Ryan Burris’ last-second layup rolls in and out, BHS falls 58-57.

BELLEVUE – The ball just didn’t roll the Spartans’ way.

Instead of what would have been the game winning score, Ryan Burris’ layup rolled in and out with two seconds to go, cementing a 58-57 loss to the second ranked Renton Indians in the opening game of the 37th annual Bellevue Community College Holiday High School tournament Thursday.

Burris was in the perfect position to score after receiving a pass from Nick Fling. He put it up, but the ball hung on the rim for a split second, then rolled out of the cylinder, just inches away from falling in.

“I thought it was going in when he first put it up, but I saw it rolling out so I tried to go get it but they got a jumper on that team and he slapped it away,” Mike Walsh said of the last play.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s that last shot or it could be a shot somewhere else or it could be a turnover, but it’s a game of small breaks,” head coach Scott Orness said. “We keep working harder, we’re going to start catching those breaks.”

Everything was going Bainbridge’s way after the first quarter.

Indians guard James Powell broke an early 9-9 deadlock with a two-hand jam, but the Spartans went on a 22-3 run and took a 29-14 lead into halftime.

Ben Eisenhardt got things started by using the glass on two scores while Caleb Davis knocked down two three pointers in a row.

Nick Fling closed it out by getting his own rebound off a missed free throw and hitting the putback.

But in the third quarter Renton made a push, using a full court defense to force Bainbridge into bad passes.

The Indians slowly clawed back until an 8-0 run brought them within four points of the Spartans.

Eisenhardt banked in a short jumper to get the lead back to seven, but Carlos Rhodes answered, knocking down two threes to close the lead to three.

Jimmy Baggett converted on a three point play, but Ryan Quigtar and Rhodes scored – the latter on a strip of Fling – to shrink the lead down to just one.

Fling converted on a three point play to open the fourth, but Bainbridge couldn’t keep Renton at bay for long, as Alexander Nguyen scored inside to give the Indians a one point lead.

“It’s a game of mistakes,” Orness said. “You’re going to make mistakes and never play a perfect game. We had 20 turnovers tonight and we want to keep our turnovers around 10. We gave up too many offensive rebounds (Renton had 16) It’s a game of imperfections.”

Derek Lowe hit two foul shots to give Renton a one point lead before Mike Walsh closed it back to one with two foul shots of his own.

Both teams traded baskets inside, then Nick Fling was fouled while trying to push the ball upcourt on a Renton miss. He hit both free throws to put Bainbridge on top.

After both teams traded scores again, Renton caught a break when Rhodes put up a wild shot, but was able to get his own rebound and score on the putback with ten seconds left.

Fling pushed the ball down the court and went to Burris for the score, but his shot rolled out and Bainbridge couldn’t get the board.

Walsh said the team is more concerned with its overall play than trying to force an upset.

“There were a lot of mistakes during the game,” he said. “We didn’t take advantage of things.”

Eisenhardt had 14 points, while Davis had 12 and Fling 11.

The Spartans lost to Monroe 58-52 on Friday. It was the team’s fourth loss in a row, leaving them with a record of 3-6. Orness said they’ll have to take a hard look at how they approach games as a team.

“We need to make some drastic changes or figure out how bad we want to play basketball,” he said. “We only have a few guys willing to do that. I have to figure out what I’m doing wrong.”

Fling had 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists while Walsh had 15 points and six rebounds.

Bainbridge played the loser of the Capitol/Lake Washington game Saturday for seventh place.

Azzurri fall in season finale

The Bainbridge FC GU-14 14 Azzurri closed out the fall portion of their very successful season in the WSYSA Division 1 league with a controversial 1-0 loss to the Mt. Rainier Thunder on Dec. 15 in Sumner.

Azzurri held the powerful Thunder team to a 0-0 tie until four minutes from the end of the game, when a controversial referee decision changed a routine corner kick call to a penalty kick.

Azzurri dealt with the decision with a positive sporting attitude and threw everything they had left toward looking for an equalizer.

The Azzurri finished league play with a 3-8-3 record in a close and competitive league that includes teams who had to qualify through the WSYSA League Placement Tournament held in Snohomish last June.

Bainbridge FC was one of eight teams statewide to qualify for a Division 1 slot.

Goalkeeper Hannah Depew, defenders Isabel Guebel, Lilly Louden Mosio, Ellen Fossett and Bridget Sloat were outstanding all season long. Team captain and sweeper Evyn Newman was the defensive leader and also contributed key goals from set pieces.

The team’s midfield engine room saw superb season long performances from Sarah Dacquisto, Wesley Nottingham, Vanessa Beck, Andria Clark, Haley Godtfredsen and Bea Sheffer.

The Azzurri attack was led by Selam Black, Nina Mutty, Carly Burt and leading scorer Hana Newman.

The team was coached by Tuan Nguyen and Grant Clark, and managed by Lisa Mutty.

“This has been one of the best coaching experiences I’ve ever had,” Clark said. “This group of players has given 100 percent effort, always has a positive attitude, and dealt with all the challenges we faced this season with a champion’s attitude. I’ve never seen this team ever give up, and I’m also very proud that we went through a very competitive season without ever picking up a yellow or red card.”