Coupeville Sports

Haley Marx

Marx looks to trigger a play during a recent Wolf practice. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Her teammates like her. They really like her.

And what’s not to like about Haley Marx? The Coupeville High School senior, recently selected with Bessie Walstad to be captains for the Wolf girls’ basketball squad, has been a quietly confident, well-respected leader every step of the way.

Regardless of the sport (she was also a captain in soccer) or activity (she was a Homecoming princess two years running and is the Senior Class president), Marx is always at the forefront. While she may not play the flashy positions that get a lot of the headlines, it’s her determination and hard work that stand out.

There’s also her modesty, as she seems genuinely thrilled to be voted in to a leadership position by her fellow players.

“Honestly, it was a huge honor to be picked as captain for my senior year, especially since we have such a large group of seniors on the team who have been playing basketball just as long as me,” Marx said. “It means a lot that they chose me to help lead the team.

“It’s a lot of responsibility and leadership but I won’t let them down,” she added. “They chose me for a reason and I intend on leading the team as best I possibly can.”

The Wolves, playing under new coach David King, have split their opening games, following up a close loss to Cedar Park Christian with a resounding win over Meridian.

Picked to finish last in the Cascade Conference in a poll of coaches, the Wolves are anxious to prove the preseason predictions dead wrong.

“I believe we are a different team than last year,” Marx said. “Granted, we lost some key players like Cassidi Rosenkrance, Katie Smith and Taya Boonstra, but this has caused our team to come together more and work harder as a team to compensate.

“We have a new coach that has changed our style of play, which suits our team very well,” she added. “As a team and individually, we have the drive to win and more competitiveness than any other year. Every time they place Coupeville last or say derogatory things about us, it gives us even more motivation to prove them wrong, and we will!”

Marx would like to see her team finish in the top half of the eight-team 1A/2A league, while looking to increase her own role as a scorer.

“I want us to win as much as possible,” Marx said. “I have have high hopes for the team because I know we can achieve these goals; also, it’s my senior year and I want this season to be the best.

“As a player, my personal goal is to score at least five to 10 points per game,” she added. “This is a challenge, but the team needs me to score and I want to contribute as much as possible.”

Marx prides herself on her passing (“I know how to find the open holes on the court and can get the ball to my teammates”), but is always looking to fine-tune her shooting.

“I need to work on my jump shot and free throws,” she said. “With my jump shot I need a quicker release and to shoot more often. With free throws, honestly I need to just practice more — I should be shooting at least 50-60%.

“Free throws can win games, so it is really important that I get better at them.”

Marx and her teammates have adapted quickly to their head coach, who most of them played for at the JV level. With David King and wife Amy King (back in her old role as Wolf JV coach) having been around for years, the transition from Jackie Bykonen, who resigned after two years to pursue a job outside the school district, has been a smooth one.

“With Bykonen leaving and the Kings taking over as the head coaches, it has been a really positive change,” Marx said. “It was sad to see Bykonen leave and I enjoyed her as a coach and so did the other girls, but we are a different team this year and change was needed.

“Since the Kings have taken over, it has been really great, and all the girls would agree,” she added. “King is trying to change the mentality of our team and the whole program itself. Coming out with a much more competitive edge. That every team we play we are there to win, even when its King’s or Murphy.”

Marx has also benefited from the addition of assistant coaches Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby, Brittany Black and Ashley Kellison, all former hoops stars who can still bring the fire in practice.

“All three of them have been great role models for the team,” Marx said. “I know that personally, I really look up to them and so do all the other girls on the team.”

As she wends her way through her final year at CHS, Marx looks back fondly at what has come before, citing her sophomore soccer season, when the Wolves swept a home-and-home series from South Whidbey, as a personal favorite. She also looks ahead with great anticipation for what is yet to play out, both in athletics and in academics.

“I’m looking forward to graduation and speaking, since I got class president. I am really excited for that,” Marx said. “Also, our senior trip, because it’s a complete surprise!”

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McKenzie Bailey (owner of the best socks in the game) looks for an open teammate during a practice, while Miranda Engle moves past her. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Undefeated and loving it!

It may only be two games into the season, but it’s never too early to heap praise on the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad, which has come out firing on all cylinders this season.

Getting contributions from their entire roster, the Wolves have roared out to a 2-0 start after paddling host Meridian 35-18 Saturday afternoon.  With six players scoring, led by Miranda Engle with nine and Wynter Thorne with seven, Coupeville broke the game open in the second quarter.

Using a 14-5 run, sparked by four points apiece from Engle and Kacie Kiel, the Wolves cracked Meridian’s zone defense. After that, they called on their own defense, with Madeline Strasburg and McKayla Bailey harassing the Trojan point guards relentlessly and Strasburg picking off several passes on inbound plays.

In fact, the fired up Coupeville defense held Meridian without a field goal in the entire second half, surrendering just a handful of free throws.

The game got progressively rougher as it played out, said Coupeville coach Amy King. The Wolves racked up 20 fouls while briefly losing Kiel (twisted knee) and Engle (victim of being clocked extra hard in the key).

Both bounced back and King was pleased to see her new-to-the-game players chip in with hustle and strong play, as well.

“Samantha Martin had her first steal ever, racing down the court closely followed by two defenders. Another first, Julia Felici got a little physical and chalked up her first foul of the season,” King said. “Yes, I live for the “firsts” and just love watching these girls improving.”

Engle and Thorne were backed up in the scoring column by Kiel, who tossed in six and Strasburg and McKenzie Bailey, who each pumped in five. McKayla Bailey rounded out the scoring attack with her first three points of the season.

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      A healthy, happy Wolf girls’ hoops squad celebrates its first win of the season. (Aimee Bishop photo)

Bellingham was the place to be Saturday.

