Coupeville’s Ja’Kenya Hoskins battles with Mount Vernon Christian’s Kylee Russell this season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The 15th time was the sweetest.
After never finishing higher than fifth place in 14 previous trips to the state tournament, the Mount Vernon Christian girls basketball program achieved nirvana Saturday night.
Holding off Neah Bay 37-33 at the Spokane Arena, the Hurricanes captured the 1B state title.
It’s the third crown for teams from the Northwest 2B/1B League during the 2021-2022 school year.
In the fall, La Conner won the 2B volleyball title, while Orcas Island ruled 2B/1B boys soccer.
MVC, which handed Coupeville 55-24 and 43-23 losses in league play, finishes 23-3.
The Hurricanes knocked off Pomeroy, Naselle, Garfield-Palouse, and Neah Bay in the 16-team state tourney to claim the crown.
Getting the final victory was a bit of struggle, however, as MVC trailed by 11 points in the second half.
Still down four with less than four to go, the ‘Canes closed the season on an 8-0 run, with five different players scoring.
Kylee Russell, Allie Heino, Caitlin Vander Kooy, Emma Droog, and Hannah Van Hofwegen all chipped in to fuel the frantic final run.
The championship caps a postseason in which five NWL hoops teams made it to the state tourney.
On the boys side, Coupeville pushed Kalama and Lake Roosevelt hard in 2B tourney games in their first trip to the big dance in 34 years, while MVC and Orcas Island made the 1B draw.
The Hurricane boys beat Riverside Christian, before being eliminated by Lummi Nation.
Orcas lost to Wellpinit in its one state game.
The NWL team which was heavily favored to win a state title, the top-ranked La Conner girls, finished fourth after being upended by eventual champ Warden in the quarterfinals.
The Braves, who opened with a win over Chief Leschi, rebounded from their loss to beat Lake Roosevelt and Raymond.
Liberty (Spangle) won the 2B boys crown, joining Warden as champs, while the Cusick boys matched the MVC girls in bringing home the biggest hardware.
Coupeville Sports 
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