Coupeville Sports

Katie Marti is coming for all your records before the next family barbecue. (Coupeville High School Yearbook Staff photo)

Katie Marti is halfway home to having all the family bragging rights, female division.

Banking in a trio of three-balls Friday night against Mount Vernon Christian, the Wolf junior moved into a tie with Aunt Aimee (Messner) Bishop on the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball career scoring chart.

Katie, now sitting with 168 points, already passed Aunt Rose Marti (57) and mom Christi Messner (125), with Cousin Breeanna Messner (235) and Aunt Judy Marti (545) still ahead.

And, since I said “female division,” that means we’re not worrying about dad Frank Marti or any of Katie’s many uncles and male cousins.

At least at the moment.

While Katie’s offensive explosion, all of which came in the first quarter, wasn’t enough to totally derail a very-good MVC squad, it does provide a positive from a 68-24 loss.

The defeat, coming against the #3 team in 1B, drops Coupeville to 1-4 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-9 overall.

Up next is a Saturday rumble at home with the #1 team in 1B, Neah Bay.

Will the Red Devils leave their starters in and continue to shoot three-balls two minutes deep into the fourth quarter, like the Hurricanes did?

Only time will tell.

Perhaps MVC, flustered a bit by Marti’s assault from behind the arc, felt the need to pour it on late to appease a chattering fan base which loudly protested a ref’s call while ahead by 40.

In a game in which those same officials in black and white gave Coupeville exactly zero free throw attempts, I’m sure that one pro-Wolf call must have chilled Hurricane fans to the bone.

Marti, with no help from the refs, even when she was being tweaked, twisted, and tossed about while standing two inches in front of them, kept things close early with her treys.

The first one cut the margin to 4-3, the second one sliced the lead to 10-6, and the third one, an improbable bank shot from an odd angle, snipped the deficit to 12-9.

After that, Mount Vernon used its superior speed and height, plus a little friendly help from the rules crew, to pull away.

Up 18-9 at the first break, the ‘Canes stretched the margin out to 39-18 at the half.

It could have been worse, but Wolf gunner Mia Farris went off for nine points in the second quarter, including the best shot of the night.

With the clock racing to 0:00 as the locker room beckoned, the Wolf junior threw her hands up in frustration, with the ball going along for the ride.

It hung in the air for a very long second, stuck its tongue out at the visiting fans, then splashed home for three points as the Wolves went bonkers.

Things took a downturn after that, with MVC ripping off 23 straight points to open the third quarter, setting off a running clock.

Making things (slightly) better was the sight of one ref being hit twice, once by each team.

Coupeville scrapper Teagan Calkins knocked the ball off the official’s face at close range, before a Hurricane ballhandler drilled a pass off the dude’s knee.

At least we hope it was his knee…

Teagan Calkins, dreaming about throwing the ball off someone’s face. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

CHS coach Megan Richter gave floor time to 11 players, with Farris (13), Marti (9), and Calkins (2) combining to handle all the scoring.

Madison McMillan, Haylee Armstrong, Brynn Parker, Jada Heaton, Kayla Arnold, Reese Wilkinson, Skylar Parker, and Lyla Stuurmans also went into the trenches, fighting for rebounds and eyeballing the refs.