The Crusaders maintained their dominant position within the league Tuesday after dispatching the Spartans 14-4 during a lopsided loss at home for the Bainbridge High boys varsity lacrosse team.

The Spartans held their own for the first half of the match, but quickly lost their grip at the start of the second.

Eastside Catholic’s overall season record advanced to 6-1 (3-0 in league play), making them the top-ranked team overall.

Bainbridge remained ranked in fourth place in the DI Metro Division with a season record of 3-2 (4-7 overall).

Filling the bracket between the two are Seattle Academy in second place (3-0) and O’Dea in third (3-1).

Where the Spartans were most clearly outplayed Tuesday night was offensively.

The EC visitors practically put up a wall on the field.

The Crusaders managed to hold the island team to single goals in every single quarter while grabbing up more than 20 ground balls to keep possession in their favor.

“They hit the cage and we didn’t,” Spartan Co-head Coach Jack Visco said. “Those kids are competent with the ball and smooth.

“They’re a nice team,” he added. “There’s no question.”

Visco and the other coaches agreed at the end of the first half that BHS had held their own, trailing only slightly in overall shots.

Upon returning to the field, though, Bainbridge found themselves in an almost immediate points deficit.

“[Our] game plan was to just go out and match the intensity and physicality of EC and win the possession time battle,” said Spartan Co-Head Coach Cody Bludorn.

“Our defense played exceptional and we out-hustled them, which kept the game close despite missing opportunities on offense,” he added.

The Spartans had beaten themselves in the second half.

Building on a 6–2 half-time lead, Eastside Catholic put together back-to-back four-goal quarters in the second half to close out the game.

The Spartan who scored the most points was BHS junior Nate Marx, who managed two goals.

Senior Ben LaRoche and junior Jack Frickleton each claimed one goal for BHS.

The Crusaders were led by James Wehe, who scored four goals during the match.

Still, Bludorn explained, no loss was a total wash if the team stood to gain some experience from the trial.

And this season’s Spartan squad was not afraid of a little experience, he said.

“I think they gained the confidence that they can physically compete with the best teams in the state,” Bludorn said of the team. “Now comes putting things together mentally and moving forward with a more consistent effort throughout our remaining games and into playoffs.”

A lot of things are coming together for the BHS team at this, a most crucial point in the season, the coach said.

“A little more execution on clearing the ball from defense to offense and converting the looks that we earned on offense and [Tuesday’s] game could’ve gone the other way.”