Makana Stone had a team-high 11 points and 10 rebounds on opening night Saturday, but Whitman College fell just short of a win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Three former Wolves, three different states, all united by the experience of college sports.
Coupeville High School grads Kailey Kellner and Makana Stone kicked off new basketball seasons Saturday, in New York and Oregon, respectively.
Meanwhile, Nick Streubel rumbled on the gridiron back in Washington state, as he and his team capped their regular season run.
How things went down:
Kailey Kellner:
D’Youville College used a 22-15 third-quarter surge to claim a win on opening night in Aurora, New York.
The Spartans turned a two-point halftime deficit into a five-point advantage, then held on to bounce host Wells 74-69.
Kellner, a sophomore, came off the bench to score four points, snag a rebound and dole out an assist in 11 minutes of action.
Makana Stone:
Down by 10 heading into the fourth, Whitman College almost made it all the way back in La Grande, before falling 52-49 to Eastern Oregon.
Stone, a junior, topped the Blues with 11 points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals.
She nailed a pair of key fourth-quarter jumpers to spur Whitman on, with the final one cutting the lead all the way down to 48-45.
Unfortunately, that was the last field goal of the night for the Blues, as they could only scrape out four free-throws in the game’s final five minutes.
Eastern Oregon, which went 31-2 a season ago, didn’t do much down the stretch, either, but netted a pair of jumpers to keep the margin at three until the final buzzer.
Nick Streubel:
Central Washington University couldn’t hold on to a late lead, surrendering the tying and go-ahead touchdowns in the final six minutes in Ellensburg.
Nabbing a 42-35 win, visiting Azusa Pacific earned a share of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title.
The squads, which split a pair of games this season, both finished 7-1 in league play, 8-3 overall.
It was the second straight league title for CWU, which went 8-0 last season to claim sole ownership of the title banner.
Now, Streubel, a red-shirt junior, and his teammates await the reveal of the 28-team NCAA DII football playoff bracket. That goes down Sunday afternoon.
Coupeville Sports 