Coupeville Sports

   Freshman Avalon Renninger hit for a team-high four points in her high school basketball debut. (John Fisken photo)

   Emma Mathusek (left) models the beginning of the black eye she got Tuesday, while Hannah Davidson demonstrates how it happened. (Amy King photo)

Emma Mathusek had a memorable high school basketball debut.

The Coupeville freshman knocked down the first basket of the season Tuesday, finished with a team-high four points and got her bell rung, departing with “a really cool black eye.”

Her offensive touch, and facial sacrifice, weren’t enough to save the Wolf JV, however, as host Blaine used a height advantage to roll to a 28-16 non-conference win.

And when I say height advantage, I mean the Borderites had a 6-foot-3 girl somehow playing JV ball.

“I believe that is where Blaine broke the game open,” said a deadpan Coupeville coach Amy King.

While the Wolves have no one remotely close to that tall (especially on the JV level), they didn’t back down from the rampaging giant.

“It was a well fought battle,” King said. “Tonight we had a group of hard-working, feisty JV’ers. This being the first actual high school game for half the team, we did well.

“Ema (Smith), Hannah (Davidson) and Nicole (Lester), with help from Sarah (Wright) one quarter, were as strong as could be in the post,” she added. “We were able to shut her (the 6’3 girl) down or block her when she brought the ball down low and definitely made it uncomfortable at every opportunity.”

King was pleased with the defensive effort she got from the top of her rotation to the bottom.

“The girls went back and forth between a man and an aggressive zone defense – all worked together, looked for steals and caused a lot of turnovers,” she said.

“Every wing who stepped foot on the court did an outstanding job on defense and helping move the ball on offense,” King added. “Maddy (Hilkey) really shut players down.”

The Wolf coach also had praise for the ball-handling skills of Scout Smith and Ashlie Shank, and the scrappiness of Maya Toomey-Stout, Tia Wurzrainer, Renninger and Mathusek.

“They showed what they were made of, stopping drives and making Blaine work for every point they got,” King said. “It was an improvement from Saturday’s jamboree and they will only continue to get better.”

Mathusek and Renninger paced Coupeville with four points apiece, while Wright, Davidson, Smith and Hilkey netted two apiece.