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Archive for the ‘Middle School’ Category

Hoops heroes head towards finish line

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on March 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s 8th graders pose with coaches Brooke Crowder (left) and Makana Stone. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Play for wins today, while building for bigger success tomorrow.

As the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams near the end of their season, the young Wolves continue to show great growth and promise.

Case in point, Thursday’s home clashes with Sultan, where CMS romped to one win and pushed the always-tough Turks very hard in the other two games.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

The game was tied after one quarter of action, before Sultan pulled away to claim a 27-10 win.

The Turks put together 8-1 and 8-2 runs across the middle two frames, busting open a game which had been knotted up at 4-4 at the first break.

Kennedy O’Neill pumped in all four of Coupeville’s points in the opening quarter, including netting a pair of free throws, and finished with a team-high five.

Aubrey Flowers (2), KeeAyra Brown (2), and Zayne Roos (1) rounded out the Wolf scoring, with Cameron Van Dyke, Emma Cushman, Sophia Batterman, Allison Powers, and Elizabeth Marshall also seeing floor time.

 

Level 2:

Finley Helm had the hot hand, sparking her squad to a runaway 29-16 victory.

The CMS 7th grader, who recently celebrated her 13th birthday, went off for a game-high 12 points, with 10 of those coming in the first half as the Wolves built a 13-10 advantage,

After the break, Coupeville stretched the margin out to 21-14 through three, then slammed the door shut on the Turks with a dynamic defensive stand.

Annaliese Powers torched the nets for eight points in support of Helm, with Emma Green (3), Savannah Coxsey (2), Bella Sandlin (2), and Flowers (2) also making the net bounce.

Annabelle Cundiff and Addison Jacobson completed the rotation for the Wolves.

 

Level 3:

One bad quarter killed the Wolves chance of a win, as the Turks used a 14-2 surge in the fourth quarter to claim the game.

Before that, it was a nailbiter, with Sultan clinging to 8-6, 12-11, and 16-14 leads at the conclusion of the previous three frames.

Laurel Crowder paced the Wolves with four points, while Emma Green (3), Ava Alford (2), Reagan Green (2), Emily Rains (2), Cundiff (2), and Abby Hunt (1) also filled up the scorebook.

Claire Lachnit, Milly Somes, Sophia Burley, Ruby Folkestad, Ari Vinson, and Sandlin also played for CMS.

 

Up next:

The season finale is at home Tuesday, with the Wolves welcoming South Whidbey to town for a 3:15 PM tipoff.

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Long week, big success

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on March 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Finley Helm shows off her hops while winning a jump ball. (Jerry Helm photo)

It was a wild week.

Enduring the loss of both coaches and several players to the wave of winter illnesses crawling through area classrooms and gyms, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads still rallied to win three of five games against private school foes.

Playing at home Tuesday versus Northshore Christian Academy, before hitting the road Thursday to travel to Shoreline to face King’s, the young Wolves proved very resilient.

How things played out:

 

A clean sweep:

Coupeville kicked things off by taking both games against Northshore, which doesn’t field a third squad.

Team #1 held on for a 29-19 win, while Team #2 romped to a 42-6 victory, with both Wolf squads nailing down their first victories of the season.

Cameron Van Dyke had the hot hand for Coupeville’s first team, rattling the rims for a game-high 14 points, with eight of those coming during a game-clinching run in the fourth quarter.

The game had been knotted at 6-6 through one quarter and 10-10 at the half, before CMS pulled away in the second half.

Sophia Batterman and Zayne Roos each knocked down four points in support of Van Dyke, with Hazel Goldman (2), Emma Cushman (2), Cassandra Powers (2), and Kaleigh Millison (1) also netting points.

Kennedy O’Neill, Allison Powers, Aubrey Flowers, and Annaliese Powers rounded out the rotation.

Team #2 romped to its win, bolting out to a 12-2 lead before putting the hammer down by blanking Northshore in both the second and fourth quarters.

Emma Green torched the nets for 22 points, the biggest single-game offensive show by any Wolf this season, while Finley Helm and Annaliese Powers each added six.

Laurel Crowder (4), Ava Alford (2), and Sabrina Judnich (2) also scored, with Claire Lachnit and Addison Jacobson providing a spark on the defensive end of the floor.

 

Wolf coaches Makana Stone (left) and Brooke Crowder are guiding the program to success. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

Strong road trip:

King’s has often been an overwhelming foe for Cascade League teams, but the Wolves pulled out a win in game #2 and almost made off with a victory in game #3.

