Hailey Hammer reaches out to snag a rebound during practice, as teammates Amanda Fabrizi (in black), Lauren Escalle (33) and Madeline Strasburg (11) watch. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Laura Goodnight had a great night.
Unfortunately for Wolf fans who made the trip to Bothell Thursday for opening night of the girls’ basketball season, Goodnight plays for host Cedar Park Christian and not Coupeville. Paced by her eight point, 15 rebound, six steal performance, the Eagles roared out to a big lead, then held off a fourth-quarter Coupeville rally to snag a defensive-minded 28-21 victory.
The loss, which featured ice-cold shooting for much of the game from both teams and a particularly painful collapse at the free-throw line by the Wolves (three for 16), threatened to turn into a blow-out after three quarters. Trailing 27-12 with eight minutes to play, Coupeville tightened the defensive screws, however, and threw together an impressive 9-1 rally in the final quarter.
While it wasn’t quite enough to carry the Wolves all the way back to their first win, it did offer hope for the future. With its first five games on the road, Coupeville will need to pull together as a team, and that philosophy was on display in the fourth quarter.
The game also offered the beginning of the Makana Stone era, as the freshman phenom debuted with a team-high six points, joining sophomore sensation Hailey Hammer at the top of the Wolf scoring list. Breeanna Messner chipped in with four points, Amanda Fabrizi and Jai’Lysa Hoskins each dropped in a bucket and team captain Bessie Walstad chipped in with a free throw.
Coupeville continues its never-ending season-opening road trip Saturday, when it travels to Bellingham to face Meridian in another non-conference game. The Wolves first home game of the season is Friday, Dec. 14 against South Whidbey.
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