Kacie Kiel, seen here earlier this season, hauled down seven boards in Friday’s big road win. (John Fisken photo)
Defense wins championships.
Therefore, it’s a good thing the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team tends to attack like a pack of rabid dogs when the other team has the ball. Hounding their foes into turnovers and shot clock violations galore, the Wolves are on the rampage.
That was never more evident than Friday night, when CHS traveled off-Island and knocked one of the biggest 2A schools in the Cascade Conference for a loop.
Using a lock-down “d” to set the table, the Wolves sprinted past host Lakewood 35-31 to notch their second win of the young season.
Now 2-2 overall, 1-1 in league play, Coupeville will host South Whidbey Tuesday in a battle royale for Island supremacy and a leg up in the race for 1A playoff berths.
Playing at Lakewood, the Wolves came out feisty and stayed that way, only slipping up a bit in the fourth quarter before reverting to form and slamming the lid on the victory.
“Overall, one of our better defensive games for the full 32 minutes on the early season,” said Coupeville coach David King.
The emphasis on defense could be seen right from the get-go, as the two squads combined for just 10 points in the first quarter.
Buckets from Julia Myers, Madeline Strasburg and Hailey Hammer staked Coupeville to a narrow 6-4 margin at the first break.
The Wolves stretched that lead out to 26-14 at the end of three quarters, with multiple players hitting key buckets.
The prettiest might have been a layup from Monica Vidoni set up by a pair of gorgeous passes from Strasburg and Hammer.
Gunning down the right sideline, Strasburg hit Hammer in the lane, and the junior post, having drawn a defender, quickly dumped the ball to Vidoni coming from behind her.
Things got a bit sticky in the fourth, when Lakewood used a press to disrupt Coupeville’s flow, setting up a chance for a stunning comeback.
It wasn’t to be, however, as the Wolves never surrendered the lead, with Strasburg icing the game at the charity stripe.
Ice water in the veins and fiery intensity on defense — a deadly combo King loves to see from his squad.
“The girls took this challenge on and played it very well,” King said. “One key thing we talked about was anticipating the passes to the wings and reading it and either getting a hand on the ball or some steals. Accomplished.”
Hammer deflected multiple pass attempts into the post while Amanda Fabrizi, Strasburg and Breeanna Messner shut down the wings.
Stone and Strasburg paced Coupeville with nine points apiece, with Stone adding 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks.
The Wolves hit the boards hard all night long, as Kacie Kiel hauled down seven rebounds and Messner fought ferociously for four key offensive boards.
Hammer slammed home seven points in support, Myers banked home four and Vidoni, Kiel and Messner each chipped in with a bucket.
“Overall, a well deserved win,” King said. “Everyone contributed to the win.”
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