Girls Basketball | Coupeville Sports

Archive for the ‘Girls Basketball’ Category

Perfection!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, perfection, Port Townsend, Senior Night on February 4, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Wolf gunner Kailey Kellner tries out her Senior Night present from her teammates. (Amy King photos)

27-0 in Olympic League play.

This is no small thing.

For three years, night in and night out, the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball program has overcome every obstacle, found a winning formula and set a standard of the highest order.

Using a brutally-efficient run in the second quarter to bust things open Saturday night, the Wolves bounced Port Townsend 41-31 on Senior Night to put a cap (for now) on the best run the 1A Olympic League has seen in any sport.

With the win, Coupeville heads into the postseason at 15-4, having finished off a third-consecutive 9-0 season in league play.

Their 27-0 mark in league games dwarfs Klahowya girls (20-0) and boys soccer (12-0) and Coupeville girls tennis (11-0) among the four varsity programs which have never fallen since the league debuted in 2014.

The Wolves will have 10 days off, before hitting the road to open the district playoffs.

Coupeville travels to Bellarmine Prep High School Feb. 14 to face a yet-to-be-determined foe. Win or lose, they head right back Feb. 16 and (possibly) Feb. 18.

They need two playoff wins to return to the state tourney.

To see their path, pop over to:

http://www.olympicleague.com/tournament.php?tournament_id=2187&sport=12

The regular season finale wasn’t a complete romp, as Port Townsend came out aggressively in the first quarter, building an 8-5 lead.

Coupeville responded by inserting junior fireball Mikayla Elfrank into the lineup, and things took a quick turn in favor of the Wolves.

She made an immediate impact, draining a three-ball from the top of the arc on her first trip down the floor, then added a runner off of a beautiful set-up pass from Mia Littlejohn.

With the game tied at 10-10 at the first break, Elfrank grabbed a quick swig of water, then broke the game open with one wild play.

Shooting the gap between two RedHawks, she went airborne, speared a pass on the second quarter’s first play and beat the pack all the way to the other end for a layup that meant far more than just two points.

Port Townsend looked like they had been rocked on the play, and they didn’t recover, as the Wolf defense ramped up the pressure.

A three-ball from Kalia Littlejohn, after a back-and-forth with teammate Kailey Kellner bought her shooting room, followed by another trey off of Elfrank’s fingertips and the Wolves were on a 16-2 tear.

Coupeville hit five three-point bombs in the first half, with Kellner’s second one set up by another superb pass from Mia Littlejohn, who was electric while running the point.

She had a season-high seven assists, but would have topped double figures if her teammates hadn’t been a bit cold with their shooting touch in the early going.

Mia Littlejohn sliced ‘n diced her way through the RedHawk defense all night, putting the ball into the hands of Tiffany Briscoe, Lindsey Roberts and Co. with panache.

When Mia wasn’t threading the needle, lil’ sis Kalia was emulating her, firing a wicked dish over the top of the crowd to a cutting Kellner for a key third-quarter bucket.

Once Coupeville stretched the lead to double digits, it held it there almost without fail.

The RedHawks cut the deficit to eight for half a second near the end of the third quarter, only to have Coupeville score on the next three plays to stretch things back out.

Along with their stingy defense, which included holding Port Townsend gunner Kaitlyn Meek to a measly 10 points, the Wolves hit the boards like wild animals.

Almost every time the ball skipped off the rim, the first thing you saw was the long, graceful arms of Roberts reaching up to the heavens to snatch the ball.

The sophomore sensation finished with a game-high 13 boards, eight of those on the offensive glass.

She had help, too, as Elfrank snatched nine caroms and Kellner made off with five. Coupeville had 35 rebounds, 20 of those coming off of their own missed shots.

CHS spread out its offense, with Elfrank and Kellner hitting for 11 apiece. Roberts (7), Mia Littlejohn (5), Briscoe (4) and Kalia Littlejohn (3) also connected.

It was the final home game for seniors Briscoe, Kellner, Lauren Grove (who pilfered four steals while harassing Meek) and manager Skyler Lawrence.

Before the game started, Wolf JV star Nicole Lester delivered a soaring rendition of the national anthem that earned a well-deserved round of applause.

JV left stranded:

For the fourth and final time this season, a league foe cancelled on the Wolf young guns, bringing their season to a close at 11-3 overall, 5-0 in conference play.

