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Archive for the ‘Basketball’ Category

Stone an overseas hoops sensation

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone is impressing English basketball fans. (Photo property FocusHoops)

Two games, two awards.

Makana Stone’s hoops game is impressing the folks in England, as the former Wolf star continues to carve up the local competition.

The Coupeville High School grad, who is attending Loughborough University, has thrown down double-doubles in both of her games in a Riders uniform.

After an 18-point, 25-rebound debut, which earned her Player of the Week honors, Stone followed that up with a 17-point, 11-rebound performance in just 17 minutes of action against Worcester.

For that high-impact showing, FocusHoops named her Tuesday to its Women’s National Basketball League Team of the Week.

Stone joins Worcester’s Carolina Marques and Grace Brownell, as well as Sitota Gines Espinosa (Reading) and Isabel Bueriberi (Nottingham) on the squad.

In picking Stone, FocusHoops writer Darren Paul had the following to say:

“Her 17-11 double-double was highly impressive against the tough Worcester Wolves and on another day would have been enough to see her side victorious.

“The American continues to demonstrate the value of a star import and has brought an abundance of scoring and rebounding to the young Loughborough outfit, and we expect to see her leave her mark on the WNBL.”

Stone, who graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, where she finished as the #2 rebounder and #5 scorer in program history, is pursuing a Master’s in Exercise Physiology at Loughborough.

Through two games as a Rider, she’s collected 35 points, 36 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a blocked shot.

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Stone sizzles, refs disappoint

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone goes up for two of her 17 points Saturday in England. (Photo property Loughborough University)

Knifed in the back by the refs.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone and her new English basketball mates were on their way to a win Saturday, only to have the guys in the striped shirts change things up, and not in a good way.

With Stone pounding away for 17 points and 11 rebounds, Loughborough University led by nine with less than four minutes to play.

Then the refs got extra-picky (we’ll assume), fouling out both the former Wolf and one of her running mates, guard Robyn Ainge, and things went downhill from there.

Unable to hold a late lead, the Riders eventually went to overtime with Worcester, then were blanked 15-0 in the extra frame, falling 82-67 to the undefeated Wolves.

The loss drops Loughborough to 1-2 on the season.

The game was a tight one most of the way, with the two squads knotted at 17-17 at the first break.

From there, Worcester pulled ahead 33-28 at the half, only to see Loughborough throw down 27 points in the third quarter en route to retaking the advantage at 55-51.

The Riders stretched their lead all the way out to nine points when Stone tossed in her final layup at the 3:41 mark.

Still up 67-62 with just 30 ticks on the clock, Loughborough was stung at the very end by back-to-back buckets, with a late three-ball forcing overtime.

With 40% of their starting lineup shackled to the bench, the Riders endured a painful overtime period, creating a final score which, at first glance, looks like a blowout.

Worcester took advantage of Stone’s absence, outscoring Loughborough 26-2 after its American ace was sent to the sideline.

Playing in her second game overseas, the Coupeville and Whitman College grad kept her hot play going, with her second double-double.

Stone added two assists and two steals to her 17 and 11 performance, while teammate Katie Januszewska chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds of her own.

On the season, Stone has racked up 35 points, 36 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a blocked shot.

Loughborough, which plays most of its games on Saturdays, returns to action November 28 with a clash against Thames Valley.

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Blimey, she’s good!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone went off in her basketball debut in England. (Photo property Loughborough University)

Hoops queen of two countries.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone, coming off a Hall of Fame-worthy basketball career at Whitman College, made her hardwood debut in England and immediately wowed the locals.

Playing for Loughborough University, the former Wolf threw down an 18-point, 25-rebound, three-assist, three-steal game, leading her squad to a victory.

That performance earned her Women’s National Basketball League Player of the Week honors.

Stone, who is in England to pursue a Master’s in Exercise Physiology, plays for the Loughborough Riders, who held off the Reading Rockets 64-61 Saturday afternoon.

The Riders built a 35-27 lead heading into halftime, then coasted home for the season-opening win.

Throwing down major heat in merry ol’ England is just the latest accomplishment for Stone.

