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Our gym, our time!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged Basketball, Chelsea Prescott, CMS Wolves, home opener, John Fisken photos, Stevens on February 24, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Audrianna Shaw prepares to break some ankles. (John Fisken photos)

Defensive dynamo Kylie Van Velkinburgh (right) gets up in the grill of a Stevens ball-handler.

Ja’Kenya Hoskins powers to the hoop for two.

“Little help. Guys … LITTLE HELP!!”

Sometimes it’s better to ignore the scoreboard.

Thursday was one of those days, as the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads ran into a buzz-saw in the form of ginormous Stevens.

The school, which feeds 2A Port Angeles High School, is deep in numbers and loaded with talent, and the visitors took advantage of both to run the fairly inexperienced, thin-in-numbers Wolves off the floor.

Both games were virtual mirror images of each other, as the CMS 7th graders fell 47-8, before the “8th graders” lost 48-8.

I put quotes around 8th graders, since the Wolves have just four of those playing this season, which requires coach Ryan King to use a mix of younger players to fill out his roster.

Two of those 7th graders, Izzy Wells and Ja’Kenya Hoskins, each knocked down a bucket in the 8th grade game, while grizzled vets Genna Wright and Chelsea Prescott provided the other two.

In the seventh grade game, the scoring was also split between four Wolves, with Anya Leavell leading the way with three points.

Audrianna Shaw (2), Samantha Streitler (2) and Kylie Van Velkinburgh (1) rounded out the attack.

Stevens used a mix of deep shots (four treys) and inside buckets to romp in the opener, while the nightcap was one layup after another from a confident, polished squad that moved as one.

If there was one positive on the day for King and CMS 7th grade coach Megan Smith, it was that their teams didn’t crumble under pressure, and actually played stronger in the later stages.

The Wolf teams combined to score the majority of their points in the second half, rattling home 11 of 16 after the break.

Coupeville also got scrappy play from a number of girls, with Kiara Contreras and Heidi Clinkscales leading the charge on diving for loose balls.

The games were the home opener for CMS, which drew the attention of wanderin’ paparazzi John Fisken, who provides the pics above.

To see all of his photos from the game (purchases fund college scholarships for Wolf student/athletes and inspire him to return to Coupeville more frequently), pop over to:

http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/20162017-Coupeville-BB/MSGBB/20170223-vs-Stevens/

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“I want to stand out in the crowd!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, Softball, tagged Amber Bumbalough, grief counselor, Klahowya Secondary School, Know Your Foe, Softball on February 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Klahowya’s Amber Bumbalough honors her brother by following her dream on the softball diamond. (Photo courtesy Bumbalough)

“When I don’t get something, I keep going until I get it. I hate failure. I will push and push myself until I succeed.”

There is little doubt Amber Bumbalough is one of the top athletes in the Olympic League, and the Klahowya junior, who has lettered in swimming, basketball and softball every season she has played, has gotten there by refusing to surrender.

Through fatigue, injury and personal and family heartbreak, she keeps coming, relentless and committed in the pursuit of excellence.

“I want to make a name for myself,” Bumbalough said. “I don’t wanna be just another girl on the team.

“I want to stand out in the crowd.”

For outsiders, such as those of us here in Coupeville, we’ve witnessed her athletic excellence — she’s already a two-time league MVP in softball, where she excels at third base, shortstop and pitcher.

But while we’ve seen her stalk the pitcher’s circle and thump base hits to all fields or swish three-balls on the hardwood, what we’ve seen is the surface.

Go below and you find a young woman who is driven to excellence because every moment she crafts, every high she achieves, is a silent testament to her brother William, whom she deeply loves.

A brother who can’t be here with us in the stands to watch Amber soar. But one who will always be with her in spirit.

William Bumbalough passed away in 2012, but he walks out onto the field with his sister every time she charges out to play.

“He’s had the biggest impact on my life,” Amber Bumbalough said. “When he was killed in a car accident I thought everything was gone; I felt like I couldn’t do anything, going days on days without eating.

“He wasn’t the type who loved sports, but he wanted nothing but the best for me,” she added. “He always told me to go big and go to the top; he wants me to get there.”

Bumbalough has already attracted interest from college teams, both for her play at the high school level and with her select squad, and she is firmly committed to strive for the peak of her sport.

“My dream is to go Division 1 (in college) and I’m going to keep working my butt off until my dreams come true, or my dreams give up on me,” she said. “I play every game for William, knowing he’s watching.”

She’s 7-for-7 in lettering as a high school athlete (a broken finger kept her from swimming this fall), and draws something valuable from every one of her seasons.

“I enjoy getting to spend time with my teammates and creating a sisterly bond with them,” Bumbalough said.

But there is little doubt which sport claims her heart.

“Favorite sport is my softball,” she said. “This is my favorite because I have put so much time into it; I only wanna become bigger and better.”

Her pursuit of diamond excellence has taken Bumbalough to Eastern Washington, where she suited up with USA Explosion, and Puyallup, where she reps the Washington Ladyhawks.

Both teams, and their coaches, helped fine-tune her skill-set and love for the game.

“Steve Farrington (USA Explosion) made me see the real side of softball that I didn’t ever see,” Bumbalough said. “When I wanted to give up, he showed me the side of the sport that made it so I couldn’t.

“Wayne Miller (Ladyhawks) pushes me and gives me the opportunity to play the best of the best softball and helps me understand the game that much more.”

In the few moments when she’s not practicing or playing a sport, Bumbalough enjoys “listening to my music up loud” with little sister Hannah.

Hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, rapper Russ and country stars Brett Eldridge and Keith Urban lead off the sister’s play list.

Bumbalough used to show pigs through 4-H, but has had to take a break recently as softball carves away more of her time.

Regardless of where she is, or what she’s doing, the Klahowya star draws inspiration from both her family and her community.

“I have a few people who have really impacted my life,” Bumbalough said. “Obviously my parents, for getting me where I am and supporting me with everything I do and always going to my sports events.

“Something that makes my school so special to me is the kids and teachers around me,” she added. “We are one big family; we’ve all been through the worst and the best of times.

“With the amount of losses we have had with students, it has hit us all very very hard, but we have helped each other get through it and it really makes me happy to see how strong we are for one another.”

Her own experiences dealing with loss continue to shape Bumbalough’s future plans, and she is working towards a goal of being a grief counselor.

“I want to help others who have gone through what I’ve gone through,” she said. “Losing a loved one is hard and it doesn’t get better; you just start to cope with not seeing them every day, hoping maybe they will come through the door.

“Everyone deals with grieving differently,” Bumbalough added. “But if I could help just even one person, I would feel like I have reached one of my biggest goals.”

Amber in action:

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Look closer, my hoops-obsessed friends!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, playoffs, Seattle Academy, skewed stats, state on February 21, 2017| Leave a Comment »

“How do you like them apples, experts?” (John Fisken photo)

Perception is a funny thing.

After the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad went two and out at the district playoffs, losing to Seattle Christian and Cascade Christian, there were some who felt the Wolves 15-4 record entering the postseason was suspect.

That CHS was “hurt by playing in the worst 1A league in the state.”

Which, as the numbers will show, isn’t even remotely close, but hold that thought for a second.

On the other side of our argument is Seattle Academy, which, at 17-3, is headed to state.

So, perception, at least from the outside, is that the Cardinals must be a great team.

Except…

Coupeville and Seattle Academy met head-to-head on a neutral court during the Friday Harbor Tip-Off Classic, and the Wolves won in a romp, 44-31.

Yet, all season long, the ScoreCzar computer ranked the Cardinals ahead of the Wolves.

Mention Coupeville’s better statistical numbers and harder schedule, both in terms of opponents winning percentage and the fact CHS played 14 of 21 away from home, and the computer had only one thing to fall back on — Seattle Academy’s point differential.

And this is where perception starts to be absolutely wrong.

And why I firmly believe if we flipped Coupeville to Seattle Academy’s Emerald City League and SA to the Olympic League, we would see an exact reversal of fortune.

Seattle Academy’s 17-3 record looks great, until we realize the Cardinals are only 2-3 against out-of-league competition.

Of the 10 leagues to play 1A ball in the state, the nine-team, private-school ECL had the worst winning percentage against non-league foes by a mile.

Counting its four playoff losses (so far), we’re talking 8-25.

A .242 winning percentage when every other 1A league hit .400 or better.

Outside its safety zone, Seattle Academy lost by double digits to Coupeville, Bellevue Christian and Lynden Christian.

