Two wins in two days ensures BHS at least a sixth-place finish.

UNVIERSITY OF WASHINGTON – It felt so good, Bruce Orness just had to let it out.

“Victory!” he shouted to a nearly empty arena as the Bainbridge boys basketball team was leaving the locker room.

Orness, his son Scott, the rest of the team and their fans were happy after the Spartans won two straight to ensure themselves of a trophy at the 3A State basketball tournament this week at the Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington campus.

A 63-29 win over North Thurston Wednesday night and a 64-54, come-from-behind win over Bellevue Thursday night means the Spartans can finish no worse than sixth, making it the first time since 1990 that the team has placed at State.

“Our guys just continue to battle,” head coach Scott Orness said. “They’ve been faced with some tough situations (over the season) with the overtime and the close victories we’ve had. Playing in the Metro League has prepared us to go out and play with poise and win games like that.”

Bainbridge played North Central from Spokane yesterday in the semi-final round. The winner moves on to the big one Saturday night at 9 p.m. against O’Dea or Southridge, while the loser is relegated to the third/sixth place game at 5 p.m. today.

While Orness, Gray and Gibler said they’re focused on the next game or the next quarter, guard Nick Fling said the Spartans have their eyes on the prize.

“We’re thinking about the state title,” he said. “I don’t want to win a second place trophy. I want to win first place. We’re going for that state trophy no matter what. We’re not going to hold back.”

In the second round Thursday, the Bellevue Wolverines were seeking revenge for a 52-51 semifinal loss to the Spartans in overtime in the 3A Sea-King District tournament.

They came out focused, shooting 70 percent in the first half. But it was all Bainbridge in the second, as they took over and beat the Kingco 3A champs to move on.

The Spartans outscored Bellevue 36-21 in the third and fourth quarters to send the Wolverines to the loser’s bracket and keep Bainbridge in the hunt for their first state title in 59 years.

“That’s a great win,” Fling said of their comeback. “That’s going to help us a lot in the next game.”

Bellevue forwards Luke Sikma and Alex Schrempf penetrated inside early and hit the jumper with ease, leading the Wolverines to a 22-13 lead after one.

Steven Gray and Coby Gibler kept the Spartans in it, but Bellevue continued their hot shooting in the second quarter as guard Cam Warren – averaging just 1.3 points a game – scored several buckets, beating the Spartans to the glass for layins as Bellevue went up by five at the half.

“We weren’t playing great defense,” Orness said. “We were making a lot of mental errors where we were giving up layins. We don’t give up layins. They were getting a lot of backdoor cuts on us.

“So getting focused on what we needed to do on offense and defense in the second and third quarter really helped us win.”

Gray said that Orness got on the team at the half.

“Coach got a little fired up in the locker room,” he said. “We knew what we needed to do if we wanted to be successful. Each person came out thinking about ‘helpside’ defense and making sure to skip between your man (when he’s going) by the basket. If we play good defense, our offense is going to start (working).”

It did just that, as the Spartans started contesting shots and hitting the glass.

They worked their way back into the game, then took the lead at 36-35 on a basket inside by Gibler.

Gray completed a three-point play as Bellevue went ice cold, scoring just one field goal in the third period.

The good times didn’t stop, as Gibler forced a deflection on defense and Gray made a great play to keep the ball in bounds, then fed the 6-9 big man inside for the score at the other end.

Nick Fling scored once on some nice passing from Gray and Gibler after the guard forced the turnover, then Gibler scored inside just before the end of the third.

“I was finding the right gaps and teammates were hitting me (with good passes),” Gibler said. “They were hitting each other. We were unselfish that quarter.”

Bainbridge didn’t let up in the fourth, but Sikma didn’t either. He scored again and again with the jumper from the baseline.

But the Spartans ran down the clock while Wood and Gibler did damage from the inside.

Bainbridge also connected on their foul shots, hitting 72 percent from the charity stripe.

“We’ve had those situations where we’ve been in a hole against good teams,” Gray said. “I think that will boost our confidence going into the rest of the tournament.”

Gray finished with 21 points, three rebounds and four assists.

Gibler had 22 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

The Wolverines shot just 36 percent from the field in the second half.

Weird win

On Wednesday, the Spartans used their size and blew up North Thurston’s plans to control the game, defeating the Rams 63-29 in the opening round of the 3A state tournament.

Behind a good-sized and very vocal Bainbridge cheering section, the Spartans held the Rams to zero points in the first half.

It’s believed to be the first time in state tournament history – and the history of the 80-year-old arena itself – that any team, pro, college or AAU has been shut out.

“A game that starts that way where they’re gonna sit on the ball, you never know what’s going to happen,” Orness said. “Our guys kept great composure and made great decisions on defense. You can’t ask for more.”

North Thurston held onto the ball for minutes at a time to control the game’s tempo, but the Bainbridge defense rotated to perfection to deny any decent looks at the rim.

In the second quarter, Gibler did his thing, as he converted a three point play and kept the Rams off the glass.

“Coby Gibler really stepped up and got us going,” Orness said.

Gray and Davis both hit threes as they scored five points apiece in the period.

North Thurston went 0 for 18 through the first half, and didn’t score until 6:42 was left in the third.

Meanwhile, Gibler had nine points in the period as Bainbridge closed it out with 21 points in the third, allowing Orness to send in the subs and rest his starters.

It went so well for the Spartans that Paxton Kruse, a substitute who saw little action during the season, came off the bench and scored 10 points – three more than North Thurston’s leading scorer Will Sharp.

Gray and Gibler both had 14 points and both combined for 17 rebounds.