Both Port Townsend and Chimacum bailed on two of three scheduled JV games this season due to trouble keeping a full roster.

Read Full Post »

“It was a tad wild!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, first points, Sequim, Tia Wurzrainer on February 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The Wolf JV girls celebrate their fifth straight win Thursday night. (Amy King photos)

The Fab Five Frosh are (back, l to r) Tia Wurzrainer, Scout Smith and (front) Maya Toomey-Stout, Emma Mathusek and Avalon Renninger.

Let them play and they will impress you.

The Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad has gotten the short end of the stick this year, as what was a 19-game schedule has morphed into a 15-game affair thanks to rivals frequently failing to pull together a team.

Thursday night, way down in the wilds of Sequim, facing a large 2A school, that wasn’t an issue, and, like usual, the Wolf young guns rose to the occasion.

Freshman Maya Toomey-Stout, AKA “The Gazelle,” came flying out of nowhere to pick off a pass at the buzzer, sealing the deal on a wild ‘n woolly 29-27 CHS victory.

The team’s fifth straight win, it lifts the Wolves to 11-3 heading into Saturday’s home finale against Port Townsend.

A game that featured rough and tumble play (Scout Smith being tackled while on the floor), strong defense and Tia Wurzrainer’s first high school points, it brought a smile to coach Amy King’s face.

“It was a long day but worth it,” she said.

After catching an early ferry, and being crammed onto a bus with the CHS boys, the Wolf girls got to spend time at both a park and the library after arriving in Sequim, then hit the court hopped-up and ready to rumble.

“Here we are at the end of the season. Last road trip. We all knew it was going to be a tough night so it was ‘do our best, play like a team, have confidence and hold our own’,” King said.

Sequim surprised Coupeville with an immediate 2-2-1 trapping press and took control early, rolling out to a 10-7 lead after one quarter.

With a bit of time to adjust, however, the Wolves found their groove and Wurzrainer was one of the first to benefit.

A defensive dynamo who plays with a pass-first attitude on offense, she became the final Wolf JV player to net a bucket this season when she knocked down a shot off of a feed from Toomey-Stout on the break.

“We all went nuts with her shot,” King said.

After that, the game got rough with a capitol R, but the Wolves played through a game of non-calls, elbows and collisions.

“The whole game was rough and just got rougher with every passing minute,” King said. “I was very proud of the girls – they didn’t complain, just toughened up and played through it.”

Coupeville knotted things up at 16-16 going into the break, then pulled away with a 7-6 advantage in the third and a 6-5 edge in the fourth. A suffocating D was the key.

“Our defense was lock-down and a few standouts for me were Tia, Emma (Mathusek), Maya and Avalon (Renninger),” King said. “I think this was Tia’s best defensive game. She really was everywhere.

“Everyone really worked well together, though.

“Ashlie (Shank), Maddy (Hilkey) and Brittany (Powers) moved very well together, spacing was nice – talking and helping with direction,” King added. “Nicole (Lester), Sarah (Wright), Ema (Smith) and Ashlie all took turns playing in the post. That was not an easy job … they had a player who just bull-dozed her way through the key and was held pointless.”

Down the stretch both teams adopted a war-like attitude when it came to corralling rebounds or loose balls.

“There were players on the floor on both ends of the court. Going after loose balls, knock the ball loose and everyone was going after it,” King said. “Some rebounding found at least eight players in the key fighting for the ball.

“It was a tad wild.”

Making their best defensive stand in the game’s final minutes, the Wolves held Sequim to a single fourth-quarter basket, then sealed the deal when Toomey-Stout blasted through her own teammate (Scout Smith) to pilfer the game’s final pass.

Wright paced CHS with eight points and seven rebounds, while Powers swished a three-ball for part of her five points.

Ema Smith (5), Renninger (4), Wurzrainer (2), Lester (2), Scout Smith (2) and Hilkey (1) rounded out the scoring.

“These girls have come so far since that first game in early December. Everything about their games have improved,” King said. “It is strange that this is their last road game of the season, but I am so happy to have been a part of their accomplishments.

“Awesome job ladies!”

Read Full Post »

“Tonight wasn’t our night!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Adrienne Haggerty, Basketball, CHS Wolves, Lindsey Roberts, non-conference, Sequim on February 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Lindsey Roberts, here passing out of trouble in an earlier game, had a team-high 11 points and four boards Thursday in Sequim. (John Fisken photo)

Almost every path to success has a few bumps along the way.