Inside, against marginal teams, it dominated, winning many of its 15 league games by 30+ points.

Against mediocre teams that couldn’t beat anyone other than other mediocre teams in their own league.

Which, to a computer, apparently looks great.

And, since the ECL champ automatically advances to state, welcome to the big dance, Cardinals. Now try not to get hurt.

Seriously, as league champs, Seattle Academy skipped right to the championship game of bi-districts (there are no playoffs in District 2), so, win or lose, they were state-bound.

Their foe in that game, Lynden Christian, had to get through perennial powers Meridian and King’s to escape District 1, then promptly slaughtered the Cardinals 62-37.

The other three ECL teams to make the playoffs also skipped districts, qualified for a loser-out game at bi-districts and were squished one-two-three.

Mount Baker took out both #2 University Prep (61-28) and #4 Overlake (47-25), while Meridian mashed #3 Annie Wright (61-35).

Seattle Academy’s first-round foe at state? Meridian. It’s not going to be pretty.

And now we jump back to Coupeville, which finished off a third consecutive 9-0 season to remain the big dog in the Olympic League.

Seven of those league wins were of the double-digit variety, ranging from 10-18 points, while the other two were eight and nine-point wins.

For the season, they knocked off their closest rivals by an average of 11.6 points a night, down from 22.0 in 2014-2015 and 18.1 in 2015-2016.

The computers were wowed by Seattle Academy’s point differential and underwhelmed by Coupeville’s, while missing the pertinent point.

The Wolves didn’t romp to 30-point wins in league play like the Cardinals because their league was better. Their foes were tougher. They had a harder fight night in and night out.

It’s right there in the numbers.

Three of the four OL teams (Coupeville, Port Townsend and Chimacum) had winning non-conference records, and all four league teams (including cellar dweller Klahowya) beat 2A teams this season.

Overall, the league was #6 of 10 in terms of record against non-league opponents, way ahead of #10 ECL.

Chimacum, which is barely bigger than Coupeville in student body size, won four times against 2A schools, in fact.

Frankly, a nine-point win against the Cowboys, a solid squad that won a district playoff game, means far more than Seattle Academy rolling by 40 against Eastside Prep, which finished 0-19.

Go outside the league and Coupeville won six times, including beating two state-bound teams (Seattle Academy and Friday Harbor) while playing twice in less than 24 hours on the road.

The Cardinals have no wins against state-bound teams.

If you flip Coupeville into the ECL, I’m willing to bet they also go 15-0 and win most of their games in a romp.

Why not? The Wolves already played the best that league had to offer this year and toasted them.

So why would they fear The Bush School or Bear Creek?

Put Seattle Academy in the OL and does it go 9-0 against Kaitlyn Meek and the Nisbet sisters? I’m not quite as convinced.

I could be wrong, but, if they stayed undefeated (in a tougher league), then congratulations, Cardinals. But I’ll believe it when I see it.

Now, all of this changes nothing.

Seattle Academy, despite playing in one postseason game (and taking a 25-point loss), is state-bound.

And I’m not trying to rag on the Cardinals. Seriously.

As a wise hoops coach once said, “we are in the league we are in,” and that’s very true.

Seattle Academy did everything it was supposed to do to earn a state berth. The Cardinals shouldn’t be faulted, in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Coupeville, despite being a better team where it mattered — on the floor, head-to-head — had a poor playoff run in a district where you have to actually win to advance, and its players have turned in their uniforms.

If it comes across as sour grapes to bemoan the tougher path the Wolves faced, no one should really give that much credence.

CHS knew what it faced, and while it completed the run during league, it most assuredly did not in the playoffs.

Based on those district losses, the Wolves can not argue in the slightest they deserve to be state-bound.

But it all goes back to perception, which is what’s bothering me right now.

People on the outside make snap judgements, without looking closer at what the numbers truly say or taking all the variables into consideration, and a lot of times they’re just flat wrong.

And yes, it’s very possible my own fairly limited knowledge of Seattle Academy basketball could mean I’m missing some pertinent info, as well.

Maybe while the Wolves were on the road (almost) every night, the Cardinals had to play in a home gym where the thermometer was permanently stuck at 17 degrees, or had to wear ’80s-style short shorts.

