Coupeville Sports

“Why yes, Katie. I do think you should go wreck some fools.” (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Call ’em second-half killers.

Breaking open a close game Wednesday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad held visiting Granite Falls scoreless for 10 minutes coming out of the halftime break.

Sparked by that defensive stand, the Wolves turned a six-point lead into a resounding 43-21 win over the Tigers, kicking off the new year in style.

The non-conference victory, coming in Coupeville’s first game in 18 days, lifts it to 4-3 on the season and gives the Wolves momentum heading into their league schedule.

First up is Orcas Island, which visits Whidbey Island Friday, followed by Mount Vernon Christian (Jan. 10) and Darrington (Jan. 13), as CHS opens the new year with four straight home clashes.

The matchup against Granite started a bit slowly, as both teams struggled to find their shooting touch in the early going.

Balls spun back off the rim, took weird bounces, and generally refused to play fair, though Coupeville had a little bit better touch.

Alita Blouin slashed past her defender to slap home a game-opening layup, while Lyla Stuurmans snatched a loose ball off the floor and went coast-to-coast to stake the Wolves to an 8-3 lead at the first break.

“You, Stuurmans. I like the cut of your jib! Go score me some points!!”

Attacking the ballhandler, often smothering them with two defenders madly poking at the ball, the Wolves frustrated Granite, and picked up most of their early offense off of turnovers.

Stuurmans, bobbing and weaving and bedeviling anyone foolish enough to dribble near her, hit a pair of second-quarter jumpers to lead the CHS offense.

The first of those shots was one of the most gorgeous of the season, as the Wolf sophomore spun a rival around, stopped ‘n popped, the ball kicking through the bottom of the net with a happy lil’ sigh.

Maddie Georges delivered a dagger, taking a kick-out from Blouin, and splashing home a three-ball, and Coupeville was content to carry a 17-11 lead into the break.

Maybe because the Wolves could sense what was coming — a 10-minute span of utter domination.

Granite went scoreless in the third quarter, then crawled nearly two minutes into the fourth before finally breaking its drought thanks to a rare free throw.

During that time, Coupeville rang up 15 straight points, stretching the lead all the way out to 32-11 and effectively ending the game.

Five different Wolves dropped buckets during the game-busting tear, while everyone on the floor hit the boards (and the floor) with intensity.

None more so than Gwen Gustafson, who launched herself airborne in pursuit of a ball which was madly skipping away, fully intent on bouncing out the gym door and going for an evening stroll.

Gwen Gustafson comes in like a wrecking ball.

Instead, the scrappy Wolf senior bounced off the hardwood, flung her arms out as she skidded face-first towards the rapidly approaching wall, and somehow, against all the rules of science, pulled off the save of the century.

Her breath gently crossing the endline, but not her body, Gustafson corralled the ball while hugging the floor, flipped it towards Georges, then watched as her teammate zipped a pass into the paint to a trailing Ryanne Knoblich.

Who promptly drained a sizzlin’ lil’ turnaround jumper, plopping the cherry on top of the sundae.

It was the biggest, and buzziest, play of the night, but not the only one which brought a smile to Wolf coach Megan Richter’s face.

A few seconds later, Georges backpedaled, planted, and absorbed the pain, drawing an offensive charging foul on an out-of-control Granite player.

Then there was Stuurmans, turning another steal into another breakaway bucket.

Georges rolling to the hoop for a lil’ runner which allowed her to become just the 36th Wolf girl to crack the 300-point club for a program which started in 1974.

Katie Marti getting nicely intense on defense, while teammate Jada Heaton egged her on with a big smile.

Plenty of prime moments to choose from, as Coupeville coasted in for the win.

Granite did finally find some semblance of a shooting touch late in the fourth, briefly cutting its deficit to 14 points.

The answer?

Blouin three-ball. Georges three-ball. And yet another Blouin three-ball.

Coupeville might have had a frosty night at the free-throw line, netting just 3-20 as a team, but the Wolves made up for it from long, and medium range.

Blouin paced CHS with a game-high 12 points, with Stuurmans banking in 10 and Georges tallying nine.

Knoblich (5), Gustafson (3), Marti (2), and defensive dynamo Mia Farris (2) also scored, as Coupeville spread the offensive load.