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Archive for the ‘Middle School’ Category

This is our gym now!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Lauren Rose (John Fisken photos)

Lauren Rose will not be denied. (John Fisken photos)

Lauren Bayne

Lauren Bayne holds up well under pressure.

The joint was jumpin’.

Backed up by a foot-stomping, lung-busting, “D-FENSE!!!”-screaming gym full of their classmates, the Coupeville Middle School 8th grade varsity put a beat-down on visiting Granite Falls Monday.

Having moved up to the high school gym for their home finale, the Wolves got a taste of the floor they will play on next year as freshmen and they reveled in it. Holding the Tigers scoreless until midway through the second quarter, Coupeville romped to a 33-17 victory.

The gym was packed, with the entire population of CMS spending the last half hour of their school day watching classmates like Katrina McGranahan and Payton Aparicio play, and the youthful fans made their presence felt.

Face paint, signs and sustained screaming that never waned, they came loud and proud.

Buoyed by the support, the Wolves stormed out to a 6-0 lead after one quarter, with only a couple of narrow misses keeping it from being a far bigger blowout.

Lauren Rose, Mia Littlejohn and McGranahan each hit a bucket, with Littlejohn’s coming on a steal where she streaked the length of the court, then juked the last defender out of her high tops at the end and calmly banked the ball over the girl’s head and off the glass with a gentle plop.

Not only did Granite Falls not score in the opening quarter, they didn’t have a single shot come remotely close to getting in the hoop.

Too often, they simply lost control under pressure from speedy Wolves like Lauren Bayne, and spent most of their time chasing after Coupeville fast breaks.

The Tigers finally broke through, only to have the Wolves quickly respond each time.

Kyla Briscoe hit back-to-back buckets to blunt one Granite Falls rally, while the duo of Littlejohn and McGranahan controlled the second half, working an outside-inside game.

The pair combined to outscore the visitors by themselves, with Littlejohn dropping in a game-high 13, including a three-point bomb, and McGranahan pounding away inside for 10 more.

Bayne and Briscoe popped for four apiece and Rose tossed in a bucket to round out the scoring.

After the beautiful start, the afternoon’s final three games didn’t go quite as well, though all had their moments.

8th grade JV: Abby Parker beat the buzzer with a running layup, set up by a steal and pass from Shelby Montoya, to salvage a 4-4 tie.

Yes, a tie, as middle school JV teams don’t play overtime. This is not soccer and the rule blows, frankly.

7th grade JV: Montoya scored Coupeville’s only bucket in an 8-2 loss.

7th grade varsity: A wild rally fell just short for the Wolves.

Trailing 12-7 midway through the fourth, Coupeville ripped off six straight to retake the lead.

Lindsey Roberts hit back-to-back pressure-packed buckets in front of parents (and former CHS hoops stars) Jon and Sherry Roberts, before Hope Lodell drilled the go-ahead jumper.

Unfortunately, that was the last gasp for the Wolves, as Granite put together a free-throw, a gorgeous running hook shot and a third-chance rebound to claim a 17-13 win.

Roberts paced Coupeville with eight points, while Kalia Littlejohn (3) and Lodell (2) rounded out the scorers. Sarah Wright controlled the boards all game for the Wolves.

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Rising stars take center stage!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , on March 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Ashley Shank will be there. Will you? (John Fisken photos)

Ashley Shank will be there. Will you? (John Fisken photos)

Kyla Briscoe

  Kyla Briscoe requests your presence in the stands for her middle school home finale. Or else…

They get to play the big room.

With their final home game Monday, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads get to move into the high school gym for an afternoon.

It also means an earlier start time, with the 8th grade varsity kicking things off at 2 PM, allowing Mia Littlejohn, Katrina McGranahan, Lauren Rose and Co. to play in front of their classmates.

The opponent is Granite Falls — a team all four CMS teams blasted the first time around — and, if you should so choose, you can probably put in a solid 4-5 hours of hoops (if I’m exaggerating, it’s only slightly) if you stay for the 7th and 8th grade JV and 7th grade varsity games.

If you miss out, there’s still one final chance to see the Wolf stars of tomorrow, as CMS travels down South to Langley Wednesday for its season finale.

After that, a break, and then it’s on to track season.