It’s certainly possible, if not probable.

In the end, we are where we are and all my nattering changes not a thing. Except maybe your perception.

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One final shot!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, John Fisken photos, playoffs, Tiffany Briscoe on February 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Tiffany Briscoe looks for some room to move in the paint. (John Fisken photos)

Mia Littlejohn leads the charge up-court, showing off her patented Eye of the Wolf stare.

Eyes scanning ahead, Lauren Grove looks for an opening in the defense.

Kailey Kellner gathers herself before rippling the net with another three-ball.

The season may be done, but that doesn’t mean the photos are finished.

Having returned from covering the multi-day Mat Classic in Tacoma, wanderin’ paparazzi John Fisken was nice enough to spend Monday going through pics he shot at Thursday’s girls playoff game.

That game, which went down at Bellarmine Prep High School, featured Coupeville slugging it out with Cascade Christian.

If you like these photos, be sure to pop over to where the rest await your peepers:

http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/20162017-Coupeville-BB/CHS-GBB-/20170216-vs-Cascade-Christian/

And remember, every photo you purchase helps fund scholarships for CHS student/athletes, while also making it more likely Oak Harbor resident Fisken will hit Coupeville events in the future.

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“I wouldn’t bet against this group!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Coaches Corner, David King, shooting clinic on February 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Amy and David King have guided the CHS varsity girls hoops squad to three straight 15+ win seasons.

With success comes the desire for more.

Girls basketball has been the strongest sports program at Coupeville High School the past three years, and it isn’t even close.

With 46 wins overall, a 27-0 mark in Olympic League play, three straight league titles and a trip to state last year, the Wolf hoops players are the current gold standard.

Now, coaches David and Amy King and their players want to get to another level, reviving memories of the late ’90s and early 2000’s, when CHS won seven games at the state tourney and hung banners for top eight finishes three times.

Coming off a season-ending playoff loss to Cascade Christian, David King swings by The Coaches Corner to reflect on the current success and the outlook for the future.

Before we left the locker room on Thursday, I told the players to hold their heads high. They should be proud of the season we had.

Yes, it was a disappointing end to the season; we just didn’t play as well as we would have liked.

But we are looking at the season as a whole.

15-6 isn’t bad at all. Who would have thought it after losing a two-time Olympic MVP (in Makana Stone)?

I’ll tell you who, the players and coaches in our locker room!

We did some pretty good things all season long.

Our defense, like in years past, is what we are built on. As our defense goes, our offense follows.

We also struggled at times, mostly offensively and that’s something we need to fix. Especially if we want to come back stronger next season.

Here are a few things I would like to say to the returning players. We can’t be satisfied with how we finished our season.

Once we settle and are happy with our current status, then others will pass us by.

That may be a teammate putting in the extra work to raise their game and earn more playing time or earn a starting spot.

It’s also the other teams in our league or the non-league teams.

Our team has shown a commitment to defense. This off-season we need to turn it up a notch.

When all five players are clicking on defense, it’s a thing of beauty.

Offensively we struggle. Many of us went to the shooting clinic. Many worked to continue what they learned.

This process never stops. For us to go further next year we have to be willing to change and improve our shooting.

We have to step on the court with confidence, improve our mental toughness and execute our offense. I believe these three things go hand in hand.

For the fans of our team, we want to thank you for the support all season. The players do appreciate it.

Some believe we should be playing in a tougher league or schedule harder non-league teams so when we get into the playoffs we can represent at a higher level.

We as coaches see these players every day for three months. That’s just during the season.

I can guarantee that they show up to practice and work hard. They suit up and give their best effort in the games.

We are in the league we are in.

Almost all nine of our league games were competitive. The non-league schedule was also competitive.

We had 7 home games out of 21 games.

As players and coaches we can only control our own play. We can’t worry about who is on our schedule.

Play a perceived easy opponent or play a tougher opponent, we still have to show up and play our game. If we don’t, that’s on us.

Just like we can’t control the many away games this year.

Talk about toughness, not having a home game for 40+ days could wear on a team. But not this group of players.

One thing I’ve said for years to teams and players — you are only as good as you allow yourself to be.

If the effort and attitude is there along with a willingness to put in extra work, then the teams we play don’t matter.

Players need to be be unselfish in their play, and make the necessary changes to improve their game.