Coupeville Sports

Gavin Knoblich netted six points Saturday as Coupeville clashed with Nooksack Valley. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

JV players (l to r) Cody Roberts, Miles Davidson, Chris Ruck and Tucker Hall watch the action in an earlier game.

And now they rest.

A long week came to an end Saturday for the Coupeville High School boys basketball players, a week full of wind and rain and no power and cancelled games and, finally, a trip to Nooksack Valley.

While none of the three Wolf squads came away with a win against the host Pioneers, there were bright spots for all.

Plus, there’s now a two-week rest period between games, time for any dings and bruises to heal, and, hopefully, for the power to come back on and stay on.

Coupeville doesn’t play again until Jan. 4, when it travels to Shoreline to face King’s and kick off the heart of the North Sound Conference season.

Here’s how Saturday’s action broke down:

Varsity:

It was a nail-biter for eight minutes, then a barrage of Nooksack shots went and ruined things.

Trailing by just two at the first break, CHS was outscored 28-9 in the second quarter, eventually falling 73-42.

The non-conference loss sends the Wolves into the break sitting at 1-7.

Coupeville came out strongly, with freshman Hawthorne Wolfe dropping five in the first quarter as Nooksack clung to a 12-10 lead.

Then, the Pioneers found their groove, and never missed a shot again. Like never, ever, ever again.

The second quarter was brutal, though the Wolves hung tough in the third and fourth quarters, but couldn’t chip away at the deficit.

Mason Grove paced Coupeville with a team-high 14 points, hitting a single three-ball in all four quarters.

Wolfe was hot on his heels with 12, included two treys, while Gavin Knoblich popped for six.

Rounding out the CHS attack were Jered Brown (4), Ulrik Wells (4) and Sean Toomey-Stout (2), while Jacobi Pilgrim, Jean Lund-Olsen, Dane Lucero and Koa Davison also saw floor time.

Nooksack sank eight three-balls, and dominated Coupeville at the free throw line, hitting 13-18 compared to 4-9 by the Wolves.

JV:

While the varsity was close for a quarter, Coupeville’s second unit stayed with Nooksack for an entire half.

Trailing by just a point at the break, the Wolves went cold in the third quarter, however, and fell 58-37.

The CHS young guns are 4-4 heading into winter break.

Nooksack surged to an early 14-9 lead, but the Wolves responded with their own 14-10 second-quarter run behind the play of a rampaging Xavier Murdy.

Making his high school debut, the fab frosh banged home eight of his team-high 17 points in the second frame.

The difference in the game came after the break, however, as Nooksack used a 17-4 explosion in the third to flip the game on its head.

Then, tacking on a 17-10 surge in the fourth, the Pioneers coasted in for the victory.

Grady Rickner tossed in seven points for Coupeville to back up Murdy’s 17, with Daniel Olson (4), Logan Martin (4), Sage Downes (3) and TJ Rickner (2) also scoring.

Cody Roberts, Tucker Hall, Chris Ruck and Miles Davidson rounded out the active Wolf roster.

C-Team:

With just six players in uniform, the Wolves couldn’t match Nooksack’s depth, or its high-powered scoring, falling 44-12.

Coupeville’s best output came in the third quarter, when it netted half its points, proving the resilience of Scott Fox’s young squad.

Chris Cernick led the offensive charge, dropping in five points, while Jaylen Nitta (3), Jonathan Partida (2) and Andrew Aparicio (2) also scored.

Ben Smith and Tony Garcia also saw floor time for CHS.