Mollie Bailey was one of five Coupeville varsity players to score Tuesday as the Wolves played state power King’s for likely the final time. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
They still control their own playoff destiny.
So, that’s the positive to take away.
Despite absorbing a rough loss Tuesday in Shoreline to state title contender King’s, the Coupeville High School girls varsity basketball team is just a win from clinching third-place in the North Sound Conference.
The Wolves, who suffered through a cold shooting performance, greatly helped along by a Knights squad which is brutally-efficient, fell 54-13 to the private school power.
The loss drops Coupeville to 4-3 in league play, 10-5 overall, with two regular-season games to play.
King’s (5-0, 14-4), which is only playing fellow NSC teams once this season, sits atop the standings, followed by Cedar Park Christian (7-1, 14-5).
Thanks to South Whidbey (3-5, 9-10) falling to Sultan (2-5, 6-11) Tuesday, the Wolves are a game-and-a-half up on their next-door neighbors.
Win Friday at home against cellar-dweller Granite Falls (0-7, 3-15), and Coupeville clinches the #3 seed to the double-elimination district playoffs, which begin Feb. 10.
Tuesday night was likely the final time the Wolves will play King’s, barring a playoff meeting, as Coupeville returns to 2B next school year.
Before it goes, CHS got a reminder of why the Knights perennially rep one of the best hoops programs in the state, in any classification.
Bolting out to a 17-4 lead after one quarter of play, King’s just got better from there, rolling to 17-0 and 16-2 advantages in the next two frames.
While the Wolves didn’t play terribly, and actually came out on top 7-4 in the fourth quarter, pretty much no one on the roster could get the rim to play nicely.
“We couldn’t throw a pea in the ocean,” mused CHS coach Scott Fox. “King’s pressure was good, and we couldn’t generate any offense.
“That combo gets you in the loss column.”
The Wolves got their fair share of solid looks at the basket, but nothing wanted to drop.
“We played hard and one after another of our shots rolled around the rim and fell out,” Fox said. “One of those nights … on to (play) Granite Falls!”
Freshman Carolyn Lhamon came off the bench to score a team-high four points, all in the final frame, while Scout Smith added three, with all of her scoring coming courtesy free throws.
Chelsea Prescott, Mollie Bailey, and Avalon Renninger rounded out the offense with two points apiece, while Audrianna Shaw, Izzy Wells, Hannah Davidson, Kylie Van Velkinburgh, Tia Wurzrainer, Anya Leavell, and Maddie Georges saw floor time.
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