Coupeville Sports

CHS coach Brad Sherman is looking for some answers. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Game #2 shared too many characteristics with game #1.

Despite a late rally Friday, the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team came up short in Langley, falling 45-37 to South Whidbey.

The non-conference loss, which drops the Wolves to 0-2 on the young season, was marked by poor free throw shooting and having to spend most of the game playing from behind.

That was a bad combo against Mount Baker in the opener, and it was a bad combo again.

In both games Coupeville was aggressive and got to the free throw line far more often than its opponent, but then watched way too many charity shots slide off the rim.

The Wolves made just 15 of 30 from the stripe in the opener, and went 7-22 Friday in a game where those shots could have changed the outcome.

Relegated to playing in a ramshackle side establishment while South Whidbey continues to finish work on its destroyed-by-a-flood main gym, the Wolves came out cold against the Falcons.

Down 11-4 after one quarter, things got worse in the second frame, as the Falcons used a hail of three-balls from Cody Redford to build a 35-12 lead.

Something clicked coming out of halftime, however, as the Wolves went on an 18-7 run in the third.

Jack Porter went off for six of his team-high 12 in the frame, with Chase Anderson and Hurlee Bronec adding four apiece, and the lead was down to 42-30.

Clamping down on defense, Coupeville shaved off four more points from the deficit over the game’s final eight minutes but couldn’t find enough buckets of its own to get all the way back.

Chase Anderson and a Falcon battle for the opening tip. (Tammy Glover photo)

While Jack Porter’s 12 was tops, he got support from Hurlee Bronec (8), Camden Glover (5), Hunter Bronec (5), Anderson (4), Johnny Porter (2), and Landon Roberts (1).

With his bucket Johnny Porter becomes the 424th Wolf boy (across 108 seasons) who I’ve been able to document as having scored in a varsity game.

Malachi Somes and Carson Field both saw floor time as well for Coupeville, while Redford topped South Whidbey with 14 points.