Metro League Boys | Bainbridge stops O'Dea, wins division

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — All day Tuesday, the talk at Bainbridge High was about the basketball showdown with O'Dea that was hours away.

"Anybody get any studying done?" someone asked Bainbridge senior Austin Wood.

"No," he replied with a smile. "And I don't think the teachers really expected it."

The sellout game lived up to expectations as No. 1 Bainbridge beat the No. 2 Irish 52-42 before 2,200. At least 300 fans were turned away.

"That atmosphere was crazy," said O'Dea forward Josh Scott.

The win secured the Mountain Division title of the Class 3A Metro League for the Spartans (18-2 overall, 15-1 league), and they will host Chief Sealth on Tuesday in the Metro tournament.

Gonzaga recruit Steven Gray, who scored 35 points last Saturday in a one-point win at O'Dea, scored 21 with 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. The 6-foot-4 guard made 7 of 15 shots.

"I think a lot of it had to do with the crowd," Gray said of the win. "The attitude and intensity, you feed off it."

Gray said fellow students asked him at lunch and between classes all day, "You feeling OK? Can I get you some water?"

Wood was the fourth-quarter hero, shooting 5 for 5 from the field to help the Spartans put away O'Dea.

Senior guard Kelly Edwards led O'Dea (17-3, 14-2) with 12 points.

The Mountain Division championship is the first for Bainbridge since it joined the Metro League six years ago. The Spartans, who are undefeated at home this year, are trying to get to the state tournament for the first time since 1998.

The game was senior night for seven Bainbridge players, and before tipoff coach Scott Orness told them to look at the packed stands.

"You built this thing," he said. "Take a look up and soak it in for a moment."

When the game ended and they were mobbed by the student body, they soaked in the triumph.