After an outstanding season last year and a near-perfect summer league record, the Bainbridge girls basketball team opened this season with a historic loss to Mercer Island 71-27 Nov. 29.

“I don’t have an excuse for it,” coach Zach Burnham said. “I’m just glad to be getting a game under my belt to watch film and learn from there. I didn’t think it would be this large of a deficit but there are some things to work on, and we will definitely improve.”

The Spartans gave up the most three-pointers in a single game (13), the most points in a half (48) and had one of the largest margins of defeat in school history (44).

Mercer Island’s Caitlin Monahan scored 19 points, including five three-pointers.

“They were just knocking down threes,” Burnham said. “I want to be able to run that zone and give the girls a break but they were not trapped in it. They got hot, and I didn’t think they would stay hot.”

The offense also was off. Bainbridge scored only two points in the first quarter when Maia Greiwe knocked down a pair of free throws at the end of the period.

Greiwe also scored the first field goal, a layup in the second quarter, as she finished with eight points. Bainbridge finally started to score points underneath the basket with its size and length. “It will be a focus to get the ball on the inside,” Burnham said. “We don’t do well with pressure on the wing.”

Several inside opportunities came in the third quarter when the Spartans scored 10 points.

Bella Ramirez scored six of her nine points that quarter. For the game, Anna Rowe added six points and Kaitlyn Davis four.

Despite the massive loss, the Spartans are ready to turn a new page during their next game. “It’s a learning curve but this does not define our season,” Burnham said.

Nicholas Zeller-Singh/Kitsap News Group Photos Spartan Hannah Bounketh defends Mercer Island’s Elianna Weiss.