Far away from the illness that swept through the Coupeville High School boys’ basketball team, the Wolf girls’ were hale, hearty and in a winning mood.

Powered by the one-two scoring combo of senior Lauren Escalle (11 points) and freshman Makana Stone (10), Coupeville ran away with a 43-36 victory over host Meridian for its first win of the young season.

The non-conference victory evened the Wolves record at 1-1 as they open their year with a five-game road trip.

The extra travel didn’t seem to hurt Coupeville, as they used a 17-point second quarter to grab a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

Meridian rallied late in the game with a six-point explosion off of one play (the Trojans hit a three-point bomb and the Wolves were called for a foul on a potential rebounder, then, after a free-throw, Meridian put back in an offensive rebound off of a missed free throw), but the Wolves iced the game at the line.

While Coupeville struggled a bit at the charity stripe (15 of 37), it made them when it mattered, as Bessie Walstad swished two and Amanda Fabrizi nailed one to close out the game.

With the refs calling a close game, Coupeville had to sit back a bit on defense.

“Once again, the girls came out ready to play,” said coach David King. “Defensively we couldn’t play as aggressive as we would have liked to. The game was called tight, so we adapted like good teams do.”

Stone snagged seven boards to go with her offensive production, while Walstad (six), Haley Marx (five) and Hailey Hammer (four) chipped in with solid scoring numbers. Fabrizi, Breeanna Messner and Madeline Strasburg each scored two (Strasburg’s first varsity points) while Jai’Lysa Hoskins added a free throw.

Coupeville spread its offense around well, notching 12 assists on its 14 field goals.

The Wolves return to the road next week, with games at La Conner Thursday, Dec. 7 and at Cedarcrest the next night. The Cedarcrest match-up is their Cascade Conference opener.

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“Destroy Bothell? Well, if you insist…”

Madeline Strasburg is a beast.

As the swing player for the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team, she’ll bounce between JV and varsity this season. But, wherever you put her on the floor, the sophomore is going to cause unholy pain for the opposing team.

That much was evident Thursday, as Strasburg used her two quarters with the Wolf JV squad to blow the doors off the gym at Cedar Park Christian. Pumping in a team-high 11 points, she paced Coupeville to a crisp 23-14 victory that left coach Amy King with a broad smile on her face afterwards.

Despite playing without experienced post players Monica Vidoni and Camilla Rische, the Wolves roared right out of the gate, opening a 10-0 lead after one quarter. From there, the beat-down commenced, as Coupeville held its Bothell hosts to just five points in the first three quarters.

“Our defense was great the whole game — the girls hustled, followed the ball, causing some turnovers for the other team, getting some steals and getting rebounds that helped keep Cedar Park out of the key in general,” King said. “We moved our feet and were able to keep from getting in foul trouble — ending with a total of five fouls for the entire game!

“New record for a JV game? Maybe!”

With Strasburg and her boundless energy pacing the way, the Wolves never stopped coming, often sacrificing their bodies for the good of the team.

“Madeline helped in giving directions to her teammates, running the floor great and being fearless in taking the ball to the hole,” King said. “I was very proud of the effort that all of our team gave.

“McKayla Bailey and Wynter Thorne both stepped up and played hard offense and defense – moving the ball, helping in the point guard position as well as post,” she added. “Yes, we have players here that can play a variety of positions this year – it’s great!”

Kacie Kiel, McKenzie Bailey and Miranda Engle each chipped in with four points apiece for the Wolves, with Engle ably filling in for the missing post players (“Miranda really stepped up great – had a lot of rebounds and played really good overall defense.”)

Coupeville ended up getting strong play from its entire roster, King said, even the new players.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from our three players who have not played before (or only a season in middle school) — Julia Felici, Samantha Martin and Emily Coulter,” King said. “They were all fairly nervous going into this game, but once the nerves settled, they all really stepped up and played hard.

“As all good JV games should be, it got rough now and then – with McKayla ending up on the floor several times; McKenzie, Miranda and Wynter joined her on occasion, too.” she added. “All got up, dusted themselves off and just kept playing as hard as they did before going down.”

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 Hailey Hammer reaches out to snag a rebound during practice, as teammates Amanda Fabrizi (in black), Lauren Escalle (33) and Madeline Strasburg (11) watch. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Laura Goodnight had a great night.

Unfortunately for Wolf fans who made the trip to Bothell Thursday for opening night of the girls’ basketball season, Goodnight plays for host Cedar Park Christian and not Coupeville. Paced by her eight point, 15 rebound, six steal performance, the Eagles roared out to a big lead, then held off a fourth-quarter Coupeville rally to snag a defensive-minded 28-21 victory.

The loss, which featured ice-cold shooting for much of the game from both teams and a particularly painful collapse at the free-throw line by the Wolves (three for 16), threatened to turn into a blow-out after three quarters. Trailing 27-12 with eight minutes to play, Coupeville tightened the defensive screws, however, and threw together an impressive 9-1 rally in the final quarter.

While it wasn’t quite enough to carry the Wolves all the way back to their first win, it did offer hope for the future. With its first five games on the road, Coupeville will need to pull together as a team, and that philosophy was on display in the fourth quarter.

The game also offered the beginning of the Makana Stone era, as the freshman phenom debuted with a team-high six points, joining sophomore sensation Hailey Hammer at the top of the Wolf scoring list. Breeanna Messner chipped in with four points, Amanda Fabrizi and Jai’Lysa Hoskins each dropped in a bucket and team captain Bessie Walstad chipped in with a free throw.

Coupeville continues its never-ending season-opening road trip Saturday, when it travels to Bellingham to face Meridian in another non-conference game. The Wolves first home game of the season is Friday, Dec. 14 against South Whidbey.

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