Depleted Spartans fall to Knights in pivotal OL game

By Luke Caputo • January 28, 2026 1:30 am
Spartan Julien Zupan looks to make a pass with Knight Aaron Matthews defending him in an 84-41 Bainbridge home loss to Bremerton Jan. 27.
Spartan Julien Zupan looks to make a pass with Knight Aaron Matthews defending him in an 84-41 Bainbridge home loss to Bremerton Jan. 27.

A depleted Bainbridge Spartans boys basketball team, due to a recent flu outbreak that sidelined three players, couldn’t beat a full-strength Bremerton Knights team, losing 84-41 at home Jan. 27.

The win all but secures the Olympic League title for the Knights (15-2, 11-0 in Olympic League). The Spartans sit in second place at 11-5 and 8-2 in OL with just a handful of games remaining before the playoffs. Braden French, along with Ryan and Will Rohrbacher, did not play in the game as they were battling a flu bug, Bainbridge coach Scott Orness said.

Bremerton previously beat Bainbridge 71-42 Dec. 16.

To start the game, Spartan Julien Zapen converted on four consecutive three-pointers, giving Bainbridge an early 12-4 lead by the four-minute mark in the first quarter. Nonetheless, Bremerton Knights Jalen Davis and Aaron Matthews managed to quickly cut the deficit.

Bainbridge began to turn the ball and the Knights went on a 24-5 scoring run. Matthews sank a buzzer-beater three-pointer to end the half with the Knights leading 48-27.

“I told them at halftime, I’m a perfectionist,” Bremerton coach Miah Davis said. “I’m obsessed with the game; it’s their job to hear it and listen and go out and perform.”

Bremerton continued to pour it on in the third quarter, with Davis and Matthews quickly elevating the lead to 30 points through efficient offensive play. Bainbridge tried to convert on the three-ball like they did in the first quarter, but couldn’t get the shots to fall, and the Knights quickly capitalized. Bremerton got its lead out to 73-40 by the end of the third quarter.

The Knights put their backups in, as did Bainbridge at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Knight Mark Lomuda threw down a slam dunk with less than four minutes remaining in the game, getting the Knights out to their largest lead on the night at 37.

Enoch Taylor led the Knights with 18 points, while Zapan scored 28 for the Spartans, including seven three-pointers.

“Sometimes, just like in football, you make adjustments at halftime, and you execute them,” Davis said. “That’s what we did.”