
Scout Smith knocked down 17 points Monday as Coupeville won a thriller on the road. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Their will to win is off the charts.
Deep on the road Monday, having left their best game at home, the Coupeville High School girls varsity basketball squad never flinched.
They might not be 100% sure how they got away with it, but the Wolves will take their 34-33 win, head home from Granite Falls, and move on.
With one relieved coach leading the way.
“Some nights everything stops working and tonight was that night,” said CHS hoops guru Scott Fox. “But the good news is that good teams find a way to win and we did.
“We had a letdown from (Friday’s) South Whidbey game and really never found our groove,” he added. “We fought hard and made the shots when we had to.
“I’m extremely proud of them finding a way to win.”
With the victory, its third straight, Coupeville rises to 4-1 in North Sound Conference play, 9-3 overall.
Up next, after a couple of days to re-find that groove, is a major test, as the Wolves head to Bothell Friday to face Cedar Park Christian.
The Eagles (5-1, 11-5) gave Coupeville its only league loss, beating them 51-35 two weeks ago.
The Wolves have added some battle hardening since that night, pulling out close wins over Sultan and Granite, wrapped around a methodical thumping of South Whidbey.
Monday’s win was decided by the narrowest of margins, as the two teams put up the exact same score in three of four quarters.
Knotted at 12-12 after the first quarter, the game stayed tied at 16-16 at the half, before Coupeville crept ahead 23-22 headed into the final frame.
Avalon Renninger was the difference in the third quarter, netting a pair of buckets and a single free throw, while Hannah Davidson chipped in with two successful shots from the charity stripe.
With the game on the line, it was Scout Smith time, as the senior point guard swished a pair of three-balls en route to putting up nine of her career-high 17 points in the final frame.
Coupeville’s leading scorer this season, she finished with four treys and continued her steady trek up the career scoring chart.
Smith’s point totals have gone up in each of her three varsity seasons, from 56 as a sophomore, to 86, and now 114 and counting.
With 256 career points, she passed Kendra O’Keefe (244), Marlys West (247), Danette Beckley (249), and Julie Wieringa (252) Monday and is #42 all-time for a program which stretches back to 1974.
Renninger popped for a season-high 10 to back Smith Monday, while Davidson (5) and freshman Maddie Georges (2) rounded out the attack.
Also seeing floor time for Coupeville were Chelsea Prescott, Anya Leavell, Carolyn Lhamon, Izzy Wells, Kylie Van Velkinburgh, and Tia Wurzrainer.
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