The third time was certainly not charming for the Rough Riders this season, as on Tuesday, Oct. 23, they fell once again to the Bainbridge High School varsity boys water polo team.

The final score was 14-9, one of the Spartans’ more competitive matches of the year. No surprise, perhaps, as the two teams are ranked rather closely together.

“They’re ranked third right now and we’re second, so it’s always competitive,” BHS Head Coach Kristin Gellert said.

Roosevelt High was actually the first team the Spartans played against, way back on Sept. 6, when the island squad beat them by just one goal. They were then again beaten by Bainbridge later during a tournament.

It was, Gellert said, a good yardstick of the squad’s progress, playing Roosevelt again so late in the season.

“It feels good to feel like we’re much stronger,” she said.

So, needless to say that on Tuesday Roosevelt came to play.

In fact, they scored first, early in initial moments of the contest, though the Spartans had evened things up 2-2 by the start of the second.

The island squad got on a bit of a run then, put up a few quick points and ended the half up 6-3.

In the third, however, the Rough Riders earned their moniker and came back hard, leaving Bainbridge a bit shaken and in front still (but barely) 9-7.

“Sometimes our third quarter is where we struggle,” the coach admitted. “So that’s what we talk about a lot going into big games. We didn’t talk about it a ton here, because I was really confident in our fourth quarter.”

And rightfully so, it would seem. The Spartans readily rallied in the fourth and stayed ahead throughout to secure the win.

“Going toward the deep end we’re stronger, shooting on the deep end,” Gellert said. “We weren’t too worried. Since we train for the most part shooting into the deep end — that’s where we are the strongest, which is why we start on this side, so we can finish on this side.”

At most other venues the team plays, Gellert said, the pool is just one depth, something they keep in mind throughout each practice.

“At State it’s all deep,” she said. “We thrive in the deep end and in a bigger pool. That’s where conditioning shows … we out-conditioned [Roosevelt].”

Spartan goals against the Rough Riders were scored by Gabe Nathan, Oskar Bannister, Sam Chapman, Harrison Villella, Max Eyrich and Jacques Defawe.

The island team again played host, this time to Bellevue, the very next day, and will finish their regular season schedule on the road Saturday against Newport.

The state tournament is set to begin Thursday, Nov. 8 at Curtis High, and both the venue and at least one opponent will be familiar to the Spartans.

“We’ll probably, barring any upsets, we will most likely play Roosevelt in the semi-final,” Gellert said. “So that’ll be a fun game.

“We’re going in exactly where we want to be.”

Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review – The Bainbridge High School varsity boys water polo team scored a 14-9 win against Roosevelt at home Tuesday.