The battle between the two school’s top teams was a one-sided affair, with the hosts securing a 55-4 victory, but that was the lone blowout of the day.

Cassandra Powers and O’Neill notched Coupeville’s buckets, with Van Dyke, Elizabeth Marshall, Cushman, Roos, Millison, Goldman, KeeAyra Brown, Batterman, and Annaliese Powers all seeing floor time.

Coupeville’s #2 team rebounded from an early 10-2 deficit, roaring back to life thanks to a 16-7 run in the second quarter fueled by eight points from a sweet-shooting Goldman.

Clinging to an 18-17 lead at the half, the Wolves held King’s to just two points in the second half.

Goldman’s eight points led CMS, with Annaliese Powers (6), Emma Green (4), Helm (4), and Flowers (3) scoring in support.

Judnich, Allison Powers, Millison, Savannah Coxsey, and Jacobson also contributed to the win.

Coupeville’s #3 squad almost got to 3-0 on the season, only to have King’s use a 9-4 surge in the fourth to pull out the 21-18 win.

The game had been tied at the half, with the Wolves up 14-12 heading into the final frame.

Crowder banked in eight points, with Bella Sandlin (6), Anabelle Cundiff (2), and Ari Vinson (2) also keeping the scorekeeper busy.

Abbey Hunt, Lachnit, Sophia Burley, Reagan Green, Ruby Folkestad, and Millie Somes were also in action.

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Wily Wolves tangle with testy Turks

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Finley Helm, a killer on the taekwondo mat and the hardwood. (Photos courtesy Jerry Helm)

It was a quick turnaround.

Less than 24 hours after hosting Granite Falls, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams hit the road Thursday for a trek to the wilds of Sultan.

While there, the Wolves played a full slate of three games against the Turks, with Team #3 continuing to set a torrid pace.

How the day went:

 

Team #1:

Sultan’s top squad, always a heavy hitter in the Cascade League, got out to a big lead early and rolled to a 38-12 win.

The Wolves struggled on offense in the first half, being blanked in the opening frame and facing a 23-2 deficit at the break.

But things improved quite a bit after that, with CMS coming out on top 6-5 in the third, and fighting hard until the end.

Cameron Van Dyke paced the Wolves with a team-high four points, while Emma Cushman, Kaleigh Millison, KeeAyra Brown, and Kennedy O’Neill each banked in a bucket in support.

Sophia Batterman, Laurel Crowder, Annaliese Powers, Finley Helm, Allie Powers, and Elizabeth Marshall round out the Coupeville roster.

The Wolves have claimed the ferry as their own.

 

Team #2:

Toss out the third quarter and this was a three-point game.

But a 13-2 Sultan run during the first frame after halftime stung, and the Wolves fell 32-18.

Up until that point, the Turks clung to just an 8-4 lead after one quarter of play, and a 12-10 advantage at the break.

Millison was top girl for the Wolves, rattling the rims for six points, with Helm banking in four.

Hazel Goldman, Emma Green, Selah Rivera, and Aubrey Flowers all added a bucket to the cause, with Cassie Powers, Laurel Crowder, Annaliese Powers, Sabrina Judnich, Addison Jacobson, and Claire Lachnit also in the rotation.

 

Team #3:

The squad that can’t be beat.

After sitting out the opener against South Whidbey when the Falcons couldn’t come up with a third squad, Coupeville’s gunners have gone 2-0.

Following up a win against Granite, the young Wolves held on Thursday to claim a 16-13 victory.

“Team 3 is crushing it!” said CMS coach Makana Stone. “Defensive mentality and teamwork on offense is really clicking for Team 3 – some hard workers really stepping up.”

Coupeville built a 6-2 lead through one quarter, then held Sultan scoreless in the second frame en route to heading to the locker room with a 10-2 advantage.

The Turks made things interesting with a 10-4 run in the third, but Coupeville’s defense limited their hosts to just a single free throw in the fourth to nail down the win.

Ava Alford knocked down eight points to lead the way, with Annabelle Cundiff torching the nets for six and Crowder banking in a bucket.

Ruby Folkestad, Sophia Magdolen, Lachnit, Bella Sandlin, Abbey Hunt, Ari Vinson, Cassie Powers, Emily Rains, Sophia Burley, and Reagan Green round out the hottest team in Wolf country.

 

Up next:

Coupeville returns home Feb. 25, when it hosts Northshore Christian Academy.

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CMS hardwood aces have successful home debut

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville 8th graders are ready for prime time. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The stage was all theirs.

With the high school basketball playoffs on hold Wednesday, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ hardwood aces took possession of the floor.

Facing off with visiting Granite Falls, the young Wolves captured a big win and came close to another victory in their home opener.

How things went down:

 

Level 1:

The one game the visitors dominated, as Coupeville hung tough in the first quarter before falling short in a 35-9 loss.

Granite was clinging to just an 8-6 lead at the first break, but busted things open with 8-1 and 14-0 surges across the next two frames.

Kaleigha Millison paced the Wolves with four points, while Finley Helm (2), Allison Powers (2), and Elizabeth Marshall (1) also scored.

Sophia Batterman, Emma Cushman, KeeAyra Brown, and Cameron Van Dyke also saw floor time for CMS in the contest.

 

Level 2:

A tense battle, with Granite pulling out the 26-22 victory with a late run.

Coupeville popped out to a 7-6 lead through one quarter of play and was still on top 13-12 by halftime.

The Wolves trailed just 18-17 heading into the final frame but couldn’t quite hold down the scrappy Tigers at crunch time.

Emma Green had the magic shooting touch, rolling up a team-high nine points for CMS, while Annaliese Powers and Hazel Goldman both chipped in with four.

Laurel Crowder (3) and Addison Jacobson (2) rounded out the offensive attack, with Claire Lachnit, Selah Rivera, Millison, and Sabrina Judnich also in the rotation.

 

Level 3:

After sitting out the road opener at South Whidbey, Coupeville’s #3 squad was ready to flex and did so to the tune of a 42-4 victory.

The Wolves shot out to a quick 10-2 lead, pushed the advantage to 26-4 by the half, then blanked the visitors in the second half.

Nine different Coupeville players scored, with Cassandra Powers and Reagan Green each popping the nets for eight points to spark the offensive outbreak.

Ava Alford (6), Crowder (6), Annabelle Cundiff (6), Emily Rains (2), Sophia Burley (2), Abbey Hunt (2), and Bella Sandlin (2) also etched their names in the scorebook.

Arianna Vinson, Lachnit, Ruby Folkestad, Millie Somes, and Sophia Magdolan saw floor time as well in the huge win.

 

Up next:

The Wolves have an immediate turn around, heading off to the wilds of Sultan Thursday for a rumble with the testy Turks.

After that, CMS is back home Feb. 25 for a clash with Northshore Christian Academy.

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“We’re excited to keep building!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Kennedy O’Neill, seen here last season, is a key veteran player for the CMS hoops program. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The building process begins.

While the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams lost their opening games at South Whidbey Wednesday, Wolf coaches Brooke Crowder and Makana Stone came away pleased with a lot of what they saw.

“We had some really good hustle and effort – a great baseline for us to work forwards from,” Stone said.

South Whidbey came into the tip-off games with a lot more experience and floor time among their assembled players, and it showed at times. But that is something CMS can improve on.

“We forced our offense on both teams and struggled to stick to our defensive principles,” Stone said. “Of course, some of that can be chalked up to first game jitters, some of it to being a new team finding our footing.

“After the games, the team is ready and eager to dial into upcoming practices!”

Coupeville’s Level 1 team was limited to just six points, with Kaleigha Millison banking in five, while Kennedy O’Neill netted a free throw.

Cameron Van Dyke, Elizabeth Marshall, Aubrey Flowers, Sophia Batterman, Cassandra Powers, Emma Cushman, Zayne Roos, and Allison Powers also saw floor time for the Wolves.

The Level 2 squad made the nets jump at a much better rate, with six different players recording points.

Annaliese Powers knocked down six to pace her squad, with Finley Helm (4), Hazel Goldman (4), Savannah Coxsey (2), Sabrina Judnich (2), and Emma Green (1) keeping the scorekeeper’s pen busy.

Claire Lachnit, Addison Jacobson, Selah Rivera, and KeeAyra Brown rounded out the roster, while Coupeville’s #3 team had the day off as South Whidbey only fields two teams.

After opening on the road, Coupeville is at home for most of the rest of the month.

The Wolves host Sultan (Feb. 17), Granite Falls (Feb. 19), and Northshore Christian Academy (Feb. 25) before heading off-Island again.

As Coupeville goes forward, Crowder and Stone will continue to focus on growth and improvement.

“We will be a hardworking team this season – building a strong team culture, step by step,” Stone said.

“We’re excited to keep building and to fully embrace the way of the WolfPack!”

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