Coupeville Middle School hardcourt assassins? Great today, even better in the future! (Ana Mc Fetridge photo)
A reversal of fortune, in just one month.
Jump back to the opening rumble on Feb. 8, and the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads were swept in three games by next door neighbor South Whidbey.
Now go forward to Tuesday, with the Wolves down in Langley for their season finale, and it was a different story, with CMS taking two of three.
That caps a campaign in which two of three Coupeville squads finish with a winning record.
Well, almost caps a campaign, as Team 3 will get one more game Wednesday, when it will face off at home with Team 4, the “shadow squad.”
Other Cascade League schools only field three teams, or sometimes two, so Coupeville’s fourth unit has spent most of the season working on its own.
But they’ll get a share of the spotlight Wednesday, in a tilt set to tip at 3:15 PM.
How things played out in the “official” finale Tuesday:
Level 1:
Toss out the first quarter and Coupeville wins.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, a slow start left them in a 10-1 hole en route to a narrow 32-24 loss.
CMS finishes 1-7, though the record is a bit deceptive, as they were rarely run off the floor this season.
“Team One was a fight to the finish (Tuesday),” said CMS coach Brooke Crowder. “They never let up.”
In a major bright spot, the Wolves, after struggling at the free throw line all season, suddenly found their groove in the finale.
Adie Maynes and Lillian Ketterling led the charity stripe parade, combining to ripple the nets on seven successful shots.
Maynes, who has been a busy bee, bouncing from high school basketball to middle school hardcourt action, all while getting ready for high school softball, paced the Wolves with a game-high 12 points in Langley.
Tenley Stuurmans and Sydney Van Dyke chipped in with four apiece, while Ketterling and Tamsin Ward rounded out the attack, each scoring two points.
Taylor Marrs, Ari Cunningham, Olivia Hall, Laken Simpson, Chelsi Stevens, and Ava Lucero also saw floor time, fighting to the finish on both ends of the floor.
Brooke Crowder is closing out a successful debut season with Coupeville basketball. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Level 2:
Tense for a half, then all Coupeville.
Up 5-4 at the break, the Wolves closed the game on a 14-4 tear across the final 14 minutes to collect the 19-8 win.
The victory, Coupeville’s third-straight, lifts them to an impressive 6-2.
The hottest hand belonged to Willow Leedy-Bonifas, who scored in every quarter on her way to a game-best 11 points.
Kennedy O’Neill, who finished as Coupeville’s #1 scorer across all teams, backed her up with four points, while Allison Powers and Isa Mc Fetridge banked in a bucket apiece.
Amaiya Curry, Sage Stavros, Elizabeth Marshall, Amelia Crowder, and Sophia Batterman rounded out the roster, helping power a team flush with promise.
None of his players scored on their own basket this year. Bennett Richter is pleased. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Level 3:
No Pope, no problem.
Leading scorer Brooklyn Pope wasn’t on the floor Tuesday, but her teammates used stingy defense and opportunistic shot making to “steal” a 16-13 win on the road.
The victory lifts Coupeville to 4-2, with the only thing slowing the Wolves down at times was other schools not being able to play.
Northshore Christian Academy doesn’t have a third team, and the first of two matchups with Sultan featured the Turks dealing with wide-spread illness.
But give them a chance to stalk the hardwood, and these Wolves take no prisoners, as they showed Tuesday.
“They worked their butts off on defense and were able to pick off passes and sink shots in the last three minutes to seal the deal,” Crowder said.
South Whidbey jumped out to a 10-4 lead after one quarter, then went scoreless over the next two frames.
That allowed CMS to pull within 10-8 at the half, then claim the lead at 12-10 heading into the final seven-minute stretch.
Cassandra Powers, who paced the Wolves with six points, scored four of those in the fourth quarter, allowing her squad to hold off their hosts.
Kaleigha Millison (4), Annaliese Powers (4), and Selah Rivera (2) also scored, while Cameron Van Dyke, Emma Cushman, Claire Lachnit, Zayne Roos, and Zariyah Allen played with a cold fury on the defensive end of the floor.
Final season scoring stats:
Kennedy O’Neill – 63
Willow Leedy-Bonifas – 47
Adie Maynes – 45
Brooklyn Pope – 34
Lillian Ketterling – 28
Tenley Stuurmans – 28
Kaleigha Millison – 22
Cassandra Powers – 18
Sydney Van Dyke – 17
Amelia Crowder – 14
Sophia Batterman – 12
Ari Cunningham – 11
Emma Cushman – 11
Allison Powers – 10
Tamsin Ward – 10
Annaliese Powers – 9
Rhylin Price – 8
Isa Mc Fetridge – 6
Zayne Roos – 6
Cameron Van Dyke – 6
Ava Lucero – 5
Amaiya Curry – 4
Olivia Hall – 4
Elizabeth Marshall – 4
Selah Rivera – 4
Chelsi Stevens – 4
Sage Stavros – 3
Taylor Marrs – 2
Laken Simpson – 2
Coupeville Sports 