Wolves (l to r) Mia Littlejohn, Kailey Kellner, Kacie Kiel and Julia Myers listen to coach David King during a timeout. (Amy King photo)
They went out like champions.
Fighting to the final player Wednesday night, the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad may have lost a game, but they will never be losers.
Falling 50-44 to Seattle Christian in overtime, the Wolves exited the district playoffs and headed home with a final record of 15-7.
That, in itself, is a landmark.
No CHS hoops squad, boys or girls, had won that many games since the 2009-2010 Wolf boys went 16-5.
But that squad failed to win a league title, something these Wolf girls accomplished handily, going 9-0 in Olympic League play to net the school’s first new banner since 2002.
Needing to win to stay alive, Coupeville came out strongly and got a banner game from junior star Makana Stone (21 points, 21 rebounds, six steals and two blocks).
Now, I could talk about the game, but I wasn’t there.
I was back on Whidbey at my “real” job, so I’m going to turn the microphone over to the guy who watched it all play out a few feet in front of him in living color.
In his own (slightly edited) words, CHS coach David King:
The fire in the eyes, the focus in the mind and the determination in the heart. This is what I saw when we stepped into the gym for the game.
I’ve seen this before with other teams, but none more than last night.
Pre-game was more of the same with what this team came to do — play our best game of the season.
They carried these things over to the start of the game and didn’t quit until the final buzzer.
Earlier in the day I had a quick conversation with Makana about how we could come out strong and look to make positive things happen.
As a team we have wanted to press, we have gotten better towards the end of the regular season, but just not completely there.
She mentioned we sometimes come out sluggish to start games and suggested we come out with our press. She said our press gets us going and jump starts our offense.
Any smart coach takes this and runs with it.
As suggested we started in a very aggressive press, got a few steals early in the first that, along with the fire, focus and determination allowed us to jump out to a 15-5 lead after one.
Looking to keep the 10-point lead and increase it going into the second, quickly became an evenly matched quarter due to foul trouble on two of our starters, Julia (Myers) and Makana.
Both went to the bench early in the quarter with three fouls each.
I looked down the bench and every player was ready to step up and contribute.
We rotated Monica (Vidoni), Wynter (Thorne), Mia (Littlejohn), McKenzie (Bailey) and Kailey (Kellner). The great thing is they held their own.
Taking a nine-point lead into halftime was something I would take under the circumstances we were dealt, due to the foul trouble we were in with starters sitting for so long.
Monica scored a bucket on a catch in the post, just outside the foul lane.
She slowly backed her defender down, took her time and turned and scored over her defender. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see (assistant coach) Amy (King) jump out of her seat, fist pumping after that move.
One of Monica’s best scoring plays on the season.
In the third, we just couldn’t get the ball to go through the hoop (falling behind 35-33).
Having two starters on the bench in foul trouble and the momentum in their favor after a strong third, we could have let the game get away from us.
Once again each player that rotated into the game stepped up and contributed. There was no quit with this team.
The quarter was a back and forth game, then the fouls caught up with us again. Julia fouled out with 4+ minutes left and Hailey (Hammer) with 3+.
With a little over a minute left in the game we were knotted at 40-all. Neither team would score in regulation despite a couple of opportunities that just didn’t materialize for us.
We had a steal and a 2-on-1 breakaway that ended in a turnover. An opportunity that just got away from us.
The great thing is, the play was a great effort that just missed.
SC called a time out with about 15 seconds left. This allowed us to regroup and get our defense set. One thing we preach is defense wins games.
During the timeout we talked about this and that each player needed to step up and make one last defensive stand and the players went out and created a turnover.
We battled and stayed close until we lost Makana (who fouled out in overtime.)
Fouls hurt us throughout the game.
When three starters foul out and the free throw discrepancy was 27 for them and 11 for us, it’s tough to swallow as a coach.
I will never blame the refs for a game won or lost; we had our opportunities, we fouled, we turned the ball over and missed some shots or didn’t get out on a shooter.
With that said, we also played our best game of the season.
Every player came ready to play and when called on ready to contribute.
The start of the game, SC probably came out thinking, this should be pretty easy after watching us play on Monday night.
Well, they got the true Coupeville girls basketball team. One that came to play our game and at the end of the night know that if they did that they could walk of the court with No Regret.
For me, this was the most fun I’ve had in three years in coaching a game.
Oh, I’ve enjoyed this season and the others seasons as well. We have had some amazing games, but with how this game played out it was so much fun.
The strong first quarter, the adversity of the fouls, the bench ready to step up, the sticking to the plan heading into the fourth despite losing the lead at the end of the third.
Then playing shut down defense late in the fourth to give ourselves a shot at the end.
The only thing missing was getting the win.
Amy and I are so proud of what these players did as a team this season.
We were led by a very strong senior and upper class group.
The JV team (14-5 overall, 9-0 in league) played with heart all season long and have big shoes to fill.
The success we have had this season will make these players hungrier for next season; I believe they now know what it is going to take to continue what we have started here in Coupeville.
Each year the program has gotten stronger and stronger.
I think players got better tonight and grew up a little.
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