Coupeville Sports

Dalton Martin poured in a game-high 16 Friday. (John Fisken photos)

Risen Johnson added 14, most of his points coming off of steals and ankle-breaking moves.

This? This was a beat-down.

Attacking every step of the way, a super-aggressive Coupeville High School boys’ basketball squad ran visiting Darrington off the court Friday night.

It wasn’t just the score — which fell 72-41 in favor of the Wolves — but the way they won.

Steal after steal, most turning into breakaway buckets.

A ferocious battle for every loose ball, with CHS coming up with the elusive orb about 85.3% of the time.

Maximum effort from every player one through eleven.

Thoroughly rinsing away any lingering bad taste from the first two games of their season, the Wolves (1-2) romped, and had fun doing it.

Passes zipped back and forth, players set each other up and the bench never stopped rockin’, from tip-off to final whistle.

It was a rebirth of an old school battle between schools that used to play in the same league, and it was the first time this season Coupeville put its pedal through the metal for an entire game.

For the third straight game, the Wolves came out strongly in the first quarter.

Five different players scored, led by junior Dalton Martin, who threw down a quick six, and Coupeville used a 10-0 run to open a 16-11 lead.

Three of the buckets during the surge came off of consecutive steals, while the fourth bucket was a wham-bam miracle.

Freshman Hunter Smith dribbled his man down, whirled and laid the ball right into Ryan Griggs waiting arms, giving the junior the perfect lead for an open layup.

That was merely the prelude, however.

Breaking the game wide open, the Wolves went on a 17-0 tear midway through the second quarter, fueled, again, by steal after steal.

On three consecutive plays, Risen Johnson, Joel Walstad and Aaron Trumbull converted steals into breakaway buckets, before Johnson, emulating Hunter Smith, set Matt Shank up for another basket with a pinpoint pass into the paint.

Coupeville, showing the killer instinct coach Anthony Smith has preached, never let up all evening.

The Wolves poured in 16, 19, 19 and 18 points, remaining remarkably consistent, while also stretching the lead out quarter after quarter.

One player would go on a tear — Johnson breaking ankles or Martin crashing hard to the hoop and sliding around defenders to scoop the ball up off the backboard for buckets — and then another.

It was an equal opportunity fun fest, with 10 of 11 players scoring, led by Martin, who hit for a game-high 16.

Johnson, in his third game at a new school, popped for 14, while Walstad threw down 12.

Trumbull (6), Wiley Hesselgrave (6), Aaron Curtin (6), Griggs (4), CJ Smith (4), Shank (3) and Gabe Wynn (1) rounded out the scoring attack.

Coupeville will get an immediate chance to keep its hot streak alive, when it returns to action Saturday with a home game against Bellevue Christian (2 PM).

**Darrington did not have a boys’ JV team, so the Wolf boys only played one game Friday.