The girls basketball team rebounded from last Wednesday’s two-point loss against Franklin to knock off previously undefeated and third-ranked White River 63-56 on Saturday.

“It was a great win,” said coach Penny Gienger. “We played well the whole way and the kids stayed tough.”

The Spartans overcame an early three-point deficit to take a 13-11 lead on a Brittany Gray drive with 3:11 remaining, but the teams remained scoreless until the buzzer.

The shutout extended for nearly two minutes into the second quarter, then Kas Totura drained a three-pointer and Kirsten Michael did the same thing soon afterward to put the Spartans up 19-11. The Hornets narrowed the margin to four several times but Michael hit both ends of a one-and-one with seconds remaining to give Bainbridge a 29-23 halftime lead.

Though Michael fed Anna Wood for a 35-25 lead early in the third quarter, the Hornets closed to 42-37 at the break and a three-point play a minute into the fourth quarter narrowed the score to 42-40. The Spartans responded with an 11-2 run, capped by a Totura free throw at the 2:17 mark. The desperate Hornets began fouling and situational substitutions, often playing a five-guard lineup.

Bainbridge soared to a 59-45 lead on two free throws by Jesse Vincent at 1:17. The Hornets narrowed the score to 60-53 with 23 seconds left, but Gray sealed the win with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

Gray finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds, more than half the team’s total of 28. Shackled by early foul trouble, Wood uncharacteristically had just two boards. But she had 14 points and five assists. Vincent also had 14 points and added three blocks. Michael had a good all-around game with seven points, five steals, five boards, four assists and a block. She also played a key role in breaking the full-court pressure the Hornets frequently employed.

One of the game’s key stats was field goal percentage: The Spartans were 21 of 43, with the Hornets just 23 of 69, and 2 of 14 from three-point range. The Spartans also enjoyed a huge edge at the free throw line as they sank 19 of 26, while White River had just eight.

The two statewide polls had vastly different reactions to the Spartan win. The Seattle Times moved the team up to fifth and dropped White River to sixth. The AP, on the other hand, kept the Hornets in third and dropped Bainbridge from eighth to ninth (largely due to the loss to Franklin, which is notch ahead of the Spartans in both polls).

The Spartans sandwiched the White River triumph with victories at Bishop Blanchet on Wednesday and last Friday against West Seattle.

They overcame a shaky start to defeat the Braves 53-40. Down 15-9 at the end of the first quarter, the Spartans responded with a 17-7 second quarter outburst and outscored Blanchet by eight points in the final quarter to seal the win. Gray and Wood each had 16 points, while Michael added 10 and Totura 7.

The team had little trouble with West Seattle, romping to a 48-13 lead after three quarters and winning 57-28 as reserves played much of the second half. Gray had 16 points, while Wood and Totura – who has emerged as one of the top two reserves – both added 10.