Lindsey Roberts had nine points and 13 rebounds Friday as Coupeville rallied to beat Chimacum and move into first place in the Olympic League. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Give Kyla Briscoe the keys to the city.
Hitting a game-busting three-ball with just five ticks to play Friday, the Coupeville senior sent the Wolf girls basketball squad to an epic road win and a share of first-place in the Olympic League.
When Briscoe’s shot nestled through the net, it drove a stake through the hearts of Chimacum fans everywhere, lifting CHS to a 33-30 victory and capping a remarkable second-half comeback.
Now 4-2 in league play, 6-11 overall, the Wolves have won four of their last six and are tied with Port Townsend (4-2), who they face next, atop the conference.
That game arrives Jan. 26, and will be on Coupeville’s home court. The Wolves and RedHawks have split their previous two meetings this season, both winning at home.
With the loss, Chimacum (3-3) slips a game behind, while Klahowya (1-5) brings up the rear.
Friday’s fracas ended wildly, as the Wolves used up most of their nine lives to escape with the victory.
Having rallied from seven points down at the half, Coupeville was clinging to a two-point lead at 30-28 when Chimacum knotted things back up on a bucket with 29.5 seconds to play.
Facing a trap from the rough-and-tumble Cowboys, the Wolves beat it, cleared half court, but then got re-trapped and forced into a jump ball.
With the possession arrow pointing towards the visiting team, Coupeville retained possession, and, after a timeout and words of wisdom from coach David King, ran the clock down, looking for a final shot.
Then the Wolves almost threw everything away.
Enter Lindsey Roberts, who used her long reach to corral an errant pass and save the day.
Alertly spotting Briscoe cutting to the wing, she delivered the ball onto her teammate’s fingertips, then waited for the biggest shot of the year to go exactly where every Wolf wanted it to go.
With Wolf sophomore Scout Smith perfectly blocking out a defender to give her room to work, Briscoe caught the pass and promptly drilled it right through the bottom of the net.
Coupeville had to wait several agonizing seconds to fully celebrate, though, as Chimacum’s final pass sailed out of bounds as time expired.
The win signaled the Wolves ability to adapt, as they changed up their game plan after falling to the Cowboys the first time the teams met this season.
“Our first game against Chimacum, they disrupted us and helped cause 43 turnovers,” King said. “We knew we needed to improve this area to look to get a win.
“They make up for team height with quickness and an aggressive press and defense,” he added. “That first game it seemed like they were a team playing with smoke and mirrors. Sometimes it felt like they had seven or eight players on the court at once. So we worked to correct some things for tonight.”
Breaking Chimacum’s press, the Wolves scrapped and led for chunks of the first half, before a few errors began to add up and hurt them.
Trailing 18-11 at halftime, Coupeville righted itself during the break.
“After halftime we wanted to get back to what made us successful to start the game and just chip away at the lead,” King said. “We wanted to get back to Coupeville basketball.”
The key was coming hard on defense, as the Wolves, using a 2-3 zone, shut Chimacum down.
A 10-5 surge in the third cut the deficit back to just a bucket, then the Wolves tied things up at 25-25 midway through the fourth quarter on a jumper from freshman Chelsea Prescott.
Free throws from Sarah Wright and Briscoe, packaged around a no-nerves jumper from Scout Smith, put CHS in front by three before the Cowboys retied things to set up the frantic final 30 seconds.
Coupeville, which is playing without top scorer Mikayla Elfrank, who is rehabbing a shredded ankle, has pulled together as a team, with everyone chipping in, whether it’s with scoring or intangibles.
“All eight players brought passion and didn’t want to go home without getting a win,” said a proud King.
Wright paced the Wolves with a career-high 13 points, while also snagging seven boards and collecting two steals and two assists.
Roberts added nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Briscoe knocked down six points, Scout Smith banked in three and Prescott added a bucket.
The other three Wolves were equally invaluable, with Ema Smith (nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks on a bum ankle), Allison Wenzel (three rebounds) and Hannah Davidson drawing praise from their coach.
After three straight seasons of finishing 9-0 in league play, this year’s version of the Wolves has faced numerous obstacles, but are still in the driver’s seat for a fourth-straight title.
The grit and fight needed to get to where they are at continues to impress King.
“This year, this league is a tough battle each game,” he said. “Tonight was our night and the big shot by Kyla sealed it. And a great shot it was!
“But it’s also making three more free throws,” King added. “It’s never quitting and believing if we play Coupeville basketball, we give ourselves a chance to win.”
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