Tears and laughter mixed as the CHS girls’ hoops squad came together in the locker room after their loss Friday. (Amy King photo)
Wolf seniors Breeanna Messner (left) and Amanda Fabrizi. (John Fisken photo)
In the end, they simply ran out of gas.
Playing less than 24 hours after an emotional, one-point win at home that ended with their classmates charging the floor in celebration, the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team had to turn around and ride on a school bus to the Canadian border Friday afternoon.
Once they got to Blaine to play their third district playoff game in four days, whether it was tired legs, tired minds, tired spirits or a combination of all three, the Wolves couldn’t quite pull off another miracle.
Despite rallying in the fourth, they fell 50-40 to the host Borderites, ending their season at 10-13, a win short of advancing to tri-districts and prolonging the hoops careers of seniors Breeanna Messner and Amanda Fabrizi.
“Tonight just wasn’t meant to be,” said CHS coach David King. “We started flat and couldn’t break out of it. We didn’t have a bounce in our step on defense and couldn’t find a rhythm on offense.
“After an emotional win last night, the travel up North may have had a hand in our start to the game.”
Well-rested after not having to travel, Blaine came out crisp and took advantage of Coupeville’s tiredness, running out to a 16-7 lead after one quarter.
The Borderites continued to build their lead, eventually ballooning out to a 45-22 margin heading into the fourth.
It was then, at a moment when most teams would have just rolled up and headed back to the bus, that Coupeville suddenly surged, closing the game on a 18-5 run.
With Fabrizi pumping in nine of her game-high 19 in the quarter, the Wolves cut into the lead but were too far back to fully catch up before time ran out on them and their season.
Before they went, though, the Wolves staged a perfect farewell for their senior leaders.
With less than two minutes to play, Kacie Kiel set up Messner and Fabrizi on back-to-back plays and the captains both swished three-point bombs on the final shots of their stellar high school hoops careers.
“The most fitting ending for two outstanding basketball players,” King said. “Even though we lost, a perfect ending with both of our seniors leading the way and knocking down their last shots!”
Kiel also got her first technical after scrapping with a Blaine player while fighting for a loose ball on the ground.
“Nothing intentional, the girl was on her and she just wanted her to get off,” King said.
“She just couldn’t let me be the only one on varsity to get a technical this year,” he added with a laugh.
Makana Stone pumped in 10 points to back Fabrizi’s 19, while also snagging six boards and rejecting four shots. Julia Myers and Madeline Strasburg both popped for four, while Messner tacked on three to round out the scoring.
Strasburg, back after missing Thursday’s playoff game with an illness, snatched five rebounds while Myers collected four. Kiel handed out five assists and Monica Vidoni came off the bench to register a pair of blocked shots.
The Wolves jumped in wins, from six in King’s first year at the helm to 10 this season. They had the most wins of any of the six varsity hoops squads (Coupeville, South Whidbey, Oak Harbor) on Whidbey Island in 2013-2014.
While the loss of Messner and Fabrizi will be huge, the example they set should fuel those who return next season when CHS, the smallest 1A school in the state, moves from the 1A/2A Cascade Conference to a 1A-only division of the Olympic League.
“Bree and Amanda are true leaders and others will have huge shoes to fill next year and beyond,” King said. “Amanda has stepped up this year and has really increased her scoring and has been a good compliment to Makana. Her scoring has helped us win games.
“Bree has been do whatever it takes to help this team win,” he added. “Returning players need to emulate the dedication, hard work and relentless drive to get better. Team came first for them, over individual stats.”
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