Lyla Stuurmans played strongly on both ends of the floor Saturday in Coupeville’s first win of the season. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
The crowd got rowdy, but the Wolves had sharper teeth.
Closing the game on a 19-2 run Saturday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad claimed its first victory of the season, thunking host Sultan 33-25.
The non-conference win, coming in a wild game that featured two technical fouls (and a Sultan fan being ejected from the gym), lifts the Wolves to 1-2.
It should also give Megan Richter’s team a confidence boost heading into a busy week.
Coupeville hosts Orcas Island next Wednesday, in a non-conference bout between Northwest 2B/1B League rivals.
After that comes a road trip Friday to Friday Harbor — which will count in the league standings — before a home showdown Saturday, Dec. 16 with South Whidbey.
That third game will also feature a 50th anniversary celebration for the CHS girls’ hoops program.
The road trip to Sultan got Coupeville back on the floor against a rival for the first time in a week, and the game was a memorable one from the get-go.
Operating their whistles at a merry pace, the three refs in attendance handed out techs to Coupeville (for aggressive defense) and Sultan (for naughty words), with the Turks top player fouling out less than three minutes into the third quarter.
Before that, the Wolves built a 9-4 lead in the first quarter behind big shots from sparkplug Katie Marti.
The junior point guard knocked down a three-ball from the right side, then hit a pullup jumper while boldly staring down the defense.
With some scoring help from her teammates, both from the field and at the free throw line, Marti and her crew were looking strong.
And then promptly went all eight minutes of the second quarter without hitting a single field goal.
Sultan, when its fans weren’t being given the heave-ho by refs who didn’t appreciate the chirping comin’ from the cheap seats, used a 12-3 surge to claim the halftime lead.
Mia Farris and Lyla Stuurmans both slipped charity shots through the net in the second frame, with CHS scoring leader Farris breaking her season-long streak of only scoring in the fourth quarter.
Mia Farris, about to make off with another steal.
But the Wolves were still down 16-12 at the break, and things got a little bleaker before they got beautiful.
Coupeville, still unable to hit a field goal through the first chunk of the third, fell behind 23-14 and desperately needed a spark.
At which point Farris revealed her alter ego, that of Superwoman.
Ripping a ball loose, the three-sport standout made off with a steal, fired up the jet pack she likely had hidden under her jersey, and roared away from the crowd.
Beating everyone to the other end of the floor, Keaton’s lil’ sis slapped home a layup to write another chapter in her family’s stellar hoops history and the entire game shifted.
Two free throws from Marti, then back-to-back jumpers from Marti and Farris capped an 8-0 run, pulling the Wolves within one at 23-22.
While Sultan countered with a bucket off a lob, that was the last point the Turks would get on this night.
Jada Heaton arched a pair of free throws through the twines to pull Coupeville within 25-24 heading into the fourth, and the final frame belonged to the Wolfpack.
Farris added six of her season-high 12 points in the fourth — keeping alive her status as the Wolf most likely to shank you in the game’s closing moments — and CHS pulled off a flawless 9-0 frame.
With the 50th anniversary celebration a week away, it was the kind of performance which reminds one of how much can change in a single game, and why stats matter.
With her 12-point burst, Farris passes 15 former Wolves on the career scoring chart, and the roll call covers memorable names like Courtney Boyd, Anya Leavell, Andilee Murphy, and Janiece Jenkins.
All have played a part in the success of the Coupeville hoops program, and the rise of one player brings reminders of the greatness which came before.
The Wolf juniors are a talented, tight-knit bunch.
The current Wolf squad is led by its juniors, with that five-pack accounting for all of Saturday’s scoring.
Marti dropped in nine points to back Farris, while McMillan (5), Stuurmans (4), and Heaton (3) also kept the scorekeeper busy.
Teagan Calkins, Skylar Parker, Reese Wilkinson, and Kayla Arnold also saw floor time for the Wolves, with Wilkinson hitting the boards with a savage fury.
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