Coupeville Sports

   Koa Davison dropped in four points Friday in a Wolf JV loss at Vashon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The trip to Vashon Island can be a brutal one.

Case in point – two separate ferries, and a considerable chunk of time spent on the bus, might have conspired to sap the legs of the Coupeville High School JV boys basketball players Friday night.

Run off the floor in the first quarter, they worked their way back into contention the rest of the way, but couldn’t overcome an early deficit, falling 54-30.

The loss drops the Wolves, who return to action Saturday at home against Bellevue Christian, to 1-5 on the season.

Not only were they fighting the after-effects of an epic journey, but the CHS young guns were also at less than full force.

Leading scorer Mason Grove and bangers Ulrik Wells and Gavin Knoblich all saw limited playing time, so they could be available to swing up and also play varsity.

With Jake Pease gone on vacation, that left Wolf coach Chris Smith missing much of his scoring and rebounding.

Vashon exploded out to an 18-4 lead after one quarter, then stretched the lead to 29-12 at the half.

Grove caught fire in the third quarter, one of just two periods where he saw floor time, outscoring the host Pirates 14-13 by himself.

That included four successful shots from behind the three-point arc for the Wolf gunner.

He finished with a team-high 16 points a game after raining down 10 three-balls and banking 34 points in a full game against Port Townsend.

Wells and Koa Davison backed him up with four points apiece, while Tucker Hall, Jean Lund-Olsen and Knoblich each added a bucket to the cause.

Edgar Hernandez, playing the entire JV game, went off for a game-high 23 to pace Vashon.

While Coupeville struggled with Vashon’s press in the first half, the Wolves responded much better after the break, something their coach hailed as a positive.

“Overall I was happy how we responded in the second half, moving the ball around well and continuing to play tough defense,” Smith said. “Everyone on the bench saw the floor tonight, so that was a small victory!”