Coupeville Sports

   Mikayla Elfrank (23), seen here in jamboree action, had a team-high seven rebounds Tuesday night. (John Fisken photo)

Ready to kick off a new season. (David King photo)

They were flying high for a half.

If the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad could have left Blaine at halftime Tuesday, things would have been great.

Unfortunately, the host Borderites forced the Wolves to play a full 32 minutes on opening night, and used a second-half surge to run away with a 35-19 non-conference victory.

It was a disappointing finish after Coupeville jumped on their 2A foes en route to a 13-3 lead midway through the second quarter.

“We used so much energy (adrenaline) in the first half, due to some nerves and being the first game, that we didn’t leave enough in the tank for the second half,” said CHS coach David King.

“We came out sluggish and flat-footed (after the break),” he added. “This led to easy buckets for Blaine. We couldn’t stop their baseline drives all night.”

Things got off to a great start, as Lindsey Roberts swished a baseline jumper to kick off the new season.

Coupeville was aggressive on both ends of the floor in the early going, shutting the Borderites down for much of the first half.

“Our defense was the key and our catalyst the first half,” King said. “Started in a zone and prevented open looks for Blaine most of the half.”

But while the buckets fell for the Wolves in the first two quarters, the rim was unforgiving during the stretch run.

“Offensively in the second half we played horizontal instead of vertical and attacking the basket,” King said. “We left a lot of points on the rim all game long.

“Without watching film, I would say we missed 8-10 point blank shots on either post-up moves or rebound put-backs.”

Combined with a cold touch on free throws (“this seems to be a Coupeville girls bugaboo that’s carried over from seasons past”), the Wolves straggled home with just five second-half points.

While he would have preferred the second half to be a mirror image of the first half, King didn’t come away totally disappointed.

“We looked to run more tonight and the effort was there,” he said. “It will be exciting to watch the growth in this area as the season progresses.

“Overall I was pleased with our defense for a half and our effort in looking to push the ball,” King added. “We need to minimize our turnovers and shoot a better percentage.”

One Wolf in particular drew praise for her opening night work.

“When Allison (Wenzel) was called on, she gave us a big lift each time. Diving after loose balls and playing tough defense,” King said.

Mia Littlejohn paced Coupeville with five points, while Roberts (4), Kailey Kellner (3), Wenzel (2), Kalia Littlejohn (2), Lauren Rose (2) and Sarah Wright (1) all chipped in.

Mikayla Elfrank tore down seven rebounds while Roberts collected six and Wenzel snatched five. Kellner and Kalia Littlejohn had two assists apiece.

Kyla Briscoe (three boards), Lauren Grove and Tiffany Briscoe all saw playing time, as well.

Coupeville returns to action this weekend when it defends its title at the Friday Harbor Tip-Off Classic.

The Wolves open play Friday against Seattle Academy, then play either Seattle Lutheran or the tourney hosts Saturday.