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Math or hoops? It all adds up to success for Lauren Rose!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , on March 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

Lauren Rose, a key member of the CMS 8th grade varsity, looks to pass in an earlier season game. (John Fisken photos)

Lauren Rose (30), part of the bright future of Wolf basketball. (John Fisken photo)

Safe at home.

Safe at home.

Lauren Rose has a jump shot that most high school players would envy.

With a quick release and a soft follow-through, the Coupeville Middle School eighth grader is money when it comes to nailing other teams with pull-up daggers.

Playing with a talented point guard in Mia Littlejohn, who can drive and dish, Rose makes the most of her opportunities when the ball comes her way.

Part of a talented group of CMS girls, which also includes post players Katrina McGranahan, Sage Renninger and Kyla Briscoe, she is the future of Wolf basketball, and it’s a bright future.

Not bad for a softball junkie who only started playing hoops a season ago.

“Before that I was never really interested, but I decided to give it a shot,” Rose said. “There were a lot of new players on the team so I didn’t feel like I would be inferior skill-wise.”

While she has confidence in her ball-handling and enjoys being a team player, it’s her shot-making (which has been flawless in games I’ve seen) that still concerns her.

“I would really like to work on my shots. I would also like to be more aggressive,” Rose said. “What I enjoy most about basketball is the team effort. Everyone on the court has a specific job and when everyone does that job, points are scored. It’s like a well-oiled machine.”

Whether it’s on the playing field (she’s a third-baseman/shortstop in softball and also plays volleyball) or the classroom, Rose is all about putting the work in.

“My goal for this season is for our team to have more wins than losses,” Rose said. “Last year we won four and lost four. This year we are well on our way to beating they record, but we still need to play our hardest.”

A straight-A student and math whiz, she’s one of just 11 CMS eighth graders to have started in geometry this year.

Finding the balance between being a three-sport athlete and getting her classroom work done is never easy, but she enjoys the challenge.

“I am a very hardworking student,” Rose said. “I don’t have a lot of free time with all my sports, but, when I do, I love to spend it doing something outside or just relaxing.”

Supporting her along the way have been her family and coaches, all of whom have drawn out something special from within her.

“My parents encourage me to strive for my goals, whether it’s sports or school related. They come to almost all of my games to cheer me on,” Rose said. “My coaches have shaped the kind of player I am.

“I have never had a coach that didn’t improve my skills as an athlete.”

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“I will never stop playing basketball, even if it kills me!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , on March 1, 2014| 1 Comment »

Mia Littlejohn is about to break both your ankles, on the same play.

Mia Littlejohn is about to break both your ankles, on the same play. (John Fisken photo)

Mia celebrates a soccer trophy in 2011. (Photo courtesy Dawn Hesselgrave)

Littlejohn celebrates a soccer trophy in 2011. (Photo courtesy Dawn Hesselgrave)

“I have played basketball ever since I can remember.”

Leaving a trail of broken ankles behind her, as she bobs and weaves, stutter-steps and then blows past foes with a nasty cross-over, Coupeville Middle School 8th grader Mia Littlejohn is a gym rat, through and through.

She plays other sports, such as select soccer, but it’s hoops that she lives for, and hoops where she’s making a name for herself, even at a young age.

“I will never stop playing basketball, even if it kills me,” Littlejohn said. “I will continue to play AAU ball if possible and mom allows and cannot wait to play with Makana (Stone), Julia (Myers) and the other high school players .

“It will be awesome!”

Following in the footsteps of older brother Zepher Loesch, a former CHS roundball star, she is usually the most electrifying player on the court.

“I started playing after watching Zepher play and seeing how much fun it was,” Littlejohn said. “I decided that I wanted to play too.  Basketball was my brother’s passion and it has become mine, too.

“I live to play guard and wing because there is a lot of action and I get to drive the basket,” she added. “I enjoy the action and aggressiveness, the want for the ball.  I like to be on the wing so once that you get the ball you can head fake it then drive, putting you ahead of the person who was guarding you.”

A point guard who can score as well as pass, Littlejohn realizes the importance of setting up her teammates “(I want to assist each of my teammates to score 30 points — 15 baskets — for the season”) while never being afraid of putting up the ball herself.

