Coupeville Sports

Adie Maynes debates her options. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The basket is a fickle mistress.

Early Saturday afternoon the net was super receptive to the shots offered up by the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad.

Later, not so much.

That explains how an 18-10 Wolf advantage slipped away, with the game ending 35-26 in favor of visiting Orting.

The non-conference loss drops CHS to 5-7 on the season, with one clash left on the schedule.

That will arrive Tuesday in La Conner, as Kassie O’Neil’s pack of feisty Wolves wrap a season in which fielding a consistent schedule has been tough.

That’s why Saturday’s rumble with Orting, a 2A school out of Pierce County, was added at the last second.

Coupeville’s JV has one game left on the schedule.

Going in Saturday, the young Wolves had little idea what to expect from the visiting Cardinals, who arrived late and took a few minutes to get back up to speed.

Coupeville jumped on Orting from the opening tip, with Haylee Armstrong raining down buckets as the home team built a 12-6 advantage midway through the first quarter.

While the Cardinals trimmed the margin back to 12-10 at the break, the Wolves kept pushing.

Buckets from Ari Cunningham, Bryley Gilbert, and Brynn Parker to open the second shoved the lead back out to 18-10, giving CHS its biggest lead of the afternoon.

And then the basket — at least the one on Coupeville’s end of the floor — went out of business.

Orting closed the second quarter on a 7-0 tear to slice the Wolf lead down to 18-17 at the half, then dominated play in the third.

Parker drilled an absolutely gorgeous jumper to open things, while Gilbert made off with a steal and converted the breakaway bucket, but those were the only CHS points in the frame.

The Cardinals claimed the lead off a short bank shot set up by a steal, then ran away with things, carrying a 29-22 lead into the final frame.

Adie Maynes knocked down a pair of fourth quarter buckets, while defensive terror Ava Lucero rattled the Orting ballhandlers while flying end to end and frequently diving for loose balls.

But it wasn’t enough offense for Coupeville to get back in the game, and the visitors converted just enough chances down the stretch to hold the Wolves off.

While Coupeville’s final point total wasn’t enough to carry the day, the squad did share the scoring load, with six different players rattling the rim.

Armstrong and Maynes tied for team honors with six points apiece, while Cunningham (4), Gilbert (4), Parker (4), and Lexis Drake (2) also got on the board.

Capri Anter, Chelsi Stevens, and Lucero rounded out the active roster on the day.