Bainbridge girls advance to district semis with win over Kingston
Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 19, 2026
The No. 3 seed Bainbridge Spartans have advanced to the District 3 2A semifinals after beating No. 6 seed Kingston Buccaneers 62-44 at home Feb. 18.
The Spartans will host No. 2 seed Fife in the semifinals Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. The winner will advance to the championship and qualify for the state tournament. With the loss, Kingston falls to the losers’ bracket and will host No. 10 seed North Mason Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in a loser-out game.
“I was telling the girls, just find a way to win,” Bainbridge coach Zach Burnham said.”We got an experienced team.”
Both Kingston and Bainbridge imposed full-court presses early on in the game, but Bainbridge jumped out to a 14-4 lead by the middle portion of the first quarter.
Nonetheless, the Bucs rallied, cutting their deficit down to eight, making the score 21-13 at the end of one.
Anna Rowe scored a layup with 5:42 remaining in the second quarter, getting the Spartans’ lead back out to double digits at 25-14. Spartan Kaela Cole and Buccaneer Taizah Franklin were the leading scorers at halftime with 12 and 10, respectively.
“We just tried to focus and make our rotations and just do what we’ve been doing in practice,” Buccaneer coach Charles Deam said.
Spartan Camille Carey kicked off the scoring at the beginning of the second half, drilling a three to get Bainbridge’s lead out to 13.
Buccaneer Tati Fontes-Lawrence responded with a quick fastbreak layup, but the Spartans upped their aggression on defense, quickly getting themselves out to their largest lead on the night at 15 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Bucs came out in the fourth quarter with an aggressive defensive mindset, forcing Spartan turnovers and getting the deficit to within five.
Nonetheless, the Spartans bounced back through scores from Cole and Rowe, increasing their lead back out to double digits at 52-41 with 4:09 remaining in the game, ultimately sealing the victory for Bainbridge.
Other Kitsap scores
In 1A district girls action, No. 4 seed Klahowya fell to No. 1 seed Annie Wright 60-25 Feb. 18. The Eagles will now play No. 3 seed Cascade Christian at Seattle Christian Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. for a chance to advance to state.
In 1B, No. 2 seed Crosspoint Christian obliterated No. 10 seed Grace Academy 71-19 Feb. 17. They will now play No. 3 seed Lumni Nation at Sequim High School Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. in the district semifinals. The winner will secure a state berth.
In 2A boys, the No. 3-seed Bainbridge Spartans will play No.-2 seed Clover Park in the district semifinals at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 at Bremerton High School. No. 1 seed Bremerton will host No. 5 seed Franklin Pierce in the other semifinal Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. The winner of both games will advance to the district title game and earn a state bid.
