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Tourney time tips-off!!

February 12, 2017 by David Svien

Mikayla Elfrank (John Fisken photos)

   Wolves Tiffany Briscoe (left) and Mikayla Elfrank vie for a rebound. (John Fisken photo)

Five days, four teams, two berths in the state tournament.

The Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad will be traveling back and forth to Bellarmine Prep High School this week, making two, and possibly, three trips to Tacoma, as it seeks postseason glory.

The Wolves open the double-elimination portion of the West Central District 3 tourney 6:00 PM Tuesday against Seattle Christian.

Bellevue Christian and Cascade Christian follow at 7:45 on the same “neutral” court.

Win or lose Tuesday, Coupeville returns on Thursday for another game, with a possible third visit set for Saturday.

With just two state berths available to District 3 (down from three last season), Coupeville has to win twice to punch its ticket to be one of the state’s final 16 teams for a second straight year.

You can check out the bracket here:

http://www.olympicleague.com/tournament.php?tournament_id=2187&sport=12

The postseason match-up with Seattle Christian will be the third in as many years for the Wolves.

SC knocked Coupeville out of the playoffs in 2015, winning an overtime thriller 50-44, before the Wolves rebounded to drill the Warriors 49-33 last year.

That CHS win punched a ticket to state for the first time in a decade, while sending Seattle Christian home.

Coupeville’s reputation as road warriors — they played 12 of 19 away from home, including an unprecedented eight straight, yet still went 9-3 on the road — will come into play.

The Wolves travel 91.4 miles one way to Bellarmine Prep (2300 S. Washington St. in Tacoma), further than the other three teams combined.

For some background info on each of the teams, check out these capsules:

 

Coupeville:

Season record: 15-4

Seed: Olympic League #1

Coach: David King

Tallest player: Lindsey Roberts – 5’10

Smallest player: Lauren Rose – 5’2

Miles to Bellarmine Prep: 91.4

Most recent trip to state: 2016

Student body size (WIAA classification count): 227

Mascot: Wolves

RPI ranking: #13

ScoreCzar ranking: #27

 

Bellevue Christian:

Season record: 16-4

Seed: Nisqually League #1

Coach: Mark DeJonge

Tallest player: Molly Olson – 6’1

Smallest player: Elizabeth Lew – 5’3

Miles to Bellarmine Prep — 38.0

Most recent trip to state: 2016

Student body size (WIAA classification count): 254.50

Mascot: Vikings

RPI ranking: #6

ScoreCzar ranking: #8

 

Seattle Christian:

Season record: 15-2

Seed: Nisqually League #2

Coach: Dave Jansen

Tallest player: Julia Seibel – 6’1

Smallest player: Olivia Clark – 5’4

Miles to Bellarmine Prep: 35.1

Most recent trip to state: 2012

Student body size (WIAA classification count): 171.75

Mascot: Warriors

RPI ranking: #19

ScoreCzar ranking: #11

 

Cascade Christian:

Season record: 9-11

Seed: Nisqually League #3

Coach: Bryan Peterson

Tallest player: Mindy McCreary and Shelaine Lorenz – 5’10

Smallest player: Kinsley Nohr – 5’4

Miles to Bellarmine Prep: 11.5

Most recent trip to state: 2015

Student body size (WIAA classification count): 239.75

Mascot: Cougars

RPI ranking: #28

ScoreCzar ranking: #20

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Stone sparkles on center stage!!

February 10, 2017 by David Svien

Makana Stone (23), seen here during last year's state tournament, notched team-highs in points and rebounds Friday. (John Fisken photo)

   Makana Stone (23), seen here during last year’s state tourney, notched 16 points and 11 rebounds Friday for Whitman College. (John Fisken photo)

Everything but the win.

Coupeville’s Makana Stone, making her sixth start as a college basketball player, put together her best performance of the season Friday night, while facing her most accomplished rival.

But, in the end, Stone’s team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds, some of which fueled a wild fourth quarter comeback for Whitman, couldn’t stop the University of Puget Sound from clinching a league title.

UPS, after blowing a 17-point lead in memorable fashion, rallied in overtime to down the Blues 89-82.

The win lifts the Loggers to 13-0 in Northwest Conference play, 21-1 overall, while Whitman slides to 10-3, 19-3.

The Blues drop into a second-place tie with George Fox with three games to play, but have the upper hand, having beaten the Bruins the first time around.

Whitman plays 1-21 Pacific Lutheran Saturday, before closing the regular season at home Feb. 17-18 against Lewis & Clark and the aforementioned George Fox.

Both times Puget Sound and Whitman played this season the game hinged on missed free throws in the final seconds and then went to an extra period.

In the first meeting the Blues missed the charity shots, while this time it was UPS star Samone Jackson who clanked two free throws with 20 seconds in regulation.

