Coupeville Sports

   Mollie Bailey (left) and Genna Wright — serious on the court, goofballs off. (John Fisken photos)

They’re on their way to taking over the world.

   Lily Leedy (left) and Adair DeJesus, seen in an earlier game, both played strongly Monday.

The game turned, and it turned fast.

Attacking relentlessly in the early moments Monday, the Coupeville Middle School 7th grade girls basketball team knocked visiting Chimacum back on its heels.

With five different players scoring in the first quarter, the Wolves built a lead and never relinquished it, rolling to a 42-25 win.

The nightcap wasn’t quite as successful, as the CMS 8th graders ran into a much-more polished Cowboy squad, falling 50-18.

Now boasting a three-game winning streak, the 7th graders sit at 4-2, while the undermanned 8th graders are 1-5.

7th grade:

The Wolves got on the board early when Samantha Streitler ripped a rebound away from a Cowboy rival and banked it home, then the floodgates opened.

Sparked by a feisty defense, CMS started droppin’ buckets from all angles.

Kylie Van Velkinburgh tickled the twines with a sweet one-handed jumper off of an in-bounds play, before Anya Leavell and Kiara Contreras threw down breakaway buckets off of steals.

Even when they slowed down the pace — for a second — the Wolves were locked in.

Audrianna Shaw, after taking an entry pass from Leavell, who had her most explosive game of the season, backed her defender down, then banked the ball off the glass with a flick of her wrist.

Up 10-6 after one and 20-12 at the half, Coupeville put the game firmly in the win column with a dominant third quarter.

It wasn’t just the 12-4 scoring margin, but the way Ja’Kenya Hoskins took over the boards and Leavell set the nets on fire.

Pouring in eight of her game-high 14 in the second half, the sweet-shooting Leavell was straight-up money for the Wolves.

She got plenty of help, as seven of the 11 Wolves to hit the floor put the ball through the net.

Hoskins banged home eight, while Streitler and Contreras dropped in six apiece.

Shaw (4), Adair DeJesus (2) and Van Velkinburgh (2) also scored, with McKenna Somes, Alana Mihill, Katelin McCormick and Lily Leedy bringing hustle and hard work.

8th grade:

The “older” squad, which is a mix of players since the Wolves have only four 8th graders, had their moments.

Coupeville got three-balls from Genna Wright and Abby Mulholland, scrappy play from hard-charging Heidi Clinkscales and one gorgeous pass and bucket that earned an appreciate “Ooh!” from visiting high school round-ball guru David King.

On that play, Chelsea Prescott pulled the defense to her, then whipped a pass that started as a laser, before softly dropping right at the end onto Izzy Wells waiting fingertips.

Catching the ball and laying it up in one smooth move, Wells bucket was easily the prettiest of the night.

Unfortunately, Chimacum couldn’t miss in the early going, rampaging out to a 24-9 lead after one quarter.

Coupeville’s defense got stingier as the game went, reducing the Cowboys point total in every quarter, a testament to the never-say-die ethos of the team.

Wells paced the Wolves with six points, while Wright bombed away for five.

Mulholland (3), Prescott (2) and Clinkscales (2) rounded out the attack, while Mollie Bailey, Bella Velasco, McCormick and Leedy all saw floor time for CMS.