The Spartan girls’ basketball team’s inability to knock down shots from under the basket cost them dearly in Wednesday’s 47-45 loss to Franklin.

Even if the Spartans (8-2 Metro, 10-3 overall) win their five remaining Metro League games, they’ll need Holy Names or Franklin to lose twice in order to host a first-round Metro League tournament game.

The team shot a season-low 25 percent (15-61), and even worse in the first half (5-36, 14 percent). On several occasions, the Spartans had at least three opportunities from point-blank range but couldn’t get the ball to fall.

“We had some weird rolls,” said Anna Wood, who led all scorers with 21 points and added 17 rebounds. “It’s so frustrating when that happens.”

Another factor was the physical contact that the referees appeared willing to allow as Wood and Brittany Gray went up for shots in the lane. While not happy about the situation, Wood added, “Those are the shots we have to make.”

And the Spartans could only blame themselves for failing to convert a number of layins when the pressure was minimal.

Riding a six-game winning streak and a steady climb in the polls, the Quakers jumped out to a 12-6 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Wood hit a putback and her buzzer-beating trey narrowed the margin to 12-11. She converted both halves of a one-and-one to give Bainbridge its first lead, 13-12, a minute into the second quarter.

Gray’s three-point play gave the Spartans a 20-17 edge late in the quarter. A Franklin steal and three-pointer in the final minute put the Quakers up 22-20 at the break.

The Spartans took a short-lived 26-24 lead on two Wood free throws two minutes into the third quarter, but Franklin went on a 12-5 run to end the quarter ahead 36-31.

Gray scored on a layin, then fed Wood to give the Spartans a 43-42 lead with three minutes left in the game. The Quakers immediately countered with a trey and a basket to go up 47-43. Wood passed to Gray to narrow the margin to 47-45 with two minutes left. Bainbridge had a chance to tie with 56 seconds left, but Gray missed two free throws.

The Spartans had a final opportunity when they forced Franklin into a shot clock violation. But they turned the ball over with seven seconds remaining and the Quakers ran out the clock.

Gray finished with 16 points and 19 rebounds, while Jesse Vincent had 6 and Morgan Moniz 2.

In an odd coincidence, the girls rebounded from last Wednesday’s 55-40 defeat at Lakeside by knocking off Kingston at Paski Gymnasium two nights later by the identical score.

The Buccaneers, ranked 12th in the latest AP 2A poll, opened up a 22-14 lead early in the second quarter. But Vincent hit two free throws to begin a 15-2 Spartan run to close out the first half, which ended with Bainbridge up 29-24.

Bainbridge dominated most of the second half. Kirsten Michael led the Spartans with 17 points, with 11 coming in the third quarter. She also had seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Gray had 15 points and ripped down 17 rebounds. Wood added 11, while Vincent had 10 points and three blocks and earned praise from coach Penny Gienger for her defensive work on Buccaneer star Sophia Baetz.

The Spartans had little trouble the following evening with winless Ingraham, opening up a 17-6 first quarter lead and extending it to 37-17 at the halftime. Spartan reserves played much of the second half, and the final score was 56-45. Gray and Wood both scored 10 points, while Kas Totura added a career-high nine.

The team hosts West Seattle tonight and fourth-ranked White River tomorrow.