Puget Sound was clinging to a two-point lead at the time, and, with the reprieve, Whitman knotted things up when Casey Poe netted a pair of free throws of her own with 13 ticks on the clock.

That the Blues even had a chance to tie things up was extraordinary.

After battling to a 41-41 tie at the break, UPS went nuclear on Whitman in the third quarter, hitting 64% of their shots while outscoring the Blues 30-13.

But, instead of breaking, Whitman, sparked by two fourth-quarter blocks by Stone (plus a silky jumper, three rebounds and a key assist) roared back in the game’s final minutes.

Going into lock-down mode on defense, the Blues limited UPS to just 13% shooting in the final quarter, pulling off the 26-9 comeback.

Stone sliced through the paint for a layup at the 2:37 mark of overtime to stake Whitman to an 82-81 lead, but after that her squad struggled to get another shot off.

The Blues didn’t get another attempt airborne until the 0:33 mark, then missed a pair of treys and a jumper in a final effort to catch UPS.

Using all 27 of her minutes to maximum impact, Stone scored her 16 points off of 8 of 11 shooting, while adding three assists and two blocks to go with her 11 boards.

Through 22 games, she has 135 points (6.1 a night), 129 rebounds (5.9), 24 assists, 12 steals and nine blocks.

Stone is #2 on the team in rebounding, even with coming off the bench in her first 16 games, and is tied for #2 in field goal percentage, hitting 51% (60 of 117).

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One final shot of hoops mania!!

February 10, 2017 by David Svien

Joey Lippo (John Fisken photos)

Joey Lippo leads the charge. (John Fisken photos)

Steven Cope

Steven Cope leans into the final shot of his high school hoops career.

Brian Shank

   Brian Shank gets smooched by the Sad Coyote (I mean Wolf…) as he drops in a bucket.

Hunter Smith

   Bellevue Christian drew blood, but a bandage couldn’t slow down Hunter Smith, who knocked down a game-high 29 points.

It was their swan song.

Thursday night was the final time the Coupeville High School boys basketball squad played in its home gym, and the final time wanderin’ camera-clicker John Fisken will darken the doorway of the same establishment this season.

The Wolves put up a valiant, but losing, effort in a playoff loss to Bellevue Christian, while the paparazzi defied odds and stayed for the entire game.

The pics above are courtesy Fisken.

To see all of his work (purchases fund college scholarships for CHS student/athletes) pop over to:

http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/20162017-Coupeville-BB/CHS-BBB/20170209-vs-Bellevue-Christian/

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Swing for the fences!!

February 10, 2017 by David Svien

Tiffany Briscoe (John Fisken photo)

Tiffany Briscoe rips a base hit. (John Fisken photo)

Let ‘er rip.

Coupeville High School softball sluggers will be swinging for the fences Mar. 11, in a bid to help better fund their program.

But before they take part in the team’s “1st Semi-Annual Hit-A-Thon” they’re out and about now, snagging donations.

You can sponsor a player or players and take your chances on their power with the bat or make a flat donation starting at $20.

During the Hit-A-Thon, each Wolf player will take 15 cuts at the plate, with their top two blasts (in fair territory) being added together for fundraising purchases.

So, if your favorite player were to park a ball 150 feet and another 200 feet, and you had pledged 10 cents per foot, you’d be coughing up $35 to keep CHS softball prospering.

You can also get in on the action yourself.

Pony up $5 and you can step into the batter’s box and get 10 swings of your own after the players have wrapped up their version of the home run derby.

Posted in Fundraisers, Softball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Our floor, our time!!

February 10, 2017 by David Svien

Izzy Wells (John Fisken photo)

   Izzy Wells is part of a successful group of SWISH players making the jump to middle school hoops. (John Fisken photo)

It’s going to be a short bench.

There are only four 8th grade girls playing basketball at Coupeville Middle School this season, meaning coach Ryan King will be dipping into the 7th graders to field his team.

The three girls expected to swing between teams — Izzy Wells, Kiara Contreras and Samantha Streitler — are all hoops vets who play for a successful SWISH squad, so being young shouldn’t be an issue.

While King’s numbers are limited, the 7th grade squad can count on 15 girls on their side of the program.

The Wolf girls open their 10-game schedule on the road at Chimacum Feb. 16.

Coupeville’s first home games are Feb. 23, with large-school rival Stevens making the trip to Whidbey.

The Wolf rosters as of today:

7th grade:

Kiara Contreras
Adair DeJesus
Ja’Kenya Hoskins
Anya Leavell
Lily Leedy
Katelin McCormick
Alana Mihill
Abby Mulholland
Katelyn Painter
Audrianna Shaw
McKenna Somes
Samantha Streitler
Kylie Van Velkinburgh
Isabella Velasco
Izzy Wells

8th grade:

Mollie Bailey
Heidi Clinkscales
Chelsea Prescott
Genna Wright

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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