Originally published January 12, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 12, 2008 at 12:49 AM

Metro League Boys | Spartans get even for title-game loss

The last time O'Dea and Bainbridge had played basketball against each other, the Class 3A boys state championship was on the line. Friday night, they met...

By Craig Smith

Seattle Times staff reporter

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BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — The last time O'Dea and Bainbridge had played basketball against each other, the Class 3A boys state championship was on the line.

Friday night, they met again for lower stakes and the outcome was different.

Bainbridge thumped the Irish 54-41 to tighten the race in the Metro League Mountain Division. It was a small slice of what Bainbridge senior wing Nick Fling called "redemption."

Last March, O'Dea beat the Spartans in a blowout, 56-31, when it mattered most.

"That's been sticking in our minds since March," said Bainbridge's Caleb Davis. "We just wanted to have another go at these guys."

Fling was 8 for 8 from the field and led all scorers with 18 points. Davis scored 13.

The Irish (8-3 overall, 6-2 league) were a dreadful 3 for 16 behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, Bainbridge (7-6, 4-3) shot 51 percent from the field in snapping O'Dea's seven-game winning streak.

O'Dea was scoreless in the first 5 ½ minutes of the third quarter as the Spartans built a 36-25 lead.

"They just outplayed us," said O'Dea coach Phil Lumpkin. "They appeared to be hungrier than we were."

Lumpkin wasn't surprised that the Spartans were motivated. Bainbridge defeated the Irish three times last year before the title-game implosion.

"It's a long time to have to wake up and remember that," Lumpkin said.

Both teams lost three starters from last season's teams, and O'Dea lost three other key players through transfers. Bainbridge's key losses were Gonzaga recruit Steven Gray and big man Coby Gibler.

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