Coupeville Sports

8th grade ace Cameron Van Dyke, seen here during volleyball season, made her high school hoops debut Tuesday night. (Julie Wheat photo)

Victory was in their grasp but slipped away.

Playing with four 8th graders in the lineup Tuesday, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team led at the end of the first, second, and third quarters.

Just not the fourth.

Using a 9-2 tear to end the game, visiting South Whidbey made off with a 32-27 win on opening night to claim the advantage in the Island rivalry.

With former Wolf hoops star Alita Blouin making her debut as JV coach, CHS edged out to a 6-4 lead by the first break, before stretching the advantage to 19-12 by halftime.

The second half was firmly in favor of the Falcons, however, as the visitors sliced away at the lead with an 11-6 run in the third quarter before holding the Wolves to just a single bucket in the final frame.

CHS did have balanced scoring, getting points from six of the nine players in uniform.

Ava Lucero paced the Wolves with a team-high eight points, while Willow Leedy-Bonifas knocked down seven.

Anna Powers (6), Cameron Van Dyke (2), Finley Helm (2), and Ellie Marshall (2) rounded out the offensive attack, with Emma Cushman, Allie Powers, and Zayne Roos also seeing floor time for Blouin’s squad.

Van Dyke, Roos, Helm, and Anna Powers are all 8th graders, and get to double up, playing high school ball before having the chance to also play at the middle school level when that season unfolds in 2026.

The Wolf JV, which is currently scheduled to return to action next Tuesday, Dec. 9 against East Jefferson, may actually get to play before then.

Eastside Prep, which comes to Coupeville Dec. 6, originally said it wouldn’t have a JV squad, but that may have changed.

If so, the move will be confirmed later this week.