Landon Roberts (with ball), Aiden O’Neill, and Coupeville’s JV have won six straight games. (Delanie Lewis photo)
They’re still the hottest team in the land.
Holding off a dangerous Mount Vernon Christian squad Friday, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball team ran away with its sixth-straight win.
Closing the game on a 15-6 tear after surrendering the lead for a hot second midway through the fourth quarter, the Wolves held on for a 58-50 victory to sweep the season series with the Hurricanes.
Hunter Smith’s team of two-way hoops stars are now a crisp 3-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-3 overall.
The only thing that can stop them right now is a school simply declining to play them, which is the case next week, as Concrete shut down its JV team after iffy grades and lingering injuries gutted its roster.
So, while Coupeville’s varsity will play twice in a four-day span, the JV won’t be back in action until Friday Harbor visits Whidbey Island next Friday, Jan. 27.
Until then, the young guns will keep fine-tuning an offense which can kill you from every angle.
Eight Wolves tallied a bucket or more Friday, and they did it in multiple ways.
Down low in the paint, from behind the arc, and even, once in a while, from the free throw line.
Hunter Bronec got things kicked off, burying a three-ball in the game’s first minute, and the two teams battled to an 11-11 stalemate at the first break.
MVC bolted back in front, for a half second, opening the second frame with a three-ball, but there was no bend, and no break, in the Wolves spirit.
An 8-0 run featuring buckets from Hurlee Bronec, Jack Porter, and Chase Anderson broke things open, while Hunter Bronec came back around to splash home another trey late in the half.
Hurlee Bronec crashes to the hoop. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
The Hurricanes are a scrappy bunch, however, and they never let Coupeville fully pull away.
Up 28-23 at the half, the Wolves saw their lead shrink to 38-36 exiting the third quarter, though still felt good about it, since they ended the frame with Johnny Porter snagging a loose ball and bolting to the bucket for a score.
Exchanging buckets back and forth, the two teams circled each other warily in the fourth quarter, with MVC slipping ahead at 44-43.
That was the moment when the Wolves, to a man, stepped up and drilled their rivals.
Camden Glover knocked down back-to-back buckets — one off of a board, the other on a long outlet pass from Aiden O’Neill — before Jack Porter sank a gorgeous jumper from the side.
The final dagger was a three-ball from the just-mentioned Jack Porter, the ball settling through the net with a happy sigh as the Hurricanes could do nothing but wail.
While Coupeville struggled at the line, hitting just 12 of 32 charity shots (MVC was an equally sickly 9-24), the Wolves hit them when it mattered most.
Landon Roberts netted a pair of free throws, with Hunter Bronec and Glover sinking one apiece as CHS scored the game’s final four points at the line.
Glover led an extremely well-balanced scoring attack with 13 points, while Hunter Bronec and Jack Porter each tossed in nine.
Roberts (8), Johnny Porter (8), O’Neill (7), Anderson (2), and Hurlee Bronec (2) also scored, while Malachi Somes brought defensive heat while on the floor.
Coupeville senior Jonathan Valenzuela overcame an eye injury Wednesday, hitting a buzzer beater to upend La Conner on its home floor. (Morgan White photo)
Did he call glass?
For that matter, how clearly could he even see the glass?
Playing with his right eye partially closed off after an early game injury which twice sent him to the sidelines, Coupeville High School gunner Jonathan Valenzuela hit one of the biggest buckets in program history Wednesday night.
Hauling in a cross-court pass from freshman Chase Anderson, the Wolf senior banked in a buzzer-beating three-ball from WAY behind the arc, lifting the Wolves to a stunning 57-56 win over host La Conner.
The shot capped a wild game which featured two Coupeville starters fouling out, the Braves clanging 16 free throws, and massive mood swings.
The fourth-straight win for the Wolves, and seventh in their last eight games, it lifts CHS to 2-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 9-5 overall.
