The BHS girls basketball team hadn’t played a game in nearly four weeks when they faced Seattle Prep on Wednesday. It showed.
Though the Spartans won 50-39, they committed 22 turnovers. Somewhat paradoxically, the Spartans shot very well, finishing with 18 field goals in 33 attempts for a 55 shooting percentage from the floor.
The Panthers were the polar opposite. Though committing just 10 turnovers, Prep shot an abysmal 4-for-18 from the free throw line, and made only five of 24 three-point attempts. The Spartans also controlled the backboards, pulling down 26 rebounds to 13 for Prep.
And, oh yes, Bainbridge had Brittany Gray. After a slow start, the Metro League’s leading scorer took over the game in the second half en route to a game-high 23 points. She added 10 rebounds and six assists.
While Gray was getting untracked, Anna Wood scored on all three of her field goal attempts to keep the Spartans in the game in the first quarter, which ended with Prep ahead 12-10.
Starting early in the second quarter, Gray scored twice and dished off to Rebecca Sharar, then Wood sank two free throws for a 20-13 lead. The half ended with the Spartans on top, 21-16.
Prep scored the first five points of the third quarter to knot the score at 21-21. In slightly more than a minute Gray scored three times to give Bainbridge a lead it would never relinquish. Just before the end of the quarter she fed Wood under the basket for what turned into a three-point play and a 30-24 lead.
After a Panther trey opened the fourth-quarter scoring, the Spartan defense held Prep scoreless for nearly five minutes. Sharar fed Gray three times as the Spartans tallied 11 points in that span. After Prep finally broke its scoring drought, Gray fed Kirsten Michael for a three-pointer and a 44-29 margin with less than two minutes remaining.
Prep scored seven quick points to close the deficit to seven with 30 seconds remaining. But the Panthers had to foul and Gray and Michael both made two free throws to close out the scoring.
Wood finished with 15 points, Michael had five, Jesse Vincent four and Sharar three. The win improved the Spartans’ season record to 4-1, 3-0 in Metro League play.
While noting that her team made some “bonehead plays” and “hasn’t adjusted to knowing when to fast break and when to slow down and set up the half-court offense,” coach Penny Gienger came with away a number of positives.
“We had some really nice plays,” she said. “And we broke their half-court trap pretty easily.”
She singled out Sharar for particular praise. “She was on the wing, which isn’t her usual position. She did very well.”
The team travels to winless Chief Sealth tonight, then begins a four-week stretch during which it plays a Wednesday/Friday/Saturday slate to make up for games postponed because of December’s inclement weather.
Next week could be especially tough as all three teams – Cleveland (at Cleveland), Nathan Hale and Holy Names (both home games) – have winning marks. Holy Names shapes up as a major opponent, as the Cougars are undefeated in in-state competition.
While not excited about the heavy schedule, Gienger recognizes that she has no choice in the matter. And there’s an upside: “We’ll definitely be in shape for State if we get there.”
