Coupeville Sports

Chase Anderson eyeballs the other team during an earlier game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Get in the dang basket!

Too many shots spun off the glass, rolled around the rim and popped back out, or just missed their intended target Friday night for the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team.

Unable to buy a break, or a bucket, the Wolves fell 55-41 to visiting La Conner in a game which seemed very winnable.

Now 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-9 overall, Coupeville hits the road next week, playing at Napavine on Monday and Darrington Friday.

The first of those games, a non-conference tilt, is a rumble with a major force in 2B sports, while the latter will bring CHS to the halfway point of the 10-game league season.

Friday’s showdown with La Conner started on a good note for the hometown hoops stars, as Coupeville busted out to a quick 4-0 lead.

Camden Glover set up Hurlee Bronec for a bucket in the paint, before Chase Anderson turned a steal into a breakaway layup, and things were looking rosy.

Unfortunately for the Wolves, that would be the only lead they enjoyed.

La Conner carried a 13-7 lead into the first break, before stretching its advantage out to 28-11 late in the second quarter.

CHS closed the half on a 6-1 mini-run with Jack Porter, Hurlee Bronec, and Johnny Porter scoring, but Brad Sherman’s squad was never able to get the deficit down to single digits once the Braves put together their game-cracking push.

Two buckets from Hurlee Bronec and a sweet lil’ one-handed jumper from Landon Roberts had the Wolves within 35-24 midway through the third, but La Conner had an immediate response, rolling off 10 unanswered points.

In a somewhat chippy game — which featured plenty of back talk to the refs, as well as the Braves both earning a technical foul and losing a key player to a bloodied mouth — the final frame was a back-and-forth slugfest.

Anderson, crashing hard to the hoop while hunting for free throw opportunities to stop the clock, rattled the rim for 10 of his team-best 14 points down the stretch.

But La Conner responded almost every time, dropping a series of jumpers which were like daggers and prevented the Wolves from breaking off any substantial late runs.

Braves gunner Brayden Pedroza topped all scorers with 22 points, while Hurlee Bronec, working hard in the paint, banked in 11 to back Anderson’s 14.

Glover (5), Jack Porter (5), Roberts (2), Johnny Porter (2), and Hunter Bronec (2) also scored, with Malachi Somes, Davin Houston, and Carson Field seeing floor time as well for the Wolves.