Coupeville Sports

Amanda Fabrizi scored a team-high 10 Friday, including a bucket on an unexpected steal. (John Fisken photo)

They started the game tired and sore, still feeling the effects of a long road trip. They ended it banged up and saddled with a second straight loss.

A third quarter collapse killed the Wolves Friday night, as the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad fell 56-39 to visiting Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

The loss dropped CHS to 5-4 overall, 2-3 in Cascade Conference play.

The Wolves will have an immediate chance to rebound, as they reach the halfway point of the regular season Saturday when non-conference foe Mount Vernon Christian comes to town for a doubleheader (boys tip at 1 PM, girls at 3).

One lingering question will be the status of senior captain Breeanna Messner, who banged her head on the floor in the third quarter while fighting for a ball. While she returned to action late in the game, the short turn-around time could hamper her if she has lingering pain or concussion concerns.

After enduring a long trip to Sultan earlier in the week, where they played in a rough, intense game, the Wolves had looked a bit tired and slow in practice, said Coupeville coach David King.

Even so, the Wolves were right with ATM for a half, trailing by just three at the break. If a few missed free throws had rattled in, they would have held the lead going into the locker room.

But whatever energy they had in the first 16 minutes took a major hit at the half.

ATM bolted out of the gate with a fast three-point bomb, than really ramped up things after Messner’s collision with the pine.

Missing their floor leader, the Wolves started having big time trouble with the full-court press the Wildcats were using — either struggling to get the ball up the floor or running out of control once they did. ATM took advantage, closing the quarter on an 11-2 run after Messner’s exit.

With the game out of control, one bright spot in garbage time came from junior post Monica Vidoni, who scored all six of her points in the fourth quarter.

The best of her buckets came on a layup off of a pass from Amanda Fabrizi. The senior guard ruthlessly drove the lane, sucked in the defense, then laid the ball off with a flick of her wrist at the very last second, perfectly setting up her younger teammate.

Fabrizi was solid all around, leading Coupeville in scoring with 10 points while playing with her right hand bandaged.

To go with her pretty pass to Vidoni, she also pulled off the steal of the game.

Having lost the ball late in the second quarter, an ATM player came to a skidding halt, content that she couldn’t corral the ball before it went out of bounds. Time froze, as nine players on the court came to a stop.

And then, flashing cross court, Fabrizi came dancing down the sideline, spun the ball back towards herself at the last second and was off for a stunning breakaway layup.

It was an impressive play from an underrated star.

Makana Stone popped for eight in support, while Vidoni (6), Messner (5), Madeline Strasburg (5), Julia Myers (4) and Hailey Hammer (1) rounded out the scorers. Kacie Kiel and Wynter Thorne were scoreless, but went full-tilt when on the floor and scrapped hard.