It also keeps Coupeville’s record perfect against fellow 2B schools at 4-0, and flawless in games played off of Whidbey Island, with Brad Sherman’s squad 6-0 when away from the misty isle.
The victory could also have huge repercussions on playoff seeding, with two of three 2B schools in the NWL making the playoffs, and the top seed from that trio hosting its opening bi-district game.
Wednesday’s win leaves Coupeville at 1-0 in the three-team tango, with a home rematch against La Conner Feb. 7 and two bouts with Friday Harbor still ahead.
The Wolverines, struggling at 1-10 on the season, visit Whidbey Jan. 27, then host Coupeville Feb. 10 in the regular-season finale.
La Conner beat Friday Harbor in their first meeting, so the Braves are 1-1 in the seeding chase, with the Wolverines at 0-1.
Those teams play a second time Feb. 3.
For now, thanks to Anderson and Valenzuela’s magic, and a lot of small hustle plays which loomed large in a titanic rumble, Coupeville controls its own destiny.
To get to that point, the Wolves had to overcome the loss of sparkplug Dominic Coffman and leading scorer Logan Downes, who both picked up a fifth foul in a game where CHS was whistled for 23 fouls to just 15 for the home team.
Having overcome a 10-point deficit thanks to a torrid run late in the third quarter, Coupeville was clinging to a 47-44 lead when Downes was sent to the bench with six minutes to play.
With the Wolf junior averaging 25 points a game, the Wolves had to find their offense someplace else in the stretch run, and they did.
Cole White snapped the net on a short jumper, before Alex Murdy buried a three-ball from the top of the arc, and CHS looked golden, up 52-44.
The good times didn’t last, however, as La Conner closed the game on a 12-2 surge across almost all of the final five minutes.
Murdy knocked down Coupeville’s lone bucket in that stretch, converting a highlight-reel run through a pack of Braves, and the final two of his team-high 17 points proved to be huge.
But La Conner was trying to write its own miracle finish, and almost pulled it off, capping an 8-0 run when Braden Thomas sank a short jumper to stake the Braves to a 56-54 lead.
That left four ticks on the clock, the home fans were losing their minds, and everything, and I mean everything, had to go right for Coupeville to pen a Hoosiers-style finale.
So, that’s exactly what happened.
Wolf big man William Davidson alertly called a timeout on the inbounds play, moving the ball from the backcourt to halfcourt.
That put the ball in the hands of Anderson, a stone-cold killer who rarely betrays his youth in the heat of the moment.
The fab frosh had ended the third quarter with a fairly sensational buzzer beater of his own, banking in a runner from the left side to cap a 10-0 Wolf spurt.
That earned high praise from his fellow players and Coupeville fans, who chanted “He’s a freshman!” over and over during the ensuing break in action.
Chase Anderson, seen here in an earlier game, came up huge against the Braves. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
A quarter later, Anderson found himself handed the ball on the sideline, and, as his teammates broke, “The Magic Man” made the absolute perfect entry pass.
Murdy went flying by, sucking defenders with him, which allowed Valenzuela to pop open on the other side of the court.
Anderson, showing off the powerful throwing arm which marks him as Coupeville’s likely starting quarterback once Downes departs the gridiron, launched the ball and dropped it on a dime.
Valenzuela, his right eye bandaged, puffy, and still marked by blood after being roughed up by the Braves during an early-game scrum, never hesitated.
Ball on his fingers, ball flies far away, ball banks home, Wolf faithful lose their collective minds and storm the floor.
Jimmy Chitwood would be proud.
Valenzuela’s bomb capped a rough-and-tumble affair which La Conner controlled for much of the first half.
The Braves, behind a rampaging Isaiah Price, who scored 22 of his game-high 29 in the opening 16 minutes, led 17-13 at the first break, then pushed the lead to double digits twice in the second quarter.
The final time came at 36-26, but Coupeville didn’t break.
