. 29 as it crosses Puget Sound to take on Lake Washington.
Girls basketball
Coach: Zach Burnham
2023-24 record: 15-5
Key returners: seniors Bella Ramirez and Sierra Berry
Last season’s debut game may have been record-breaking for the wrong reasons, but come season’s end it was hard to be disappointed with the results. The Spartans come into the 2024-25 season fresh off a second-place finish in the Olympic League, and with all key components returning optimism is high.
For Burnham, it was the perfect scenario to give his girls an early season test. “They’re excited about it, but I put some tough teams on the schedule intentionally this year so that we’re building throughout the season.”
The Spartans’ first away trip will be against last year’s 2A sixth-place state finisher Archbishop Murphy, and 1A’s third-place finisher Lynden Christian will also host BHS in mid-January. “If we’re going to see teams like them in the playoffs anyways, why not check them out?” Burnham asked.
Ramirez, Burnham’s early candidate for league MVP, will be joined by a rebounding machine in Berry. Sophomore Anna Rowe at 6 feet, 2 inches could add some crucial pressure in the paint on both sides of the floor.
Bainbridge’s first game is set for Nov. 30 against Issaquah.
