Coupeville Sports

   Matthew Kelley shows off the shirts worn by Wolf players. (Photos courtesy Pat Kelley)

The Wolves, pre-sunburns.

Bennett Boyles

They burned for Bennett.

Playing under scorching skies in Enumclaw, eight Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball players poured in buckets in support of a missing teammate this weekend.

Playing at an outdoor three-on-three tourney, the Wolves raised $402 as a fundraiser for Bennett Boyles.

The CMS hoops player is battling an inoperable brain tumor and has been sidelined at a hospital in Seattle for weeks.

While he wasn’t able to travel with his teammates, he was very much in their thoughts, with each basket scored by the Wolves raising money for Boyles.

Coupeville players got fans to pledge a certain amount per basket scored in the tourney and the Wolves combined to pour in 46 buckets.

Seven of the eight CMS players on hand for the tourney scored, while nearly all of them came home with sunburns.

The Wolves were hurt a bit by a thin bench, as local teams shared players among teams.

Still, win or lose, the tourney was more about helping their missing teammate and less about worrying over the score.

So, in the end, it was a rousing success.

“Very proud of the boys,” said Coupeville coach Pat Kelley. “Go Bennett!”

Donations to help Boyles and his family (his mom Lucienne Rivera, a CHS grad, had to quit her job to be with her son) can be dropped off at Ebey Academy (140 SE Terry Road) in Coupeville.