Instead, just as they did in their previous game against Neah Bay — another one-point win, just without the buzzer beater — the Wolves clawed back, cutting the lead right before halftime.
Valenzuela and Coffman each hit a free throw, off of the same foul, as Valenzuela, blood dripping down his face, was sent to the sideline after converting the first of what was supposed to be two charity shots.
Anderson closed the half by burying a three-ball, with Murdy snagging an offensive rebound and kicking it out to the young gunner.
The third quarter raised the intensity, with Murdy rejecting a La Conner shot, and Coffman and Cole White drawing offensive charges on the Braves.
Still trailing 42-35 midway through the third, Coupeville reclaimed the lead by scoring the final 10 points of the period, with Valenzuela, White, Nick Guay, and Anderson rattling the rim on successful shots.
That set up the fourth quarter fireworks, with the final result leaving CHS coach Brad Sherman mentally exhausted, but happy.
Winning back-to-back games by a point will do that for a guy.
“Wow! These guys never quit,” Sherman said. “A lot of guys stepped up tonight.
“La Conner is a tough team,” he added. “Really big to leave with a win – specially to do it that way!”
With Downes saddled with rare foul trouble, Coupeville spread its offense among multiple players.
Murdy led the way with 17, reaching an even 350 for his high school career, while Downes banked in 16 of his own in limited minutes.
That was still enough to lift him to 564 career points, and he moves from #44 to #39 on the all-time CHS boys’ career scoring chart for a program launched 106 years ago.
With his work against La Conner, Downes passes old-school Wolf hoops stars Marc Bissett (549), Jim Syreen (550), Roy Marti (551), and Randy Duggan (552).
Anderson (9), Valenzuela (8), White (4), Guay (2), and Coffman (1) also scored Wednesday, with Zane Oldenstadt, Ryan Blouin, and Davidson seeing floor time.
Riding high after back-to-back thriller wins, Coupeville faces one of its biggest tests Friday, when it travels to Mount Vernon Christian to face a 12-5 squad.
The Wolves beat the Hurricanes 44-39 the first time around, but that game was a “non-league” game against a league foe.
Friday’s matchup, however, counts in the NWL standings.
Aiden O’Neill makes his move. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
They may never lose again.
Getting buckets from nine players Wednesday, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball team roared past host La Conner, winning 51-30.
The fifth straight victory for the young Wolves, it lifts them to 2-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 6-3 overall.
Hunter Smith’s squad built an early lead against the Braves, before blowing things wide open with a dramatic third-quarter run.
Up 14-11 at the first break, Coupeville stretched the margin to 29-19 by the half, while saving its best for right after halftime.
Jack Porter and Aiden O’Neill both popped for five points in the third frame, including a three-ball apiece, as CHS torched La Conner 14-0.
From there, the Wolves strolled in for the win, running their road record to a pristine 4-0 on the season.
With Coupeville’s next game involving a bus trip to Mount Vernon Christian Friday, that bodes well for the young guns.
Landon Roberts prepares to break a defender in half. (Delanie Lewis photo)
O’Neill paced the Wolves at La Conner, splashing home a pair of three-balls en route to a game-high 10 points.
Hunter Bronec (8), Malachi Somes (7), Jack Porter (7), Chase Anderson (6), Landon Roberts (4), Johnny Porter (4), Hurlee Bronec (3), and Camden Glover (2) also scored, with Carson Field and Yohannon Sandles seeing floor time.
Somes, Hunter Bronec, and Jack Porter all connected on three-balls, joining O’Neill in the long-distance club.
Cole White kickstarts the offense. (Bailey Thule photo)
Pull on your padded underwear and get ready to rock.
Saturday’s varsity boys’ basketball bout between host Neah Bay and visiting Coupeville was not for the faint of heart.
The teams combined for 151 points, and probably just as many bruises, in the kind of down-and-dirty brawl which had fans on both sides of the bleachers hyperventilating.