For the high-flying Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team, nothing has been able to stop them from adding wins to the ledger the past seven weeks.

Not illness, or injury, or a schedule that had them playing a school-record eight consecutive road games at one point.

10 straight wins, 47 days without a loss.

Until Thursday, when the offense dried up spectacularly in the second half and the Wolves watched host Sequim steal away a non-conference game from out of their clutches.

Up 12-8 at the break on their 2A rivals — who they scorched Monday on Whidbey — Coupeville got hammered 17-4 in the third quarter and fell 31-19.

The loss, the first for the Wolves since way back on Dec. 16 against powerhouse Bellevue Christian, puts CHS at 14-4 heading into their regular season finale Saturday.

Coupeville hosts Port Townsend for Senior Night (3:30 JV/5:00 varsity) and is looking to wrap up a third consecutive 9-0 season in 1A Olympic League play.

Thursday’s game played out, at least in the early going, much like Monday’s match-up — low-scoring and with Coupeville on top.

With Sequim controlling the pace of the game, keeping things sluggish while the Wolves wanted to get out and run, CHS still built a 9-6 lead after one quarter.

Mia Littlejohn opened the scoring with a three-ball, followed by a bucket from little sister Kalia and two from Lindsey Roberts, but the pace of the game was already draining, even with a lead.

“Tonight wasn’t our night. We knew what Sequim wanted to do offensively and that it would be another battle like Monday’s game,” CHS coach David King said. “Even though we scored nine in the quarter it was a struggle on both ends of the court.”

The second quarter “felt like we were watching paint dry,” as the two teams combined for a grand total of five points.

Roberts knocked down her third three-ball of the season to stake the Wolves to a 12-8 lead at the break, but few of the Coupeville players were thrilled with their early performance.

“At halftime, the players weren’t happy with our play,” King said. “We felt like we could turn it up defensively and get our offense going. But Sequim and our play said differently.”

Monday it was Coupeville who took charge in the third and on into the fourth with a brutally efficient defensive stand.

Thursday, it was Sequim senior Adrienne Haggerty, who used her six-foot frame to control play in the paint, then popped outside to drain three-balls as well.

She had just four points at the break, but went off for 12 in the third quarter, five more than Coupeville would score as a team in the entire second half.

While Coupeville has been known for staging late-game rallies this season, the spark wasn’t there on this night.

“In the past we found another gear and made comebacks. There was no late game heroics or a push to get us within striking distance,” King said. “The effort was there, but what the mind was telling the players didn’t translate to the court.

“We played tired, didn’t have our best defensive game,” he added. “And our offense didn’t show up. We did get some open shots throughout the game. Nothing seemed to fall.”

Roberts paced the Wolves with 11 points and four rebounds, while Mia Littlejohn (3), Lauren Grove (2), Kalia Littlejohn (2) and Sarah Wright (1) rounded out the scoring.

Kailey Kellner hauled in four boards, Mikayla Elfrank had two steals and the Wolves got strong supporting play from Allison Wenzel, Tiffany Briscoe, Lauren Rose and Ema Smith.

While he would have preferred to keep the winning streak alive, King has a great appreciation for how this team has rallied around each other and adopted a true “refuse to lose” attitude.

“Despite the loss, I’m pleased with the attitudes of the players. They aren’t happy with the loss and know we still have things to correct,” he said. “Me, who is ultra-competitive and hates to lose, I’ve had to explain that it’s OK to enjoy and win even if we didn’t play up to our own expectations.

“After some games this year the players aren’t happy with our play. How often does one hear that! That is a winning culture and players who expect great things from themselves and the team.”

Now, the focus switches to Saturday, when the Wolves will honor Kellner, Briscoe, Grove and Skyler Lawrence, before setting out to emphatically stretch the league’s longest active winning streak, in any sport, to 27-0.

“Tomorrow is another day. All is not lost. It’s one loss and we prepare for Port Townsend,” King said. “I’m expecting a spirited practice tomorrow and we will be better for it.”

Read Full Post »

One team to rule the Island!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, OHHS Wildcats, standings, SWHS Falcons, Whidbey Island on February 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Amy and David King are the masterminds behind Whidbey Island’s most successful high school hoops program. (John Fisken photo)

Wins and losses don’t lie; Whidbey Island is in the middle of a basketball funk.

