Coupeville Sports

   Freshman Hannah Davidson knocked down a game-high 15 in a Wolf JV road win Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

They’ll travel all day for a win.

Crawling out of bed before daylight Saturday — departure from the school was at 7:45 AM — the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad made a whirlwind trip to Friday Harbor pay off big time.

Joining their varsity counterparts, who won the two-day, four-team Tip-Off Classic for the second straight year, the young guns brought their own A-game.

Paced by a game-high 15 points from Hannah Davidson, the Wolf JV cruised home with a 29-20 win over Friday Harbor, evening their season record at 1-1.

Even having to fight through an early morning, a long trip and playing in a side gym that was barely big enough to hold a basketball court, Coupeville was ready to rock.

“The improvement from the last game was noticeable and so much fun to see,” said CHS coach Amy King. “The victory was sweet – all of the girls are giving the game everything and deserved this win.”

The two teams went toe-to-toe in the opening quarter, trading steals, turnovers and a love of fast-paced play, if little to no scoring.

Davidson turned a steal into a “nice little layup” to provide the only first quarter points for either school.

The offense picked up a bit in the second quarter, with the Wolves using a 9-4 run to put the game on ice early, and so did the physicality.

Friday Harbor tried to rough up the Wolves a bit, but Coupeville’s battle-hardened youngsters were having none of it.

“We continuously changed our defenses so they couldn’t get comfortable with an offense,” King said. “I’ve told the girls they need to be scrappy, go for everything and if they put the ball in front of you, latch on.

“Hannah took that to a whole new level,” she added. “Friday Harbor would come down with a rebound off one of our missed shots, Hannah said thank you, I will take that now, as she ripped the ball from their hands and put it back up.”

Nicole Lester backed Davidson up, rejecting a pair of shots, while a pack of Wolves — Tia Wurzrainer, Emma Mathusek, Maya Toomey-Stout, Maddy Hilkey, Ashlie Shank, Avalon Renninger and Scout Smith — shut down the host team’s shooters.

Wurzrainer impressed with her ability to out-wrestle three rivals (“she held onto that ball until the whistle blew – so awesome her strength with that ball”), while two Wolf veterans provided a spark.

Brittany Powers paced CHS with four steals, while Ema Smith “has a way of getting into other team’s heads, constantly talking and playing hard, strong defense.”

“She shows a leadership on the court that is vital for our team,” King said. “Today was no different.”

Ema Smith finished with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Running mate Scout Smith tallied six points to back up Davidson’s 15, while Renninger (4), Mathusek (2) and Lester (2) also scored.

“Everyone was shooting – they have all worked so hard on their shots and I love watching them use their skill,” King said. “While not all shots go in, we continue to emphasize shooting when you have an opening and these girls are putting that ball up from all angles.”

Renninger snared seven boards, while Davidson (6), Toomey-Stout (5) and Shank (5) helped Coupeville win the rebounding battle.