Coupeville Sports

Daisy Leedy-Bonifas slices to the hoop. (Julie Wheat photos)

This time they got to make the bus tires go round and round.

After having a scheduled trip to Granite Falls denied by bad off-Island weather Wednesday, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams made it all the way to the wilds of Sultan Thursday afternoon.

Squaring off with the always-feisty Turks, the Wolf hardwood heroes brought their A-games across three titanic tilts, before returning home, ready to do it all again next week.

How the day played out:

Level 1:

Coupeville jumped out to an early lead but couldn’t hold off a high-powered Sultan squad which roared back to claim a 36-20 win.

The loss drops the Wolves top squad to 0-2 on the still-young season.

With three different players tallying a bucket in the first frame, CMS staked itself to a 6-2 lead at the first break, but then the Turks found a new groove.

Dropping in double-digit scoring in each of the remaining quarters, the hosts pulled ahead 15-8 at the half, before carrying a 25-12 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Coupeville put together its best offensive run in the fourth, with Emma Green knocking down six of her team-high eight points, but time eventually ran out on the scrappy Wolves.

Anna Powers and Laurel Crowder each banked in four points to back Green, with Kaleigha Millison and Finley Helm adding a bucket apiece to round out the attack.

Aubrey Flowers, Cami Van Dyke, Bella Sandlin, and Ava Alford also saw floor time for the Wolves.

Level 2:

Sultan roared out to a 20-6 lead through one quarter of action and never slowed down, claiming a 49-8 triumph to drop CMS to 0-2 on the season.

The Wolves scored all of their points in the first half, failing to net a point across the third and fourth quarters.

Annabelle Cundiff, Reagan Green, Autumn Hunt, and Claire Lachnit finished with two points apiece for Coupeville, with Amira Anunciado, Sabrina Judnich, and Sandlin rounding out the rotation.

Level 3:

Coupeville’s first win of the season at any level came thanks to a consistent offense and a plucky defense.

The Wolves third unit, which didn’t get a chance to play together in the season opener against South Whidbey, held on for an 18-12 victory with 6th grader Halle Black accounting for eight of her team’s points.

Sophia Burley (4), Daisy Leedy-Bonifas (4), and Juniper Dotson (2) also kept the scorebook keeper busy, with Danielle Halsing, Ruby Folkestad, and Millie Somes bringing heat on the defensive end of the floor.

What’s next:

Coupeville travels to Everett Feb. 24 to play Northshore Christian Academy, then gets three straight rumbles at home, beginning with a Feb. 26 clash against Cascade League powerhouse King’s.

The Granite Falls games have been rescheduled for the end of the season and will go down (weather permitting) Mar. 12.

CMS coach Brooke Crowder surveys the action.