Spartans drain Vikings on the road

By Nicholas Zeller-Singh Kitsap News Group • January 18, 2023 1:30 am

After falling to Mercer Island the previous day, the Bainbridge girls basketball team returned to the court Jan. 17 to face North Kitsap. Despite being down a player and weary, the Spartans defeated the Vikings 49-40.

“It’s tough, especially on the road, but everyone stepped up, and I love it,” coach Zach Burnham said.

The Spartans came out with authority, taking a 7-0 lead off of four NK turnovers within the first two minutes. But the Vikings responded as Teegan Devries scored three points and Jade Sunnenberg five to make it 16-12 after the first quarter.

The second quarter was a defensive battle. However, Hannah Bounketh began to drain three-pointers, scoring 11 points by halftime.

“A couple of times on the bench I’m thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ but she knocks it down,” Burnham said. “That has been the theme this season of me freaking out and them knocking it down. Hannah is a heck of a shooter and in practice, she is 40%. I want someone who is 40% to shoot the ball with confidence.”

Bainbridge took a 28-22 lead at halftime. Typically, the Spartans struggle in the second half, but in this game, they stayed aggressive until the final whistle.

“I’ve been harping on that all season,” Burnham said. “This is the first game we played every single quarter hard, and the end result was a win.”

NK did close the gap in the third quarter. Sophia Baugh nailed a couple of shots in a row to narrow the lead to 30-28. Yet, Bella Ramirez continued to rally her squad to a 36-31 lead after three periods.

“I keep forgetting Bella is only a sophomore,” Burnham said. “She plays up to the competition and is so mature. I put a lot of pressure on her but she can handle it. She has some tough skin.”

The Vikings missed some layups and turned the ball over to Bainbridge in the fourth quarter, while Bounketh made some threes, making five out of six for the contest, finishing with 19 points.

North Kitsap’s Evelyn Beers led her team with nine points.

Bainbridge’s victory completed the season sweep for the Spartans.

“It brings back my glory days of playing the rival school,” Burnham said. “We can enjoy it tonight but got to move on tomorrow and keep the streak going.”