With one noticeable exception — the Coupeville girls — our six high school varsity hoops squads have spent the past five years doing one thing, and one thing only, on a consistent basis.

Lose.

This is not opinion, this is fact.

There are the CHS girls, who have won 61 games and counting (they’re 14-3 this season) and then you fall off a cliff and keep rolling until the bottom.

From 2012-2013 to today, these are the numbers for the past five seasons for the Coupeville, Oak Harbor and South Whidbey programs:

Team	Wins	Winning seasons	Seasons with 10+ wins	Playoff wins
CP girls	61	3	4	2
SW girls	38	0	2	1
SW boys	36	0	0	2
OH boys	26	1	1	2
CP boys	23	0	0	0
OH girls	21	0	0	0

So, that’s four winning seasons out of a possible 30, with the Wolf girls having ripped off three straight and the only other one coming courtesy of the 2012-2013 Oak Harbor boys.

There’s a chance the South Whidbey girls will hold on to notch a fifth winning season, but the odds are stacked against the Falcons.

They’re 10-9 right now, but face juggernaut King’s in their regular season finale, which means it’s 99.2% likely they’re at .500 heading into the playoffs.

Bothered greatly by injuries, it appears unlikely South Whidbey has the depth to make a sustained playoff run, so a winning season is not getting very good odds in Vegas right now.

So, why is one team doing so well when the other five are not?

It’s true that the Coupeville girls benefited from having a transcendent player the past four seasons in Makana Stone, but other programs have been blessed with skilled hoops stars during the same time frame.

South Whidbey had Hayley Newman, Chase White and Lewis Pope, Oak Harbor suited up Dyllan Harris and Brynn Langrock and Coupeville had Wiley Hesselgrave and Mia Littlejohn.

You could argue those players were and are good, sometimes very good, but not truly great like all-timers Lindsey Newman, Pete Petrov or Brannon Stone, who led their teams to big-time success on and off Whidbey back in the day.

So, with apologies to Pope, who certainly seems to be getting there, we’ll say Stone is the one true all-timer to play on Whidbey in the past five years.

But, while say, South Whidbey fell sharply off after Hayley Newman’s departure in 2013, the Coupeville girls have responded to Stone’s graduation with a ten-game winning streak, a third-straight league title and strong hopes of a return visit to state.

So I think the Wolf girls success springs from something deeper.

All of our local coaches, at all three schools, seem to be hard workers, often innovators and deeply committed to their programs.

I’m not dogging on any of them, but I am giving a shout-out to David and Amy King, who have run the CHS girls program for five seasons now.

Their style works, and it shows both in wins and losses and in the way the Wolves are booming in numbers.

Players are staying for the full four years, new players are joining, players (on both varsity and the equally successful JV) are buying in to a team-first, every-player-has-a-role-and-accepts-it mantra.

Maybe it’s the unique situation of having a husband/wife duo running a program, maybe it’s their backgrounds as life-long hoops players and coaches, maybe they just have a magic touch.

So, other coaches, my suggestion? Study what the Wolf duo is doing. Take notes and maybe think about implementing some of their ideas into your own programs.

Cause right now, over the past five years? They’re the ones doing things right.

Read Full Post »

He shoots, they score!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, Brian Shank, CHS Wolves, John Fisken photos, Mia Littlejohn on January 30, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Brian Shank skies high to get a clear view of the basket. (John Fisken photos)

It’s off to the races and no one is catching Kalia Littlejohn.

Power, thy name is Kyle Rockwell.

Tia Wurzrainer patiently waits for some help to arrive.

His rival is visibly impressed with Gabe Wynn’s shooting form.

“You can’t beat me. I’m Mia freakin’ Littlejohn, fool!!”

The joint was hoppin’ and the cameras were clickin’.

Wandering photo man John Fisken visited Coupeville Monday night to snap photos at all four games the Wolves played against visiting Sequim, and the pics above are courtesy him.

To see more (purchases fund college scholarships for CHS student/athletes), pop over to:

Girls — http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/20162017-Coupeville-BB/CHS-GBB-/20170130-vs-Sequim/

Boys — http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/20162017-Coupeville-BB/CHS-BBB/20170130-vs-Sequim/

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »