After a tough loss to No.2 seed Sequim in the first round of the Olympic League tournament, the Bainbridge girls hoops team rebounded with two wins to close out the season.
The Spartans, seeded No. 7,, jumped up two spots to finish fifth after knocking off No. 6 Central Kitsap and No. 5 Olympic.
The program saw a record fall as leading-scorer Anna Kozlosky set a new school single-season record, successfully converting 88.2 percent of her free throws, breaking the old record set in 2000-2001 by Fab Rezayat, who shot 84.5 from the free throw line that season. Kozlosky hit her final 30 attempts in a row, including seven in the final two games.
“We finished the season playing our best basketball and really enjoyed it,” Bainbridge coach Karen Byers said.
Following the loss to Sequim, the Spartans traveled to Silverdale to take on Central Kitsap. The Cougars prevailed 44-37 in their only regular season game, but Bainbridge jumped out to a 17-12 lead by the end of the first quarter and held on to win this time.
Kozlosky led the team with 19 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, and Audrey Nelson chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks. Ana Byers and Grace Colburn each hit a 3-pointer for Bainbridge and finished with eight and seven points respectively.
With the 59-45 win over Central Kitsap in the rear view mirror, Bainbridge hosted Olympic in the fifth-place game at Paski Gym. It didn’t go as smoothly as the previous game, but the Spartans prevailed 64-47.
Bainbridge trailed by four at halftime, but picked up their scoring pace, putting 39 points on the board in the second half.
“Our seniors showed true composure and got our team back on track during halftime vs. Olympic,” Byers said. “[Nelson’s] energy helped pivot the team’s mentality that changed in energy.”
Nelson came out firing in the third quarter, knocking down four field goals as part of her team-leading 19-point effort. Colburn and Eva Genkinger also added 3-pointers as part of a 22-point effort that gave the Spartans a 10-point lead. The offense was functioning efficiently as the Spartans racked up 16 assists in the win over Olympic. Colburn had four, while Kozlosky, Nelson and Greta Chin each had three.
Meanwhile, the defense held Olympic to just eight points in the fourth quarter. Bainbridge came up with 12 steals as nine players registered at least one.
“[Genkinger] also knocked down some much-needed threes in a pivotal time of the game while Greta set the stage with her hard defense and attack moves,” Byers said.
Kozlosky, who was held to just five points through three quarters, led the offense in the fourth, scoring eight, including a 3-pointer to finish the game with 13 to go along with eight rebounds. Genkinger also finished in double-digits with 10 points. Colburn chipped in nine points, along with eight rebounds and four assists, and Chin added six points and three assists.
The two victories raised their record to 6-8 on the season, and the Spartans won four of their final five games overall.
Bainbridge 59, Central Kitsap 45
BI 17 9 12 19 — 59
CK 12 8 15 10 — 45
Bainbridge (59) — Kozlosky 19, Nelson 10, Byers 8, Colburn 7, Kingrey 6, Chin 6, Genkinger 2, Ramadan 1.
Bainbridge 64, Olympic 47
Oly 17 8 12 10 — 47
BI 11 14 22 17 — 64
Bainbridge (64) — Nelson 19, Kozlosky 13, Genkinger 10, Colburn 9, Chin 6, Byers 3, Kingrey 2, Patterson 2.
Anna Kozlosky set a new Bainbridge single-season record in 2021, shooting 88.2 percent from the free throw line, breaking the old record of 84.5 percent. (Mark Krulish/Kitsap News Group)
