Kierra Thayer powers to the hoop. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Step by step, they’re building a bright future.
Coupeville Middle School girls basketball players — many making their hardwood debut — continue to flash signs of brilliance, drawing approval from their coaches.
Thursday was the middle match-up in a three-game road trip, sending the Wolves to the wilds of Sultan to face off with one of the best programs in the Cascade League.
And while CMS absorbed a pair of losses, hoops gurus Kristina Forbes and Kassie Lawson exited content in the knowledge that their teams are trending in the right direction.
How the day played out:
Varsity:
Sultan’s middle school teams have been dominant in recent years, and the young Turks proved up to the challenge in a 43-7 win.
The loss drops Coupeville’s top squad to 0-3 on the season.
The hosts barreled out to a 15-0 lead after one quarter of play, then put the game on ice with a 12-5 run in the second frame.
Brynn Parker netted her first points of the season, pacing the Wolves with a team-high four, while Haylee Armstrong rattled the rims for a bucket, and Kierra Thayer swished a free throw.
Capri Anter caught some love from her coaches for her defensive play, including a tooth-rattling rejection of a Turk shot.
Liza Zustiak, Rhylin Price, Lexis Drake, Avery Williams-Buchanan, Tenley Stuurmans, and Valeria de Jesus Merino also saw floor time for Coupeville.
JV:
The Wolves fell in a game in which the Sultan scorebooks uphold a longstanding middle school tradition of not adding up.
Maybe it was 26-5. Maybe 25-5. Maybe 20-5.
We’ll never know for sure.
What we can attest to is Lexis Drake (4) and Melanie Wolfe (1) breaking into the scoring column for the first time during the 2022 campaign.
And a whole lot of hustle from the Wolves (0-2) on both ends of the floor.
“Willow Leedy-Bonifas was fierce for going for steals,” Kristina Forbes said. “They played great defense.
“Chelsi Stevens stepped up as a guard on offense and handled it well,” she added. “Adeline Maynes — a shorty — stepped up to help our posts with rebounds; she didn’t let the tall girls scare her away.”
Ava Carpenter, Price, Laken Simpson, Taylor Marrs, and de Jesus Merino also saw floor time for Coupeville, which wraps up its road trip with a journey to Granite Falls Mar. 15.
After that, the Wolves get three-straight home games.
Coupeville Sports 
Leave a Reply