Hunter Bronec tossed in six points Thursday in the JV season finale. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
For eight minutes they were unstoppable.
Unfortunately, high school basketball games are 32 minutes long, and the Coupeville JV boys cooled off a bit after a torrid start Thursday and got caught from behind.
Up 13-2 at the first break, the Wolves eventually fell 44-38 in a hard-fought clash at La Conner.
The loss, coming in the JV season finale, drops Coupeville’s young guns to 1-6 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-8 overall.
In the opening moments it looked like the Wolves couldn’t be stopped.
CHS gunner Ryan Blouin knocked down back-to-back three-balls to open the game, while La Conner didn’t even get a shot up until the 5:42 mark of the first quarter.
Add Hunter Bronec driving and dishing to Zane Oldenstadt for a layup, another Blouin trey, and two free throws from Hurlee Bronec and the Wolves were sizzlin’.
And then it all went away for a bit.
La Conner finally found its rhythm, opening the second quarter with a 9-0 run that set the Wolves back on their heels.
Coupeville stopped the bleeding for a bit thanks to a putback from William Davidson and Blouin’s fourth three-ball of the half, but the Braves kept chipping away.
A turnaround jumper from La Conner gave the host team its first lead of the game, at 19-18 heading into the halftime break, though CHS answered on the first play of the second half.
Nick Guay slashed to the hoop for a bucket and free throw after getting hacked in the head on the play, and the Wolves had a short-lived 21-19 advantage.
Short-lived because La Conner rained down the next 11 points, effectively taking control of the game.
The Wolves continued to scrap, however, carving the deficit back to 33-31 midway through the fourth quarter.
Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim drained a short jumper, on a play set up by Davidson yanking a rebound free, and that capped a 6-0 Wolf surge.
La Conner had an answer, however, driving a stake through Coupeville’s heart with a long three-ball, before closing out the win at the free-throw line.
Afterwards, Wolf coach Hunter Smith was philosophical about the defeat.
“Would’ve liked to come away with the win, but definitely some good learning moments for our boys today,” he said.
Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim and Bronec give a rival player few options.
Blouin paced Coupeville with 13 points, while Davidson banked in a season-high eight and Hunter Bronec popped for six.
Guay (5), Simpson-Pilgrim (2), Oldenstadt (2), and Hurlee Bronec (2) also scored, with Mikey Robinett, Jack Porter, Landon Roberts, and Johnny Porter seeing floor time.
Robinett was a force on the defensive end for the Wolves, sweeping down rebounds and forcing turnovers.
Final season scoring stats:
Nick Guay – 79
Ryan Blouin – 74
Hunter Bronec – 74
Zane Oldenstadt – 38
Mikey Robinett – 30
Hurlee Bronec – 27
Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim – 24
William Davidson – 18
Jack Porter – 15
Johnny Porter – 8
Landon Roberts – 8
Carson Field – 2
Coupeville Sports 
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