Patience pays off as BI ends 6-game skid with win over Klahowya

The Bainbridge girls hoops teams has shown flashes of potential over the course of the season, and on Thursday night they finally put it all together.

The Spartans scored a season-high 69 points and executed their sets with confidence as they knocked off Klahowya by 29 points and snapped a six-game skid in the process.

Anna Kozlosky led all scorers with 21 points.

“We’ve been hungry for a while, so it was nice to see some things coming together that we’ve been working on,” coach Karen Byers said.

Bainbridge looked good from the start, jumping out to a 7-2 lead, and Kozlosky, their leading scorer, was at the head of the initial charge. A threat in the paint and from beyond the arc, Kozlosky converted a couple of tough layups and knocked down a 3-pointer in the early run.

Klahowya kept the game close with a pair of threes from Hannah Cochran and a couple of field goals from Katie Cooper, but the Spartans continued to roll.

Senior forward Audrey Nelson was another terrific force inside for Bainbridge, consistently getting to the hoop and either making the basket or drawing a foul. Nelson’s aim was true on all eight of her free throws in the first half. Kozlosky hit another 3-pointer in the second quarter, and Grace Colburn and Greta Chin each chipped in a field goal as Bainbridge led 34-24 at halftime.

“We settled down, we were able to run through our offense and get to the reversal where before we’ve tried to force things and not let it go to the reversal,” Byers said. “So today we calmed down, we stayed within what we wanted to do, and we got what we wanted by staying patient.”

The Spartans were able to pull away in the third quarter, winning that eight-minute segment by a 17-8 margin. Colburn knocked down an early 3-pointer and Nelson, Chin and Eva Genkinger each picked up a basket. By the time Kozlosky hit three field goals on three-consecutive possessions, Bainbridge led 46-28.

Bainbridge received some strong supporting performances as Nelson finished with 15 points and Colburn 12. Chin and Macy Kingrey each chipped in seven. The Spartans were also strong from the free throw line as a team, hitting 17 of 19 attempts.

“We need to have good games from multiple players to succeed,” Byers said. “Tonight was one of those nights where we had that; it makes things more fun for the team, but it also helps us with what we want to do in our game plan.”

Bainbridge closes out its regular season with a Senior Night game at Paski Gym Tuesday, when it hosts North Mason. The team heads into the Olympic League tournament the following weekend.

”We’re figuring out how to put some points on the scoreboard,” Byers said. “With such a condensed season, I’ve asked a lot of them in a short amount of time. Things are starting to jell.”

Bainbridge 69, Klahowya 40

BI 22 12 18 17 — 69

Kla 15 9 7 9 — 40

Bainbridge (69) — Kozlosky 21, Nelson 15, Colburn 12, Chin 7, Kingrey 7, Genkinger 5, Ledbetter 2.

Klahowya (40) — Cochran 11, Soufi 9, Cooper 7, Hudson 4, Hurst 3, Spandler 3, Radford 3.