There was nothing grand about the finale of the Spartans otherwise awesome boys water polo season last week, when, against the perennial league favorites from Curtis High, the Bainbridge High varsity squad got beat 18-3 in their final match of the year.
It was a non-league match, however, which meant the team remained undefeated in league play and finished the regular season with a 15-2 record overall.
It was an uphill battle for the island squad from the first splashy score of the match — and it only got harder from there.
The Vikings led 6-0 by the end of the first quarter, but the Spartans regrouped quickly and got themselves on the board almost immediately in the second.
The Spartans sat at a 9-2 deficit by the end of the half, looking to make the best of things against what they always knew would be a nigh-impossible opponent.
The Vikings remain undefeated this season and are, Spartan Head Coach Kristin Gellert said, one of the obvious favorites to take the state title this year.
“I like them as a team,” she said of the Curtis squad after last Thursday’s match. “They’re just really talented. They’re fast and precise and they definitely monopolize on mistakes.
“We made a couple and they monopolized on them,” she added. “They should win state this year.”
In the second half of the lopsided loss, the Spartans were able to get on the board one more time, refusing to go quietly, but were unable to mount a defensive answer to the Vikings’ dominant offensive skills.
Bainbridge goals were scored by Jem Bullock (two) and Miles Hogger (one).
For a team that’s done almost nothing but win this season, Gellert said this loss late on the calendar was a good lesson in perspective going into what was certain to be an arduous postseason.
“One thing that we talked about before the game was that we knew Curtis would be tough and we kind of could assume the results,” Gellert explained.
“But, going into a game like that [and] not having lost already mentally is a big thing for us.”
The only other loss for the BHS squad was proof enough of that philosophy, she added.
The Spartans fell 10-9 against Puyallup earlier this year, a game which the team “didn’t really start playing until the fourth quarter,” the coach recalled.
“We went into the fourth quarter down 9-4 and we lost 10-9,” she said. “So we talked about that and [how] playing a full game of intensity can make a big difference.”
This weekend, the Spartans will travel to the regional tournament at Curtis High (8805 40th St. West in University Place), where the island team and the other top squads from the West League will face off against the top teams from the North League to see who advances to state, which is next weekend.
Only the top four teams move on, Gellert said, though she believes the Spartans have an excellent shot.
“Going into next weekend, we’re going to face some really tough teams that have the names that are intimidating, and some big guys,” she said.
“So [we’re] going in confident, but not overconfident, so that we can play our game and not play their game.”
Gellert said this group of Spartans, her first team since returning to the coaching slot, were truly an elite group of players, and a roster that would stay with her long into the future.
“It’s great to have a good record the first year back, but it really is [that] this group of guys is a special group of guys,” Gellert said. “They’re really fun and, as far as the game goes, we have a lot of playmakers [and] a lot of guys who are very big offensive threats.
“They always get along even when they’re not getting along,” she added. “The leadership on the team right now is phenomenal. It comes from everywhere. Different days there are different leaders and I think that’s important.”