“My strength is driving to the basket, giving direction, and getting around people while going up the court,” she said. “All you have to do is look and lean one way, but quickly change and go the opposite direction.

“I need to look out because once I “suck in the defense” over to me, than everybody else (my teammates) is open.”

A virtual year-round player — she has done time with a Mukilteo AAU feeder team, a Snohomish AAU team and the Oak Harbor Catz travel squad — Littlejohn wants to tweak some parts of her game. Little things that can change the outcome of a game.

“I definitely have to work on free throws, those can make or break games,” she said.

Away from the court, she enjoys PE and math, helping her mom, Dawn Hesselgrave, cook and art projects. She also does volunteer work with younger sister Kalia.

A big fan of the movie “Frozen” (“It is really funny”), she favors old school beats from the likes of KISS, AC/DC, Journey and The Scorpions.

“I rock like my mom!”

Like virtually all successful young athletes, she has benefited from a strong support group, not only for rides to practice but for inspiration along the way.

She credits step-brother Wiley Hesselgrave (“He has the best aggressive defense I have ever seen”), CMS teammate Lauren Rose (“Such a good friend”) and Loesch (“The one who inspired me to even play. He was always popping up three’s and it was so exciting to watch him play ball”) as her personal heroes.

The backbone of the family, however, remains her parents.

“My mom is the person who has, and does take me to all my practices over the years, and my dad (Mark Hesselgrave) has started helping with off-Island AAU practices these past two years,” Littlejohn said. “I love them so much for encouraging me to play sports.”

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Littlejohn’s her name, but her game is big!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on March 1, 2014| 1 Comment »

Kalia Littlejohn (Dawn Hesselgrave photos)

Kalia Littlejohn (Dawn Hesselgrave photos)

Kalia and Mia hanging out with big bro Zepher Loesch, circa 2008.

Kalia and Mia Littlejohn hanging out with big bro Zepher Loesch, circa 2008.

Kalia Littlejohn, the fiery spark-plug who kick-starts the 7th grade offense. (John Fisken photos)

“This is my court, fool!!” (John Fisken photo)

Kalia Littlejohn never stops moving on the basketball court.

The Coupeville Middle School 7th grader, who is celebrating her birthday today, zips back and forth relentlessly when she is in a game.

Whether running the Wolf offense from the point, where she is a constant danger to slash to the bucket, or playing an elbow-swingin’ defense that results in more than her fair share of picked off passes, balls knocked out of bounds and frustrated foes, she’s dynamic.

It’s a family style, as older siblings Mia Littlejohn (a CMS 8th grader) and Zepher Loesch (a former CHS standout) play the same way.

An in-your-face, what-you-gonna-do-about-it-cry-to-your-momma style that looks like they just stepped off a street court in Jersey, injecting a nice shot of grit and confidence into laid-back Coupeville.

Kalia developed her style trying to keep up with her older brother, who went on to play ball after high school (“I have played basketball for a very long time. Zepher would always play with us outside.”) and has grown to love the game.

“What I enjoy the most about basketball is the feeling you have when you have that lay up or that shot and you just hope it goes in, that challenge to get the ball in that basket,” Littlejohn said. “Oh, and I “LOVE” defending. I think one of my strengths is defending.”

While she’s already ahead of the average player at her grade level, she’s always looking to get better.

“What I want to work on is everything,” Littlejohn said. “Because I think there’s always room for improving.

“What I want to improve the most is dribbling and shooting.”

Basketball is not her only sport, as Littlejohn and her older sister have both played select soccer for many years. She also played volleyball for CMS and plans to run track in the spring.

A big fan of hip hop and country, she picks math as her favorite class “because it’s challenging” and enjoys “spending time with family, listening to music or sleeping.”

With a family full of athletes (step-brother Wiley Hesselgrave, a sophomore at CHS, is a football and basketball star as well), Littlejohn gets tremendous support, allowing her to stay dedicated to her sports.

“My whole family has been an impact on the person that I am today,” she said. “My brother, Zepher, has been a huge impact in basketball. Also my dad was a big impact in my sports.

“My mom (Dawn Hesselgrave) takes me everywhere we need to go and has been a big help in soccer,” Littlejohn added. “But she can still beat me in soccer, sadly.”

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