Coupeville Sports

Liam Lawson, draining game winners and taking names. (Julie Wheat photo)

It’s in his DNA.

Coupeville High School freshman Liam Lawson comes from a family full of cold-blooded hardwood assassins, and he’s more than ready to keep the tradition alive.

Drilling a pair of fourth-quarter three-balls Tuesday, including the game winner with just a few ticks left on the clock, Lawson sparked the Wolf JV boys’ basketball team to a 37-34 win over visiting Friday Harbor to create the first great prairie athletic memory of 2026.

The win, Coupeville’s only one in four contests against the Wolverines on this day, lifts the CHS young guns to 2-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-5 overall.

It also writes another successful chapter in a tale which has warmed the hearts of Central Whidbey hoops fans for years.

Back in the day, it was Liam’s mom, “Killer Kassie” (Lawson) O’Neil who dined, more than once, on the sweet, sweet tears of the private school prima donnas, shafting King’s with multiple buzzer-beaters.

Equally dangerous were aunts Katie Smith and Kayla Lawson, and great-grandpa Dale Sherman wasn’t too shabby himself.

Jump forward to 2026, and the game was knotted at 34-34 with the ball in the hands of the Wolves and the clock ticking down.

Enter Liam, who hit nothing but the bottom of the net, setting off a (somewhat) premature celebration, as CHS coaches implored their players to stop hugging and get back on defense as the buzzer hadn’t yet sounded.

Friday Harbor didn’t have an answer, however, and the win was assured, capping a game in which CHS led at every major juncture.

Lawson and Jayden McManus combined to net 10 points in the first quarter as Coupeville built a 13-10 lead, and the Wolves stretched their advantage to 25-15 by the half.

The final 16 minutes were a bit more of an adventure, as Friday Harbor sliced the deficit back to 31-25 through three quarters, before forcing the late tie.

McManus finished with a team-high 14 points, while Lawson rattled the rims for 12.

Khanor Jump (6), Josh Stockdale (4), and Brian Thompson (1) also scored, with Trent Thule, Ayden Warren, and Chris Zenz rounding out the rotation.