Coupeville Sports

They’re deadly from distance

January 7, 2025 by David Svien

A day after her birthday, Danica Strong knocked down 10 points Tuesday in a big road win. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Bombs away.

Burying a season-high eight three-balls Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad buried host Friday Harbor 48-20.

The win, which was sparked by a huge second half run from the Wolves, lifts Megan Richter’s team to 2-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-6 overall.

A pristine 2-0 in 2025, Coupeville gets to play at home for the first time in three weeks this Friday, when it welcomes La Conner to Whidbey for a conference clash.

If the Wolves come out shooting like they did Tuesday, it’ll be a long night for the Braves.

CHS had five different players net a shot from behind the arc Tuesday, with Katie Marti, Danica Strong, and Haylee Armstrong each hitting a pair of treys.

Lyla Stuurmans and Teagan Calkins also connected on three-balls, as the Wolves strafed their rivals while living out in Damian Lillard country.

Coupeville restaged this celebration multiple times while playing on Friday Harbor.

The game was actually a nailbiter for a bit, before Coupeville really got locked in on the offensive end of the floor.

Up 11-6 after one quarter, the Wolves carried just a 14-12 lead into the halftime locker room.

After that, it was all Coupeville, all the time, however.

CHS blew the game open with a 16-5 tear in the third, with Calkins and Strong each tallying eight of those points, before Armstrong went nuclear in the final frame.

The Wolf sophomore slapped home all 11 of her points in the fourth as Coupeville cruised to the finish line on an 18-3 run.

Coupeville got points from seven of 10 players, with Armstrong (11), Strong (10), Calkins (9), and Marti (9) providing the bulk of the offense.

Lyla Stuurmans chipped in with five, while Jada Heaton and Madison McMillan both banked in a bucket to round things out.

Capri Anter, Mia Farris, and Tenley Stuurmans also saw floor time for the Wolves in the resounding win.

Posted in Girls Basketball | Tagged CHS Wolves, Danica Strong, Friday Harbor, girls basketball, Haylee Armstrong, three-balls | Leave a Comment »

Hot finish, cool win

January 7, 2025 by David Svien

Davin Houston drills a jumper. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They hadn’t played in nearly three weeks, so they made sure their return was special.

Closing the game on a 7-0 run, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad roared from behind on the road Tuesday, upending host Friday Harbor 34-31.

The victory, coming in the Wolves first contest since Dec. 20, lifts the CHS young guns to 2-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-4 overall.

Tuesday’s clash was a tense back-and-forth affair, and it looked like Friday Harbor was going to pull out the win when it went ahead 31-27 late in the fourth quarter.

But Coupeville, which got points from five different players in the final frame, responded with lock-down defense and some big buckets at the end.

Mahkai Myles and Malachi Somes got the Wolves back to a tie, before freshman Liam Blas and sophomore Davin Houston combined to slam the door shut on the Wolverines.

Blas, working aggressively in the paint, ripped down an offensive rebound with the game knotted at 31-31 and fed Houston for what turned into the game-winning jumper.

Then, after forcing a turnover, the Wolves played keep-away with the ball, before Blas got crunched and sent to the free throw line with only a handful of ticks left on the clock.

The fab frosh arced in one of two to ensure Friday Harbor would have to net a three-ball to force overtime, but the Wolverines never got that final shot off, instead throwing the ball away on the game’s final play.

Riley Lawless led a balanced Wolf offense, banging away for a team-high nine points in the win, while Houston finished with six.

Somes (4), Myles (4), Carson Grove (3), Blas (3), Easton Green (2), Sage Arends (2), and Khanor Jump (1) also scored, with Nathan Coxsey and Kyle McCrimmon also seeing floor time.

It was the first high school point for Jump, another hard-playing freshman.

The Wolf bench keeps an eye on the action.

Posted in Boys Basketball | Tagged Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, Davin Houston, Friday Harbor, JV, Liam Blas | Leave a Comment »

Reasons for Coupeville Schools admin leaves revealed

January 7, 2025 by David Svien

An investigation by the Whidbey News-Times has revealed what is behind the “non-disciplinary leave pending an investigation” of the Coupeville High School/Middle School Principal and Vice Principal.

Geoff Kappes and Allyson Cundiff were placed on leave Dec. 16.

Coupeville Schools Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood briefly stepped in to cover the positions heading into winter break.

Springy Yamasaki, a longtime teacher and administrator from off the island came out of retirement to take the position of interim Principal Jan. 6.

The News-Times article, which documents social media threats against minority students, and a shared video of an alleged sexual assault, can be read here:

‘Minority Rape Cult’ has consequences for administrators, students at Coupeville schools

Posted in Administration | Tagged Allyson Cundiff, Coupeville schools, Geoff Kappes, Shannon Leatherwood, Whidbey News-Times | Leave a Comment »

Former Wolf sparkles on Florida hardwood

January 6, 2025 by David Svien

Savina Wells (right), seen here last spring, continues to shine brightly.

Savina Wells continues to be a baller.

The former Coupeville supernova is midway through her third, and final basketball season at Florida’s Fernandina Beach High School, where she leads the Pirates in scoring, rebounds, and blocked shots.

The six-foot-one senior, who was a Wolf from birth through her freshman year, played varsity basketball and softball during her short stint at CHS.

Following in the footsteps of older siblings Ulrik and Izzy, who both graduated from Coupeville schools, Savina tallied 133 points across two seasons of varsity basketball, playing as an 8th and 9th grader for the Wolves.

After a family move to the Sunshine State, the youngest of Lyle and Katy’s three children has participated in volleyball, basketball, and track and field at her current school.

Fernandina Beach is off to a 6-5 start this season on the hardwood, with Savina racking up 130 points, 118 rebounds, 23 blocks, 13 steals, and five assists.

She’s averaging 11.8 points and 10.7 boards a night for the Pirates, who kick off the second half of their season Tuesday with a road trip to Gainesville.

Savina has poured in 540 points across 46 games in a Fernandina uniform, giving her 673 for her high school career.

Posted in Girls Basketball | Tagged CHS Wolves, Class of 2025, Fernandina Beach, girls basketball, Savina Wells | Leave a Comment »

Hoops teams set for second-half run

January 5, 2025 by David Svien

“Bring your best. We’re ready!!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The second stage begins.

Things heat up starting next week, as most of the remaining games on the high school basketball schedule are conference rumbles.

Barring an unlikely reschedule of the non-league tilts with Morton-White Pass which were cancelled by a day-long power outage on Whidbey, the Coupeville girls have eight games left, and all are against Northwest 2B/1B League teams.

Meanwhile, the Wolf boys are set to play eight of nine against conference rivals, with one trip to Napavine nestled amid that run.

First up for both CHS teams is a trip to Friday Harbor this coming Tuesday, followed by home games Friday with La Conner.

As the Wolves prep for the stretch drive, a look at where things sit through Jan. 5:

Northwest League boys’ basketball: