Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Girls Basketball’ Category

“The comeback of all comebacks!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Chelsea Prescott hit a key three-ball Tuesday to spark a 16-0 fourth quarter run which carried the Coupeville varsity to a come-from-behind win in Sultan. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

You could hear the desperation in the announcer’s voices, and it was delicious.

Sultan High School broadcasts many of its home athletic contests across the internet on TurkTV, and the final quarter of Tuesday night’s varsity girls basketball game against visiting Coupeville was right there, live on YouTube, when I arrived home after the Wolf boys finished play in their own gym.

It was, for all CHS fans, eight minutes of brilliantly-scripted television.

For the Sultan announcers, it was, apparently, like taking that moment when you realize you left your parachute back in the airplane, then stretching it out for all eternity.

Playing with fiery intensity, Coupeville’s hoops stars erupted for a game-ending 16-0 run, turning a five-point deficit into an electrifying 39-28 win in their league opener.

Now 6-1 overall, 1-0 in North Sound Conference play, with five straight wins to their credit, the Wolves danced off the floor.

The Turk announcers pleaded for a stop which would never arrive, veered off into a game of “blame the refs” while their team tossed up brick after brick in the waning moments, then went dead silent.

It was kind of beautiful.

And, while he probably didn’t hear the broadcasters, what with being busy on the bench and all, CHS coach Scott Fox was similarly aglow as he headed back to the bus.

“The comeback of all comebacks!” he exclaimed.

On a night when his team couldn’t buy a bucket for long stretches of the game, in a game where the Wolves fell behind almost by double-digits, at a moment when the odds looked long, Fox’s crew came through.

Big time.

“Down by eight with no offense, we turned up the defensive pressure and pulled out a great win,” Fox said.

“Hannah (Davidson) was huge in the middle, Scout (Smith) was big, and Chelsea (Prescott) hit an amazing three to start our run,” he added. “It was awesome to be part of a comeback like that.”

When they stepped back onto the floor to begin the fourth quarter, the Wolves trailed 28-23 and they needed a spark.

Two free throws from Davidson shaved the lead down, but it was the next two trips down the floor, when CHS delivered back-to-back roundhouse punches, which really broke Sultan’s spirit.

First, Avalon Renninger jumped in front of a Turk pass, then fed Smith for a breakaway layup, before Prescott, one eyebrow arched ever so slightly, drilled the bottom out of the net on her three-ball.

As the basketball flipped the net upwards as it dropped through, the Wolf bench went bonkers, while the Sultan crowd (and the TurkTV announcers) wailed and gnashed all of their teeth.

All of them, I said. All of them.

Back in front, the Wolves got progressively nastier on defense, picking off passes and forcing shot clock violations, then coming down and converting off of the extra chances.

Even better, a Coupeville team which has struggled a bit at the free throw line in the early part of the season, seems to have solved that issue.

At least for one night, as the Wolves netted 19 freebies, including nine in the final quarter.

Seven of Coupeville’s final nine points in the game came thanks to well-deserved trips to the charity stripe, with the prettiest make being a Renninger shot which bounced straight up into the sky, touched the heavens, then dropped back through with a happy lil’ plop.

The comeback capped a game which went back and forth in the early going.

Coupeville led 10-9 at the first break, then trailed 21-14 at the half as its offense sputtered a bit in the second quarter.

A 9-7 mini-run in the third, with Prescott leading the way, helped set up what would be a sweet finale.

The Wolves, as they have done all season, spread out the offensive love, with Smith hitting for a game-high 12 points.

The senior captain passed a personal milestone Tuesday, becoming just the 56th girl to score 200 points in the history of CHS girls basketball, which runs from 1974 to today.

With 209 career points and counting, Smith sits #54 all-time, 14 points away from cracking the Top 50.

Tuesday night she was backed up by Davidson (9), Prescott (8), freshman Maddie Georges (4), Renninger (4), and Kylie Van Velkinburgh (2).

Coupeville has two more games this week, but won’t play another league game until January.

The Wolves travel to Port Townsend Thursday, host Nooksack Valley Saturday, then are off 12 days for winter break.

When they return to action, the CHS girls have one more non-conference game Jan. 3 at Chimacum, then play eight straight league games to cap the regular season.

Read Full Post »

JV rolls to win in league opener

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Freshman Ryanne Knoblich tossed in five points Tuesday as Coupeville’s JV thrashed Sultan. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Keep the pressure on.

If that was the plan Tuesday for the Coupeville High School JV girls basketball squad, it worked really well.

Outscoring host Sultan in every quarter, the Wolves headed back to the bus carrying a well-executed 27-17 win in their league opener.

The victory lifts the young guns to 4-1 overall, 1-0 in North Sound Conference play.

Coupeville garnered the win thanks to remarkably consistent play, as they outscored the Turks by the same score, 6-4, in the first, second, and fourth quarters.

Just to mix things up, the Wolves came out hot in the third quarter and rang up a 9-5 advantage to make sure the scorebook operator was paying attention.

Freshman guard Alita Blouin was the wind beneath Coupeville’s wings, powering her way to a game-high 10 points while tossing in at least a free throw in every quarter.

She got plenty of help from her teammates, with Ella Colwell banking home seven points and Ryanne Knoblich hitting for five.

Gwen Gustafson rattled the rims for four, while Abby Mulholland nailed a free throw to round out the offensive attack.

Also seeing floor time for Megan Smith’s squad were Natalie Castano, Claire Mayne, Jessenia Camarena, Morgan Stevens, and Savana Allen.

The Wolf JV has a busy week, with another road game Thursday at Port Townsend, then a home game Saturday against Nooksack Valley.

After that, Coupeville heads out on winter break.

Read Full Post »

Shock the world, rock the court

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on December 14, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Having played a major role in Coupeville winning a SWISH basketball championship, Lauren Marrs enjoys the moment. (Emili Marrs photo)

Savina Wells slices ‘n dices the defense. (Corinn Parker photo)

The champs. (Photo courtesy Corinn Parker’s dad)

Katie Marti is ready to wreck you. (Corinn Parker photos)

Lyla Stuurmans (3) brings the heat. “Oh, son. They are gonna need that first aid kit so bad when I get done carvin’ up that defense!!”

This is a Cinderella story.

A tale of 12 hardwood hustlers from Cow Town who went to the big city, beat the Vegas odds, and stunned the hoops world as they exited the gym, hoisting an improbable, but very-deserved championship trophy.

Go back to the start of the Skagit County Parks and Rec SWISH basketball season, back when Coupeville’s 7th/8th grade girls team was 0-4.

Now jump forward to Saturday, when the Wolves entered the postseason tourney as the #4 seed in a five-team draw.

Capping a wild ride, Coupeville won three games in one afternoon, KO’d the tourney’s top two teams, and emerged as the Silver Division champions.

Plus, they got to eat a bunch of pizza in between games, so score another win.

With the Saturday sweep, the Wolves finished their season on a five-game winning streak, having avenged several of those early-season losses.

And those tourney wins?

Not a close score to be found, as Coupeville drilled #5 seed Friday Harbor 23-8, whacked #1 seed Monroe 33-21, then walloped #2 seed Mt. Bakery 33-24 in the championship game.

“This team just keeps amazing me with their heart and winning spirit,” said Wolf coach Fred Farris. “They really made this old ball coach super proud!!”

How the day played out:

 

Friday Harbor:

Having routed their opening rival during the regular season, the Wolves used the game to give their less-experienced players plenty of floor time, while also making sure everyone on the roster scored this season.

It worked out beautifully as both Reese Wilkinson and Jada Heaton knocked down their first buckets, with Savina Wells setting up the duo with precise passes.

Wells paced Coupeville with a game-high 13 points, with Lauren Marrs, Madison McMillan, and Brionna Blouin chipping in with two points apiece.

 

Monroe:

Taking the role of David in a David vs. Goliath showdown, the Wolves stunned the tourney’s top seed, avenging an early-season loss to a dangerous team.

“After the opening round game the girls were focused on playing “championship” basketball,” Fred Farris said. “Their tenacity was at an all-time high.

“They battled for every loose ball and lifted their teammates up when they got knocked to the floor by a physical Monroe squad.”

Trailing by four at the half, Coupeville rallied by “breaking their full-court press and turning it into instant offense.”

Scrappy Wolf guard Lyla Stuurmans, playing like mom Sarah did back in the day, went nuclear, ripping off back-to-back coast-to-coast runs for game-breaking buckets.

Staggered, Monroe had no answer, and the game turned into a romp as Marrs and Blouin stuck the dagger in by launching three-balls which hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

Wells was top scorer with 11, while Stuurmans netted a season-high 10, and Marrs banged away for five. Blouin (3), McMillan (2), and Mia Farris (2) also scored.

 

Mt. Bakery: 

A bit sluggish after a long, pizza-filled break, the Wolves got things going thanks to their own full-court zone press, which they recently started working on in practice.

It was an immediate winner, helping Coupeville bolt out to a 16-8 lead at the half.

“Lauren, Taylor (Brotemarkle), Mia, and Lyla forced many ball-hawking traps with Savina and Madison stealing all the long passes, creating some easy looks for us at the rim,” Fred Farris said.

“The girls never looked back! Lauren, Lyla, and Savina really were impressive leaders throughout the day.”

Putting a bow on a season in which she averaged 13 points a game, Wells tossed in a game-high 20, with Blouin (6), Marrs (5), and Mia Farris (2) also making the nets dance a happy dance.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Savina Wells – 143
Lauren Marrs – 52
Brionna Blouin – 23
Madison McMillan – 17
Lyla Stuurmans – 16
Mia Farris – 7
Skylar Parker – 6
Katie Marti – 4
Chloe Marzocca – 4
Taylor Brotemarkle – 2
Jada Heaton – 2
Reese Wilkinson – 2

Read Full Post »

Best start in a decade

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 14, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Izzy Wells was one of eight Wolves to score Saturday in Seattle as Coupeville’s varsity won its fourth-straight game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re getting historical.

Sparked by a big second quarter Saturday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball team clobbered The Bush School to keep its early-season hot streak alive.

With the 41-28 non-conference road victory in Seattle, the Wolves are on a four-game winning streak and sit at 5-1.

That’s the best start by a CHS girls hoops team since the 2009-2010 squad, which was led in scoring by current JV coach Megan Smith, opened 6-1.

Coupeville, which plays its first North Sound Conference game next Tuesday, Dec. 17, when it travels to Sultan, is mixing aggressive defense with opportunistic scoring.

First-year head coach Scott Fox has a 13-player roster, and it’s a mix of seasoned vets who enjoyed success under previous coach David King before he retired, and young guns looking to make their own mark.

Saturday’s game perfectly captured Coupeville’s “something new, something old” style, as senior Scout Smith, and her likely heir at point guard, freshman Maddie Georges, teamed up to batter their foes.

Smith scored in every quarter, topping the Wolves with 10 points, while Georges nailed a pair of three-balls in the decisive second quarter, en route to eight points of her own.

The duo were part of a very-balanced offense, as eight different CHS players scratched their names into the scorebook.

Coupeville, whose only loss was to 3A Oak Harbor, which is also off to its best start in years at 5-0, came out strongly on the road.

Attacking the basket with intensity, the Wolves opened up a 10-7 lead after one quarter, then dropped the hammer with a 17-7 run in the night’s second frame.

Georges lit the fuse during that surge with her treys, but Smith, Avalon Renninger, Hannah Davidson, Izzy Wells, and Kylie Van Velkinburgh also netted buckets as CHS was unstoppable.

The Bush School players stiffened their collective spines during halftime and played Coupeville to a dead heat in the second half, with the third quarter going 9-9 and the fourth finishing 5-5, but it was too late for a rally.

“Well, we did it again,” Fox said. “Scout stepped up big time and led us like a senior.

“Maddie played great and Hannah controlled the middle; another team win.”

While Smith (10) and Georges (8) had the hottest shooting touch, Davidson and Chelsea Prescott were hot on their heels, dropping in six points apiece.

Wells (4), Renninger (3), Mollie Bailey (2), and Van Velkinburgh (2) rounded out the offensive attack, with Tia Wurzrainer, Carolyn Lhamon, Audrianna Shaw, and Anya Leavell garnering quality floor time.

After playing at Sultan, the Wolves play two non-conference games next week, traveling to Port Townsend Thursday and hosting Nooksack Valley Saturday.

After that, they’re off for 12 days, returning Jan. 3 to kick-off the 2020 portion of the 2019-2020 hoops season.

Read Full Post »

Wolves run, gun, and stun

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 14, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Freshman Carolyn Lhamon banked in 10 points Friday as Coupeville’s varsity girls improved to 4-1 with a rout of Concrete. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Some nights everything works.

Friday was just such a sublime moment for the Coupeville High School girls varsity basketball squad, as it rocked visiting Concrete to a 57-27 tune.

With 11 of 12 active players scoring, all led by hard-working freshman Carolyn Lhamon having a breakout game, the Wolves improve to 4-1 on the season.

All four wins have come against schools which are in the Northwest 2B/1B League, which Coupeville joins next season, while the lone loss was to undefeated 3A Oak Harbor.

Friday’s rumble was a good old-fashioned beatdown, as the Wolves struck quickly and never, ever let up.

Flying in from the left side of the floor, senior team leader Avalon Renninger drilled a runner to open the scoring, and that opened the floodgates.

Pick your poison if you were Concrete, cause everyone in a Wolf uniform was going to hurt you on this night.

Six different CHS players made the net sing in the opening quarter, as the home team bolted out to a 17-3 lead.

Wolf junior Chelsea Prescott led the way in the first frame, banging home five points with a variety of moves.

Her first bucket came off of an offensive rebound which she ripped down, then immediately took back up strongly, while her second basket was a pull-up jumper which barely rippled the net as it dropped through.

Concrete couldn’t focus just on Prescott, though, as Renninger was also in a groove, banking home a second shot on the move, while Scout Smith, Lhamon, Maddie Georges, and Anya Leavell also scored in the early going.

Coupeville kept its motor humming in the second quarter, with coach Scott Fox directing his hardwood warriors to attack on the fly and press their advantage.

While Smith and fellow senior Hannah Davidson were quietly effective, tossing in buckets off of steals and rebounds, respectively, the star of the second eight-minute stretch was Audrianna Shaw.

The sophomore sparkplug came charging off the bench and immediately erupted, blowing up a Concrete player as she tried to crash in for a breakaway layup.

Shaw, chasing her every step of the way, determined glare on her face, came swooping in from behind and (inadvertently) flat-out decked the Lion shooter, sending her crashing hard and preventing the bucket.

Coupeville’s friendly assassin meant no ill will, and immediately helped up her fallen rival and patted her on the shoulder, but the warning had been sent.

Run from Shaw, and she will hunt you down and annihilate your very soul.

One crowd-pleasing play wasn’t enough for Shaw, though, as she also set up running mate Kylie Van Velkinburgh for back-to-back buckets with crisp passes.

Then, just to put a cherry on the sundae, she slapped home her own layup, off of a sparkling pass from Renninger.

Smart, well-executed passes were Coupeville’s calling card Friday, as most of its buckets were set up by teammates working together in near-perfect rhythm.

Romping with a 33-9 lead at the half, the Wolves settled for a 6-6 stalemate in the third quarter, highlighted by Izzy Wells netting a sweet lil’ hook shot off a Davidson feed.

Rested a bit, Coupeville re-jammed the gas pedal through the floor in the final frame, throwing down a game-high 18 points.

Lhamon and Leavell made the perfect tag team in the quarter, powering up to deliver six points apiece as they shredded the last bit of the Concrete defense.

Leavell got hers off of a put-back and then two gorgeous jumpers, both set up by strong passes, one from Shaw, another from Mollie Bailey.

Her younger teammate did most of her damage down in the paint, again benefiting from her teammates making smart set-up plays.

One Lhamon bucket came off of a Shaw pass, another from a set-up by Leavell, as Coupeville’s underclassmen, who will face Concrete often in the future, carried a big portion of the play-making load.

The Wolves finished with their best offensive showing of the season, and a remarkably-balanced scoring sheet.

Lhamon, who had five points coming in, went off for a game-high 10, while Smith and Leavell finished with eight apiece.

Smith continues her charge up the CHS girls hoops career scoring chart, passing six more former Wolf stars Friday including Kassie Lawson, Heather Davis, and state tourney hero Jaime Rasmussen.

With 187 points and counting, the Wolf captain sits at #58 all-time, just 36 points away from cracking the Top 50.

Prescott (7), Renninger (6), Van Velkinburgh (4), Shaw (4), Davidson (4), Bailey (2), Georges (2), and Wells (2) also scored, and Prescott continues to chase Smith.

Having tallied 171 career points, the multi-talented junior rose five spots Friday to land at #66 all-time.

With freshman Nezi Keiper sidelined with an injury, the lone Wolf not to score against Concrete was Tia Wurzrainer.

But her calling card has always been defense, and the senior guard made her impact felt on that end of the floor, harassing the Lion ballhandlers and forcing numerous turnovers.

Coupeville won’t have terribly long to bask in the afterglow of the win, as it hits the road Saturday, traveling to Seattle to face The Bush School.

The Wolves play their first game of their last season in the North Sound Conference next Tuesday, Dec. 17, when they travel to Sultan.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »