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Wolf grad burns up English hardwood

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on October 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone went for 10 points and six rebounds in her first start as a pro. (Photo property Leicester Riders)

Undefeated as a starter.

After coming off the bench in her first six games as a professional basketball player, Coupeville grad Makana Stone made the jump to the front five Saturday in England.

And it paid off, as the former Wolf scored six of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Leicester Riders complete a stunning comeback to bounce the Newcastle Eagles 59-51.

The win lifts Stone and Co. to 2-2 in regular-season play in the Women’s British Basketball League, 5-2 overall, counting three wins in the WBBL Cup.

It wasn’t a cakewalk for Leicester, however, as the Riders came out cold and found themselves down 13-5 at the first break.

It wasn’t much better in the second quarter, either, as Newcastle continued to clamp down on defense, carrying a 28-16 advantage to the halftime break.

But something changed for Leicester in the second half, as it shaved away much of the deficit with an 18-10 run in the third, before hammering the Eagles to a 25-13 tune in the final frame.

Stone hit a layup and a pair of twine-tickling jumpers down the stretch, with her final bucket staking the Riders to a 52-47 lead they wouldn’t give up.

Leicester hit seven of eight free throws after their American assassin connected, not allowing Newcastle to creep back into the game.

Stone snatched six rebounds and made off with a steal to go with her 10 points, while teammate Hannah Robb scorched the nets for a game-high 23 points.

Along with getting the start, Coupeville’s progeny also played almost a full 39 minutes in a 40-minute contest, her longest run as a pro.

On the season, Stone has rung up 51 points, 48 rebounds, 11 assists, and four steals.

Leicester returns to action next Saturday, Oct. 30, when it clashes with the Caledonia Pride.

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Stone shines across the pond

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on October 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone knocked down 13 points Sunday, her best showing as a pro. (Photo property Leicester Riders)

It was a barn-burner, albeit one with a slightly sad ending.

The Leicester Riders, sparked by the play of Coupeville’s Makana Stone, went basket for basket with the Sheffield Hatters Sunday in England, before falling 77-74.

The loss drops the Riders to 1-2 in Women’s British Basketball League regular-season play, while Sheffield rises to 3-0 and is tied with the London Lions atop the 13-team conference.

Leicester is 4-2 overall during Stone’s inaugural season of professional hoops, having opened the season with three-straight wins in WBBL Cup play.

Sunday’s bout was an intense one, with Sheffield up by three at the first break, Leicester back in front by three at the half, then Sheffield clinging to a one-point advantage headed to the final frame.

Neither team led by more than a single possession in the second half, and Stone was dynamic down the stretch for Leicester.

Dropping in eight of her professional-best 13 points in the fourth quarter, the former Wolf hit her buckets in the biggest moments.

Stone staked Leicester to a 66-65 lead with 4:40 to go, then twice pulled the Riders within a point in the final minute of play.

Her driving layup with just 14 ticks on the clock got Leicester to within 75-74, but Sheffield held strong, netting a pair of free throws to set the final margin at three.

When she wasn’t stoppin’ and poppin’, Stone also made her presence felt in other ways, adding a rebound, three assists, and a steal to her line on the stat sheet.

Riders teammate Chelsea Jennings led all scorers with 20 points, while Sheffield benefited from the one-two combo of Helen Naylor and Ariona Gill, who went for 19 and 18, respectively.

Through her first six professional games, Stone has amassed 41 points, 42 rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals.

Leicester returns to action next Saturday, Oct. 23, when it squares off with Newcastle, which is 0-3 in regular-season play.

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Plan your basketball-filled nights

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on October 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Cole White delivers another bucket. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Savina Wells rifles a pass to Maddie Georges.

The non-conference rivalries are back.

As well as full schedules.

Looking ahead to the winter season, when the one true sport, basketball, takes hold of Coupeville, those are the first two things of note.

After playing a pared-down schedule due to Covid, the Wolf hoops teams are set to return to a much more normal reality this time around.

Hopefully.

The ongoing pandemic is still affecting things, often forcing scheduling changes and a flexible attitude for coaches, players, administrators, and fans.

But for now things look decent, with Oak Harbor and South Whidbey both back on the schedule, and Coupeville’s teams set to attend a mid-season tourney in Port Townsend.

How things sit, as of today — seven weeks out from the season opener.

(*) = league game; times are JV first, varsity second.

 

GIRLS:

Sat-Dec. 4 — Forks (2:30/1:00)
Fri-Dec. 10 — Darrington (*) (7:00/5:15)
Sat-Dec. 11 — @ Orcas Island (*) (3:00/1:30)
Tues-Dec. 14 — @ Concrete (*) (7:30/6:00)
Fri-Dec. 17 — @ Mount Vernon Christian (*) (3:00/6:00)
Sat-Dec. 18 — @ South Whidbey (1:00/2:45)
Wed-Dec. 29 — @ Port Townsend Tourney (TBD)
Thur-Dec. 30 — @ Port Townsend Tourney (TBD)
Tues-Jan. 4 — La Conner (*) (7:00/5:15)
Thur-Jan. 6 — @ Friday Harbor (*) (6:00/4:30)
Sat-Jan. 8 — Orcas Island (*) (2:30/1:00)
Tues-Jan. 11 — Mount Vernon Christian (*) (7:00/5:15)
Sat-Jan. 15 — Sultan (1:00/2:45)
Tues-Jan. 18 — @ Darrington (*) (3:00/6:00)
Thur-Jan. 20 — Concrete (*) (7:00/5:15)
Sat-Jan. 22 — South Whidbey (1:00/2:45)
Mon-Jan. 24 — @ Forks (5:00/3:30)
Fri-Jan. 28 — Friday Harbor (*) (5:30/4:00)
Tues-Feb. 1 — @ La Conner (*) (4:30/7:00)

 

BOYS:

Tues-Nov. 30 — Oak Harbor (5:15/7:00)
Sat-Dec. 4 — Forks (1:00/2:30)
Fri-Dec. 10 — Darrington (*) (5:15/7:00)
Sat-Dec. 11 — @ Orcas Island (*) (3:30/5:00)
Tues-Dec. 14 — @ Concrete (*) (6:00/7:30)
Fri-Dec. 17 — @ Mount Vernon Christian (*) (4:30/7:30)
Sat-Dec. 18 — South Whidbey (1:00/2:45)
Wed-Dec. 29 — @ Port Townsend Tourney (TBD)
Sat-Dec. 30 — @ Port Townsend Tourney (TBD)
Tues-Jan. 4 — La Conner (*) (5:15/7:00)
Thur-Jan. 6 — @ Friday Harbor (*) (4:30/6:00)
Sat-Jan. 8 — Orcas Island (*) (1:00/2:30)
Tues-Jan. 11 — Mount Vernon Christian (*) (5:15/7:00)
Sat-Jan. 15 — @ Sultan (1:00/2:45)
Tues-Jan. 18 — @ Darrington (*) (4:30/7:30)
Thur-Jan. 20 — Concrete (*) (5:15/7:00)
Sat-Jan. 22 — @ South Whidbey (1:00/2:45)
Mon-Jan. 24 — @ Forks (3:30/5:00)
Fri-Jan. 28 — Friday Harbor (*) (4:00/5:30)
Tues-Feb. 1 — @ La Conner (*) (4:30/7:30)

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Stone a beast on the boards

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on October 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone snagged 12 boards Sunday in London. (Photo property Leicester Riders basketball)

Into every hoops career, a few losses must fall.

Despite Coupeville’s Makana Stone delivering her best rebounding performance as a pro, the Leicester Riders basketball squad suffered its first loss of the season Sunday.

Facing off with the also-undefeated London Lions, the Riders fell 85-53 on the road in Women’s British Basketball League action, evening their regular-season record at 1-1.

Counting a string of wins in the season-opening WBBL Cup, Leicester is 4-1 overall.

Stone, coming off the bench to play 34.5 minutes — third-most of any Riders player Sunday — hauled in 12 rebounds, her best showing in a Leicester uniform.

The former Wolf star also tallied two points, two assists, and a steal.

Chelsea Jennings and Brooklynn Mcalear paced Leicester with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while London’s Holly Winterburn led all scorers with a game-high 21.

The Riders got in a hole early, trailing 22-16 after one quarter of play, and were never able to catch back up with the Lions.

A 44-33 deficit at the half was slightly reduced to 57-48 heading into the fourth, but London proved a tough foe to topple down the stretch.

Closing the game with a 28-5 run in the final frame, the Lions made the game appear to be more of a blow-out than it truly was.

In her debut professional season Stone has racked up 28 points, 41 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals across her first five games.

She and her Leicester teammates return to action next Sunday, Oct. 17, when they play the Sheffield Hatters.

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She’s still the gold standard

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on October 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Makana Stone is 4-0 as a professional basketball player. (Photo property Leicester Riders)

Damian Lillard, watch your back.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone drained her first three-ball as a pro Saturday, part of a nine-point, eight-rebound performance which helped the Leicester Riders remain undefeated in Women’s British Basketball League action.

Coming off three straight wins in the WBBL Cup, the Riders opened regular-season play against the Nottingham Wildcats, and escaped with a 55-53 win.

Trailing by five points entering the fourth quarter, Leicester went with a unit which included Stone to kick off the final frame, and it paid off.

The former Wolf netted her trey with 8:18 to play, pulling the Riders back within 45-41.

A Stone jumper with 2:18 on the clock slashed the deficit to 50-49, before Chelsea Jennings put the Riders ahead with a layup.

Nottingham responded, though, draining its own three-ball to reclaim the lead, before Leicester gunner Hannah Robb knotted the game at 53-53 with just 34 seconds to play.

The Wildcats had a chance to win the game, but clanked their final shot, then committed the cardinal sin of fouling Leicester’s Anna Lappenkuper at the buzzer.

The Rider guard drained both free throws to cap the wild come-from-behind road win, lifting Leicester to 1-0, or 4-0 — depending on how you want to look at it.

Stone, who has been getting quality minutes off the bench in her inaugural pro season, has racked up 26 points, 29 rebounds, six assists, and a steal through the first four games.

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