Carolyn Lhamon played strongly Thursday, but Coupeville fell at Concrete. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Free throws were a killer.
The Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball team almost overcame a terrible start Thursday, rallying from a double-digit deficit and pushing host Concrete hard at the end.
But a 24-point deficit at the charity stripe ultimately doomed the Wolves, as they fell 60-57 to a team they beat by 20 points the first time around.
The loss, Coupeville’s fourth in five games in the month of June, drops it to 4-7 heading into the season finale against Darrington.
That game, which would be Senior Night, except the Wolves have no seniors on their roster, goes down June 15.
Thursday was not what anyone expected, as a Concrete team which only scored 19 points the first time it played Coupeville, suddenly found a roaring offensive attack.
Or at least a trio of refs who helped them along, allowing Concrete to shoot an astounding 45 free throws.
The Lions netted 30 of those shots, and while 67% at the line isn’t Earth-shattering, it’s a heck of a lot better than 25%, which is what Coupeville shot, making just 6-24.
The free throw disparity put a damper on a stirring comeback and a career night for Wolf gunner Anya Leavell.
The junior entered Thursday with 24 career points at the varsity level, then went bonkers in front of a sparse crowd, raining down four three-balls on her way to a game-high 21 points.
Three of those treys came during an 11-point explosion in the final quarter, as Leavell couldn’t miss.
Coupeville’s torrid finish, even while it fell short, was a nice turnaround after the Wolves started ice-cold in the opening quarter.
“We came out flat and never recovered,” said CHS coach Scott Fox. “Anya and Lyla (Stuurmans) played extremely well and kept us in it.
“Always disappointing to lose a winnable game, but at least the kids were fighting hard to claw back.”
The Wolves couldn’t get a shot to drop from the field for much of the first quarter, with just a Savina Wells free throw keeping their half of the scoreboard from registering zero.
But Leavell’s first three-ball of the night finally got things clicking for Coupeville, and, while it trailed at the end of the first quarter, the 15-8 margin wasn’t insurmountable.
Concrete pushed the lead, ever so slightly, out to 28-19 by the half, but the Wolves used a 19-13 third-quarter run to trim things back to 41-38 heading into the final frame.
Five different Wolves scored in the third, something Coupeville repeated in the fourth.
But free throws kept them at bay, with Concrete star Kylie Clark leading the way, netting 13-15 freebies on her way to a team-best 20 points.
Leavell’s 21 earned top honors for CHS, with Wolf 8th grader Savina Wells throwing down nine of her 12 points in the second half.
Audrianna Shaw (9), 8th grader Stuurmans (6), Izzy Wells (4), Carolyn Lhamon (4), Ryanne Knoblich (2), and Ja’Kenya Hoskins (1) rounded out Coupeville’s best offensive showing of the season.
Maddie Georges, Kylie Van Velkinburgh, and Gwen Gustafson all saw floor time as well.
Coupeville Sports 
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