Chris Ruck was one of eight JV players to score Tuesday night against always-tough King’s. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Mason Grove hit four treys as part of a team-high 14 points in the varsity game.
And we shall never see you again.
With Coupeville High School finally being granted a chance to return to 2B status starting next school year, the chances the Wolves will play private school power King’s in coming seasons is extremely limited.
Tuesday night the CHS boys basketball teams made the trip to Shoreline for their farewell tour, absorbing three more losses to one of the state’s premier hoops programs.
Instead of rehashing it all across three articles, we’re going to compress it into one, and then move on, with the Knights in our rearview mirrors.
At least in this sport, since the Coupeville girls basketball teams make their final trip to Shoreline Jan. 28, and then there’s spring sports.
But soon, very soon.
So, about tonight…
Varsity:
King’s is playing for nothing less than a state title this season.
Featuring a power-packed team that can kill you inside or outside, the Knights convinced most of the North Sound Conference teams to only play them once, and not twice.
With extra spots open on the schedule, the private school juggernauts added 2A and 3A schools to the mix, and went to Arizona for a big-time holiday tourney.
So, while King’s might be just 9-8 on the season (5-0 in league play), it’s a very-deceptive win-loss record.
Tuesday night went about as expected, as six-foot-seven sophomore sensation Tyler Linhardt pumped in 27 points across the first three quarters and King’s rolled to an 81-29 win.
The loss drops Coupeville to 1-4 in league action, 4-9 overall, though Wolf coach Brad Sherman emerged from the game with a positive mindset.
“We fought hard against a very, very tough team,” he said. “Proud of the effort, attitude, and fight in our guys.
“Ready to get back to work tomorrow. Still a lot of season left!”
Coupeville, which is still very much in the fight for either the 4th or 5th playoff seed from the NSC, has five regular-season games left, starting with a trip Friday to Bothell to play Cedar Park Christian.
Tuesday night the Wolves fell behind 20-6 after one quarter, then got roughed up 27-0 in the second frame.
The second half was much better, as CHS stayed competitive through the game’s final 16 minutes.
Mason Grove paced Coupeville with 14 points, all after the break, including hitting four three-balls.
His support crew included Hawthorne Wolfe (7), Koa Davison (2), Sean Toomey-Stout (2), Jacobi Pilgrim (2), and Gavin Knoblich (2), while Jered Brown, Jean Lund-Olsen, and Xavier Murdy all saw floor time.
Not to be lost in the defeat were personal milestones for three Wolf players.
Pilgrim’s bucket gives him exactly 100 points for his prep career, making him the 186th CHS boy to reach triple digits in 103 seasons of hoops action.
While the senior big man was notching that honor, backcourt gunners Grove and Wolfe continued their assault on the career scoring chart.
Grove, a senior, now sits with 321 points, and he moved from #90 to #85 all-time Tuesday, passing five former Coupeville players, ranging from old school star Bob Rea to recent alumni Gabe Wynn and Nick Streubel.
Meanwhile, Wolfe, just a sophomore, now has 335 points, and he broke out of a three-way tie with Brad Brown and Charlie Tessaro at #78, then passed Aaron Trumbull (330) and Jim Yake (331) to land at #76 on the career chart.
JV:
A four-game winning streak came to a stop for Coupeville, as Chris Smith’s squad fell 62-30.
Even with the loss, the Wolves are still sitting strong at 4-1 in league, 8-4 overall.
King’s jumped out to an 18-7 lead, then steadily added to the margin, until CHS fought the Knights to an 8-8 standstill in the fourth quarter.
Logan Martin and Sage Downes were twins on the night, both scoring a team-high eight points, while also both netting a pair of three-balls.
Also scoring for Coupeville were TJ Rickner (4), Grady Rickner (3), Chris Ruck (2), Alex Murdy (2), Chris Cernick (2), and Daniel Olson (1).
Alex Jimenez, Miles Davidson, Andrew Aparicio, and Cody Roberts rounded out the roster, all seeing floor time for the Wolves.
C-Team:
Improvement was the key word.
Despite playing without starters Ty Hamilton and Ben Smith, the young Wolves increased their scoring total seven times from last season.
Back then, CHS fell 60-3, while Tuesday night, it hung tough in a 63-21 loss.
The defeat drops Coupeville to 0-4 in league play, 1-7 overall.
Freshman Dominic Coffman spurred the much-improved offensive attack, rattling home a team-high nine points, while Brayden Coatney added six.
Coen Killian and Alex Wasik both dropped three-balls to round out the scoring, with Coffman also hitting on a shot from behind the arc.
Josh Upchurch, Caleb Sonntag, and Nick Armstrong also saw floor time for Patrick Upchurch’s squad.
