Coupeville Sports

Hawthorne Wolfe is just the fifth CHS boy in 102 years to top 100 varsity points as a freshman. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Second half, not the same as the first.

Finding its shooting touch after halftime Friday, the Sultan High School varsity boys basketball squad turned a close game into a blowout, romping past visiting Coupeville 67-28.

The killer was a 27-3 Turk run in the third quarter, which turned a seven-point lead into a 31-point advantage.

The loss drops the Wolves to 1-3 in North Sound Conference action, 2-9 overall.

Coupeville still has a game-and-a-half lead on Granite Falls (0-5) for the fifth and final playoff spot from the six-team league.

King’s (5-0), which routed Granite 84-25 Friday, is flying high, while Sultan (3-1) sits in second, a game up on Cedar Park Christian (2-2) and South Whidbey (2-2).

CPC shocked Coupeville’s Island neighbors Friday, winning a 55-53 thriller.

Facing Sultan for the second time this season, the Wolves hung tough for a half.

Down 13-6 at the first break, CHS played the Turks even through a 10-10 second quarter.

Then, something went really, truly wrong for the Wolves after the halftime break.

While Gavin Knoblich netted a three-ball, that was all the offense Coupeville could muster in the third.

Sultan answered with 11 buckets, three of them from behind the three-point line, and tossed a pair of free throws onto the bonfire, effectively ending the game.

The fourth quarter, while not much better for the Wolves, did feature a couple of milestones.

Freshman Xavier Murdy and sophomore Daniel Olson made their varsity debuts, while Hawthorne Wolfe joined an elite group.

The sweet-shooting guard, who leads Coupeville in scoring, went coast to coast for a layup to become only the fifth boy in 102 seasons of Wolf basketball to score 100 varsity points during his freshman season.

With six regular season games left, then a possible postseason run, Wolfe, who has 103 points, has a legitimate shot to eclipse the four frosh boys who came before him.

Mike Bagby tops that list, with 137 points in the 2002-2003 season, with Mike Criscuola (115), Taylor Ebersole (114), and Arik Garthwaite (109) also on the list.

A fourth Wolf achieved a personal milestone Friday, as junior guard Jean Lund-Olsen recorded his first varsity points, netting a first-half three-ball.

Sean Toomey-Stout paced Coupeville with seven points, while Mason Grove netted a pair of treys en route to six. Wolfe (5), Knoblich (5), Lund-Olsen (3) and Jacobi Pilgrim (2) also scored.