And the best news, at least for faithful readers of this blog?
Coupeville roared back from a 13-point deficit, overcoming both the scrappy Red Devils and a hail of foul calls to pull out an electrifying 76-75 win in CHS coach Brad Sherman’s 100th game on the bench.
Then the Wolves and their fans booked it out of town, fleeing seconds after Neah Bay’s potential buzzer-beater clanged off the rim — intent on making it to the final ferry of the night.
While bouncing across the rutted backroads of small-town America, Coupeville’s hoops stars could bask in the glow of a job well done.
Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the Wolves proved to be resilient second-half warriors and are now 8-5 after winning for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Friday’s home league win against an overmatched Darrington squad was just the appetizer, with Saturday’s non-conference tussle a true test.
The Wolves, who have played a tough early-season schedule as they prep for making a run at earning a repeat trip to the state tourney, went toe-to-toe with Neah Bay in the early going.
Logan Downes had a hot hand, pumping in 12 in the first quarter, with a final free throw being his 300th point of the season.
That charity shot, coming after teammate Jonathan Valenzuela yanked down an offensive rebound, then spun and nailed a dagger of a jumper, pulled Coupeville within 17-16.
Jonathan Valenzuela floats in for a bucket. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
If there was a downside, it came courtesy of the refs, who seemed to delight in whistling Coupeville on a frequent basis, including handing out a questionable technical foul on the Wolves.
What’s funny is you look at the scorebook, and the final foul tally for the entire day was 20 for CHS, and 17 for Neah Bay.
Yet it felt, at least in the first half, much more unbalanced than that, proving perception doesn’t always equal reality.
And to be fair, it wasn’t just the fouls, as Neah Bay was locked-in and stroking the ball, popping shots to push its lead out to 36-23 late in the half.
Coupeville rallied right at the end, with Dominic Coffman turning a steal into a breakaway bucket and Alex Murdy nailing one of his four three-balls, but the Red Devils still led 36-28 at the break.
Whatever wisdom was imparted in the locker room was crucial, however, as the Wolves seemed like a different team in the second half.
A 14-2 run, kicked off by a Cole White jumper and capped by eight straight points from Downes — including both a three-ball and a three-point play earned the hard way — gave CHS its first lead in forever.
Then, after a brief rally by Neah Bay to go back in front at 49-46, Coupeville claimed the advantage for good.
Murdy lowered his shoulder and rumbled up the middle for a bucket, followed by back-to-back treys from Downes, and Coupeville never trailed again.
Not that Neah Bay faded away, as the Red Devils cut their deficit to 54-53 heading into the fourth quarter and responded to every Wolf run with one of their own.
Downes and Murdy both dropped a pair of three-balls in the final frame, but Coupeville couldn’t pull away as the clock ran down.
First the Wolves were up seven, then later nine, and both times the Red Devils charged back into the fray.
Neah Bay only had four three-balls to Coupeville’s nine, but the two biggest came in the final seconds, as Red Devils sophomore Makyah Chambers buried a pair of pressure-packed treys with Wolf defenders hanging all over him.
Coupeville’s secret weapon down the stretch turned out to be Nick Guay, who scored all six of his points in the white-hot glare of prime time.
Three times the lanky junior sliced through the defense and banked in layups to preserve his team’s lead in the final minute, with Murdy and Downes setting him up with note-perfect passes.
In the end, the game came down not to a big shot, but to the Wolves executing the small play, and doing it on repeat.
Three times in the final 10 seconds Coupeville had to get the ball inbounds in the backcourt, knowing Neah Bay would quickly foul.
The Red Devils couldn’t send the Wolves to the free throw line until foul #3, but they could hack and chop and hope for a turnover while trying.
Instead, three times White stepped out of bounds, and three times Downes faked, spun, pivoted and made just enough room between himself and his defender to pull in the pass, cling to the ball with an iron grip and absorb getting smacked.
