Sports Bainbridge Island
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Friday, January 10, 2014 • Bainbridge Island Review
Spartans smother Vikings in girls varsity basketball BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
The Bainbridge High varsity girls basketball team won convincingly at home Friday, Jan. 3 against the visiting Rainier Beach Vikings. The final score was 51-5. The tone of the decidedly one-sided game was set early in the first quarter, which ended with the Spartans ahead 20-0. Freshman guard Taylor Tye led the initial offensive efforts, scoring seven points in the first quarter alone. The win brought the team’s overall season record to 4-4. “You have to come in with the same mentality every game,” said Spartan Head Coach Nicole Hebner. “No matter how it goes, you can always find a way to make yourself better.” Despite the team’s initial success on the scoreboard, Hebner refused to let the players rest on their laurels. “The first couple minutes for us were pretty sloppy, I thought,” she said. “And then, once we settled down, we were able to pick up our energy level and play better defense.” Hebner said that as of late, the team’s practice sessions have been purposely less intense in an attempt to keep the game in perspective for the players. “We’ve just done a lot of play,” she said. “I think that we get so caught up sometimes in where exactly we’re supposed to be on the court that we forget that we just need to play basketball.” “The main stress this overall season is that we need to play as a team in order to be successful,” Hebner said. “We can’t have just one person go out there and look good
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Spartan junior guard Paige Brigham shoots for a free throw at the BHS home game against the Vikings. on offense, we can’t have one person put all the effort out on defense and nobody else do anything. Team play has been our big emphasis.” Hebner also commented on the relative inexperience of the majority of the team’s players, and said that they will only continue to improve with time. “We’re basically a brand-new team from last year,” she said. “We lost 65 percent of our scoring, so it’s nice to see these kids, these young kids, step into different roles and try and do something.”
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
BHS junior guard Sydney Gibbs struggles for the ball against Rainier Beach’s Kamarea Jenkins at the Spartan home game Friday, Jan. 3.
O’Dea escapes with wrestling win over BHS BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Spartan heavyweight grappler Mike Grant puts a hold on O’Dea’s Joey Richards. Grant would go on to win the match with a final score of 9-2.
The Spartan varsity wrestling team lost the war even after having won more battles at the home match against O’Dea Tuesday, Jan. 7. The final score was 45-26 O’Dea. O’Dea technically won eight of the 14 matches, but five of those were wins through a BHS forfeit. Thus, despite a superior physical performance by Spartans, the deck was stacked against them from the start. “Everybody had to wrestle a perfect match [to win],” said Spartan Head Coach Dan Pippinger. “Five of our guys were wrestling up a weight class just to try and make the match outcome
what we wanted it.” BHS was forced to forfeit the 106-, 113-, 182-, 220- and 285-pound classes. O’Dea claimed victories in the 120-, 126- and 132-pound classes. “Head’s up, man-to-man, they beat us,” O’Dea Head Coach Jeff Anderson said to Pippinger of the Spartans. “We beat them by numbers, but you’ve got a pretty darn good squad.” Bainbridge’s Chaney Weaver brought home the first Spartan win of the night in the 138-pound class when he successfully beat O’Dea’s Markel Green with a match score of 18-3. “It went OK,” Weaver said of his victorious match. “I could have taken more shots, but I got comfortable with the reversal.”
The BHS sophomore went the distance against O’Dea’s on to describe his strategy as Marcus Phillips and was ulti“wresting smart.” mately awarded the match “Never give up anything,” with a final score of 9-3. Weaver advised. “Also, I try Spartan 160-pound repreto get a sentative Dylan sense Read pinned his of what opponent in 2:33. “Head’s up, man-tohe’s [the Bainbridge defman, they beat us.” oppoinitely dominated Jeff Anderson the competition nent] O’Dea Wrestling Coach in the heavier good at. weight classes. If you’ve In the 170got pound class match, Joaquin someone who’s really good Gurza claimed a victory at countering, you’re not with a final score of 5-3 and going to take a shot at him.” Spartan heavyweight Mike Jack Miller also won a Grant delivered what may round for BHS in the 145very well be the highlight pound class and pinned his match of the night in the opponent in just 55 seconds. 195-pound class, scoring an Aaron Jumpa delivered epic 9-2 victory over O’Dea’s one of the most exciting matches of the evening in the 152-pound class. He went turn to wrestling | A15