Coupeville Sports

Aaron Trumbull (23) gets prime rebounding position, as teammate Carson Risner comes in for backup. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Ben Etzell is the basketball player to take to Vegas.

Rolling in shots from all angles Friday night, the Coupeville High School junior hit for a season-high 21 against visiting Granite Falls. Rattling in a pair of three-point bombs, his point total was not only a personal best, but the high for any Wolf this season.

And while Etzell’s scoring pop staked Coupeville to an early lead, it wasn’t enough, as a rough third quarter did in the Wolves, who ended up falling 72-46 to the Tigers. The last home game before a six-game road trip, it dropped the Wolves to 0-11.

Early on, things were looking rosy, as Etzell opened the game with a trey, then tossed in a sweet runner. With his six points and four from Caleb Valko, Coupeville held the lead for most of the first quarter.

A soft jumper in the paint from big man Nick Streubel and a power move down low from Aaron Trumbull, who backed his man down and then spun hard to the hoop for a bucket, gave Coupeville what would turn out to be its final lead of the game at 14-13 with under a minute to play in the first.

After a brief rough stretch, the Wolves rallied several times in the second quarter, twice cutting the lead back to six. The first time came on Etzell’s second long-range shot, the second on a rumble through the paint by Carson Risner, who had returned from vacation just hours before the game.

The third quarter was Coupeville’s undoing, however, as Granite Falls used a series of easy buckets set up by quick passes to bust out a 23-9 run.

With the game decided and little but pride on the line, the Wolves dug down deep and played the visitors virtually even in the fourth. Etzell poured in nine of his points, with one bucket set up by a picture-perfect pass from Streubel, another a steal and dash to glory in which Etzell outgunned three defenders.

Trumbull tossed in eight to back up Etzell, Streubel banged away for six and Aaron Curtin and Valko singed the nets for four apiece. Risner chipped in with his bucket and Morgan Payne added a free throw.

The Wolves will be on the road for three straight weeks before finally returning home Friday, Jan. 25 to face Archbishop Thomas Murphy.