Jered Brown tossed in seven points Friday as Coupeville battled Island rival South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Throw out the first three minutes and it was a battle royal.
Recovering strongly after a brutal opening, the Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball squad played host South Whidbey even over the game’s final 29 minutes Friday night.
Unfortunately, that early 14-0 deficit proved to be the difference in a 64-50 loss.
The road defeat drops the Wolves to 1-2 in North Sound Conference action, 4-7 overall, while the high-flying Falcons soar to 3-1, 11-3.
Back in a live game for the first time in seven days, after snow prevented it from playing earlier in the week, Coupeville stumbled badly coming out of the tip-off.
With more turnovers (four) than shot attempts (one) in the first 180 seconds, the Wolves had no answers for the tall, quick Falcons.
Once CHS coach Brad Sherman got his players locked-in, however, they proved capable of holding their own.
With Mason Grove and Sean Toomey-Stout combining for nine points, the Wolves closed the first quarter on an 11-9 mini-surge.
Coupeville’s shooting went ice-cold for a stretch in the second frame, allowing South Whidbey to stretch the margin from 23-11 after one to 38-18 at the half, but there was hope.
Grove rained down a pair of three-balls in both the third and fourth quarters, and the Wolves used 18-15 and 14-11 runs across the final two quarters to shave away at the lead.
The Wolf senior had a hot touch from behind the arc all night, hitting at least one three-ball in every quarter as he rang up seven treys on his way to a team-best 23 points.
But while one CHS player torched the nets, the host Falcons got big-time scoring from a pair of players, with Carson Wrightson and Sterling Patton banking in 23 apiece to tie Grove for game-high honors.
While his one-man shooting show ultimately couldn’t save Coupeville, Grove notched a personal milestone, cracking the Top 100 on his school’s boys basketball career scoring chart.
With his 23 points, he passed 12 former Wolf greats Friday, including Tyler King, Aaron Curtin, and Brian Fakkema.
Grove sits with 291 points, tied with Risen Johnson at #96 for a Coupeville hoops program currently in its 103rd season.
Xavier Murdy and Jered Brown were Grove’s primary back-ups Friday, both dropping in seven points, including a three-ball apiece.
Koa Davison (6), Sean Toomey-Stout (5), and Jacobi Pilgrim (2) also scored for Coupeville, with Jean Lund-Olsen, Hawthorne Wolfe, and Gavin Knoblich seeing floor time.
Thanks to weather make-ups, Coupeville has a busy week ahead.
The Wolf boys host Cedar Park Christian Monday, travel to King’s Tuesday, get a road-rematch with CPC Friday, then host Port Townsend Saturday.
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