Coupeville Sports

The Wolf JV, already pros at having their picture taken. (Amy King photo)

“Of course, I love to find the new successes!”

If ever there was a coach born to nurture and bring along young JV players, it is Coupeville High School hoops guru Amy King.

So, while her squad, playing without any of its veteran swing players Saturday, fell 41-20 at Friday Harbor, she was able to come away with a checklist full of accomplishments to herald.

From freshman Maddy Hilkey knocking down her first-ever buckets, to Brittany Powers notching her first free throw of the season, to the hustle her entire squad showed, King knows JV ball is all about improvement.

“Brisa (Herrera) got a rebound and drove down the court. Both Lindsey (Laxton) and Nicole (Lester) were going after rebounds, ripping the ball out of the hands of their opponents,” she said. “Both got shots off, that’s a great step.”

Of course, King also wants to win — she went 14-5 last year with a squad which sent a chunk of its players up to the varsity this season — and Coupeville came out strong Saturday.

Powered by Hilkey and Ema Smith, who each went for four in the quarter, the Wolves claimed an 8-5 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

Then the hosts, who had a far more seasoned team, switched things up.

“We started out great; guess we ticked off the home team, because in the second quarter they attacked with a full court press and caused us many turnovers,” King said. “Our young team would get successful passes only to have the ball stolen or we would end up in a trap.”

Using a 16-1 second-quarter run to blow the game open, Friday Harbor decided they liked the press so much they’d keep it on for almost the entire game.

Even after the score was lopsided.

“This game was tough,” a philosophical King said. “We will get better at breaking the press as the season goes on. It really is a learning process.”

She came away pleased with a lot of the in-game improvement she continues to see. That includes a freshman point guard who’s never played the position before.

“Ashlie (Shank) is moving with more confidence, setting up plays and starting to direct,” King said. “She even pulled up several times, taking jump shots from the outside. That is new for her.

“Maddy and Brittany flew around on defense all night and Sarah (Wright) was a force in the key, shutting down anyone trying to come into the key,” she added. “All the girls talked and worked hard on defense.

“We just need to be patient, we are getting it and wins will happen.”

Smith paced the Wolves with a team-high 10 points, while Hilkey (4), Wright (3), Shank (2) and Powers (1) all chipped in.