Try as they might, the Red Devils never came close to a steal, and finally sent Coupeville to the line for a one-and-one attempt.
Deciding the day needed just a bit more drama, the basket spit out Downes initial free throw try, giving Neah Bay a chance to make a miracle as it grabbed the rebound.
To the joy of the Wolves, and the staggering disappointment of the Red Devil fans, though, a long three-ball clanged off the rim, and a put-back wouldn’t go down.
That set off a half-celebration, half-stampede for the door from anyone with a Whidbey address.
Later, after the hubbub settled down, the 100-game coach marinated in a memorable win.
“Really just very proud of the way our guys came together and got it done against a tough, scrappy team tonight on the road,” Sherman said.
“Showed a ton of grit – especially the energy the boys came out of halftime with!”
Dominic Coffman (on floor) and William Davidson bring the defensive heat. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Coupeville got big contributions from all 10 players to see the floor, with Zane Oldenstadt, William Davidson, and Ryan Blouin fueling the defensive effort.
Downes torched the nets for a game-high 36 points — the second-best effort of his high school career — marking the fourth time he’s topped 30 in the last seven games.
That pushes him to 324 points on the season (24.9 a night), and 548 for his career.
Downes passed former Wolf greats Cody Peters (518), JJ Marti (520), Gary Faris (524), Brad Miller (526), Jerry Zylstra (527), and Gary Hammons (533) Saturday, and sits #43 on the Wolf boys all-time scoring chart for a program launched in 1917.
Murdy came up huge on both ends of the floor, adding 18 points of his own to the cause, lifting his own career total to 333, while Guay (6), White (6), Valenzuela (4), Coffman (4), and Chase Anderson (2) also scored.
Jack Porter (22) and Hurlee Bronec (2) form a deadly duo. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
Change the rules, they’ll still find a way to win.
Playing a shorter than normal game Saturday, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad swept to its fourth straight victory thanks to balanced scoring and feisty defense.
Playing deep on the road, the young Wolves stormed past host Neah Bay 39-28 in a contest made up of six-minute quarters instead of the usual eight-minute frames.
The decision to trim a quarter of the normal running time was made for several reasons.
The Wolves were a little late arriving, Neah Bay has only one court, and the schools needed to get three games, including two varsity bouts, played before Coupeville had to hightail it in hopes of catching the night’s last ferry.
Adjusting well to the compromise, the JV boys began to pull away in the second quarter en route to running their record to 5-3.
Coming off the non-conference win over Neah Bay, the Wolves face off with Northwest 2B/1B League rivals La Conner and Mount Vernon Christian next week.
Both games are on the road, but at locales much closer.
With their game up first — Neah Bay doesn’t have a JV girls’ team — Coupeville’s young guns battled to a 10-10 tie after an abbreviated first quarter.
Hunter Bronec banged away for seven of his team-high 13 points in the opening frame, while Aiden O’Neill popped the first of a pair of three-balls he hit against the Red Devils.
Coupeville took control of the game thanks to an 11-6 surge in the second quarter, with O’Neill swishing another trey, then pushed the lead out to 30-22 heading into the final six-minute stretch.
Pushing the momentum, Hunter Smith’s squad of attack-happy snipers poured in the first nine points in the fourth quarter, before Neah Bay netted a pair of late three-balls to trim the final margin down a bit.
But just a bit.
Landon Roberts swoops to the hoop. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
With his 13 points, Hunter Bronec led the way for a team which put nine guys into the scoring column.
O’Neill (6), Camden Glover (5), Jack Porter (4), Chase Anderson (4), Landon Roberts (2), Malachi Somes (2), Johnny Porter (2), and Hurlee Bronec (1) also kept the scorekeeper busy.
Carson Field and Yohannon Sandles also saw floor time for the Wolves, as Smith got minutes for everyone on the roster.
Coupeville Sports 