First-year varsity head coach Megan Smith has the Coupeville girls at 4-2 heading into the holiday break. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The rim was unforgiving.
Held to a season-low in points Friday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball squad hit a rare pothole.
Unable to sustain much of a charge against host Mount Vernon Christian, the Wolves fell 55-24, snapping a three-game winning streak.
The loss drops Coupeville to 3-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-2 overall, heading into the holiday break.
Defending NWL champs La Conner sits atop the standings at 4-0, while CHS and MVC are tied for second-place, a game back with eight more conference clashes coming in 2022.
Coupeville is off for two-weeks plus, not playing any games, league or non-league, until Jan. 4.
Entering play Friday, Coupeville had tallied between 36 and 59 points every time out. That streak ended, however.
The Wolves fell behind 8-0 after one quarter, then were staring at a 29-2 deficit by the time the halftime break rolled around.
Coupeville’s only first half bucket came courtesy of a putback off of a rebound by Izzy Wells, and CHS didn’t score again until the 3:22 mark of the third quarter.
Trailing 39-2 when Audrianna Shaw drilled a three-ball, the Wolves found a second wind, something which pleased its leader.
“We showed up halfway through the third (quarter) and finally started to play,” said Coupeville coach Megan Smith. “It was a big learning game for us.
“I’m bummed for them, but they saw that we could play with the top dogs,” she added. “It’s all about confidence, and we finally gained it.”
The Wolves put together their best offensive showing in the fourth quarter, winning the eight-minute battle 16-12.
Delivering a nice jolt of energy was junior sniper Alita Blouin, who banged away for a team-high 11 points in her season debut.
Crashing through the defense and drawing frequent fouls on her foes, “The Assassin” revived memories of her middle school days, when she terrorized anyone who dared to step to her on the hardwood.
Running mate Maddie Georges backed up Blouin with five points, including a late three-ball, while Shaw (3), Izzy Wells (2), Nezi Keiper (1), Savina Wells (1), and Ja’Kenya Hoskins (1) also scored.
While the team’s shooting touch was AWOL early, Coupeville’s hustle and grit on defense were always evident, with Keiper and Carolyn Lhamon hitting the boards with intensity.