During her time in Coupeville, she was a two-time Athlete of the Year at CHS while playing soccer, basketball, and track and field.

While earning a B.A. in Biology at Whitman, Stone also earned league MVP, All-Region and All-American honors for her play on the basketball court.

She and her fellow Blues from the Class of 2020 went to the NCAA tourney three times, won a league title, and captured more wins than any group in program history.

Oh, and Stone finished as the #5 scorer and #2 rebounder in school history.

While always getting her greatest joy from cheering on her teammates, handing out high-fives at a dizzying rate.

 

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CHS puts some sports practices on hold

Posted in Basketball, Football, tagged , , , , on November 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Mickey Clark Field waits. (David Stern photo)

Better safe than sorry.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on, Coupeville High School Athletic Director Willie Smith has been at the forefront of making sure the Wolves remain diligent in how they conduct business in the Age of Coronavirus.

When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association opened the chance for schools to start workouts for their athletes — there will be no games until at least January — CHS took advantage.

But Smith has also been a hawk in making sure Health Department guidelines are followed by his coaches and athletes every step of the way.

So, with that in mind, he put a temporary hold on some activities starting late last week.

While there have been no positive COVID cases publicly reported among participants in the CHS practices, the start of cold and flu season has everyone looking twice as hard at every wayward sniffle.

Which is why some recent practices for sports such as football have been cancelled.

“Some of our student athletes have colds or cold-like symptoms and as an Athletic Department we have chosen to postpone the optional practices that those students participate in as a precautionary measure,” Smith said.

“As soon as we are able, we will begin offering our optional sports practices once again.”

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WIAA clarifies winter sports guidelines

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges drives the ball up-court during Coupeville’s last basketball game, a playoff tilt in February. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

To basketball, or not to basketball, that is the question.

As we wade through the Age of Coronavirus, the current plan for prep sports is this:

Winter sports (basketball in Coupeville) would start the last week of December, with games kicking off in January.

Then, traditional fall sports (football, soccer, etc.) follow in March, with spring sports (softball, baseball, etc.) starting in May.

But…

Positive cases for COVID-19 are spiking throughout Washington state, including Island County, where there were 15 new documented cases between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2.

Deaths have not risen, with Island County sitting firm at 12, with 10 of those in long-term care facilities.

With that as a backdrop, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Board met Monday, where it approved “a process for determining the status of upcoming WIAA seasons during the 2020-21 school year.”

The decision was based on feedback from Athletic Directors across the state.

Monday’s plan states for a season to take place, “50 percent of schools in a WIAA region (by classification) must be eligible to participate in league games per the COVID metrics in Department of Health guidelines.”

That means at least four of eight schools in the revamped Northwest 1B/2B League will have to be ready to go for basketball to begin in December.

Along with football and wrestling, basketball is rated a “high-risk” sport by the state.

To play games, schools have to be in counties that have less than 25 new cases per 100,000 people in a 14-day period, and less than 5% positive cases overall.

NWL teams come from five different counties, and, as of Tuesday afternoon, two of eight schools would be eligible to play, with a third narrowly missing.

Friday Harbor and Orcas Island would be good to go, as San Juan County is at just 5.8 new cases over a 14-day period.

Chimacum narrowly misses, with Jefferson County at 25.1, while Coupeville has work to do, with Island County at 48.3.

Skagit County is at 57.3, making life tough for Concrete, La Conner, and Mount Vernon Christian, while Darrington is really hurting, with Snohomish County at 120.7.

But hey, at least no one in the league lives in Whitman County, which sits at 472.8.

The WIAA said if less than 50 percent of schools in a classification in a region are able to compete in a specific sport due to elevated cases, the Executive Board will “adjust the scheduled season in order to allow the chance for greater participation.”

That could mean moving up “low risk” sports such as cross country, while pushing back “high-risk” ones with the hope case numbers will come down as the traditional flu season fades.

Or not.

It’s all a mystery, and likely will remain so until the day things start, or shut down.

For basketball, the WIAA will send out a preliminary update Nov. 27 on where each region is, then make decisions on who can play between Dec. 4-11.

The first day of basketball practice is currently scheduled for Dec. 28.

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