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Wolves, rivals shoot for top dog status

January 22, 2023 by David Svien

Gwen Gustafson drills a jump shot. (Karen Carlson photo)

The standings matter, and they don’t.

Case in point — while the La Conner boys currently have a slightly better conference record overall than Coupeville, it’s the Wolves who would be the Northwest League’s top seed to the 2B playoffs.

That’s because of the split nature of a 2B/1B league, where three schools are from the former, and four from the latter.

When the postseason begins, seeding is only based on games between schools at the same level.

That’s why Coupeville’s boys, who beat La Conner the first time out, are 1-0 in the three-team, four-game rumble which matters the most.

The Braves are 1-1, with Friday Harbor at 0-1.

On the girls side of things, La Conner is 2-0, with Coupeville and Friday Harbor sitting on 0-1.

Two of the three 2B schools earn a playoff ticket, with plenty of big games between now and the regular season finales Feb. 10.

The week ahead offers a mix of games for Coupeville, with the Wolves travelling to Concrete Tuesday, Jan. 24, before hosting Friday Harbor Jan. 27.

With three weeks left in the regular season, a look at current win/loss records:

 

Northwest League boys basketball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 5-0 13-5
La Conner 3-1 7-7
Orcas Island 3-1 12-6
Coupeville 2-2 9-6
Friday Harbor 1-2 2-11
Concrete 1-5 3-11
Darrington 0-4 3-11

 

Northwest League girls basketball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 5-0 16-2
La Conner 4-0 11-3
Orcas Island 3-1 6-8
Friday Harbor 1-2 3-8
Coupeville 1-3 5-8
Darrington 1-3 8-5
Concrete 0-6 1-13

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Strong work, tough loss

January 21, 2023 by David Svien

“Bring it.” “Oh, it’s already brought.” (Photo property Marianne Maja Stenerud)

Any day, any team.

Saturday was a day for upsets in the world of Norwegian pro women’s basketball, as Bergen roared out to a big first-half lead, then held on for dear life to upend Baerum 48-46.

The loss, which came despite another rock-solid performance from Coupeville grad Makana Stone, drops her squad to 10-4 on the season.

Bergen, which lost to Baerum by 32 points just a week ago, is now 3-11.

The difference was the second quarter, as Bergen used a 17-6 tear to push its lead out to 34-20 at the halftime break.

Stone and Co. sliced the lead down, pulling within 39-34 after three quarters, and tying the game up in the fourth.

But this was Bergen’s day, as it hit big shots in the final moments to pull back in front and fend off Baerum.

Stone finished with eight points, a game-high 16 rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while teammate Abbey Hoff led all scorers with 16 points.

The former Wolf ace has racked up 258 points, 169 rebounds, 29 assists, 37 steals, and 10 blocks during her second season of pro ball.

Baerum gets an immediate chance to bounce back, playing Sunday against league-leader Ulriken, which sits atop the seven-team Kvinneligaen at 13-0.

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Richter, Littlejohn tabbed as hoops coaches

January 21, 2023 by David Svien

Mia Littlejohn

Bennett Richter

There’s a new duo in the gym.

Coupeville High School head football coach Bennett Richter and former Wolf hoops star Mia Littlejohn are taking over the town’s middle school girls’ basketball program.

The hires will be official after the school board approves the move at its next meeting.

Richter and Littlejohn replace Kassie O’Neil, now coaching the high school’s JV girls’ team, and Kristina Forbes, who resigned due to other obligations.

The CMS girls hit the court this Monday, Jan. 23 for the first day of practice, with the eight-game season running Feb. 9-Mar. 9.

Bennett Richter, who led CHS football to its first league title and state playoff berth since 1990 during the fall, is the husband of high school girls’ varsity basketball coach Megan Richter.

He’s also proven to be quite handy with a floor mop, dazzling Wolf fans with his work during timeouts at high school hoops games this winter.

Littlejohn was a standout two-sport athlete during a three-year run at CHS, before transferring to Oak Harbor High School, where she graduated in 2018.

Mia owns both the season (27) and career (35) scoring records for Wolf girls’ soccer players, and currently sits #36 all-time on the CHS girls’ basketball career scoring chart with 317 points.

She has been working as an assistant coach with the high school girls’ basketball team this winter.

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Wolf grad has tee shots, book smarts

January 21, 2023 by David Svien

Joey Lippo

He’s got multiple talents.

Coupeville High School grad Joey Lippo is currently a two-sport star at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, playing both golf and baseball for the Owls.

He’s also doing pretty well in the classroom, having been named to the North Atlantic Conference Fall 2022 All-Academic team.

Lippo, who is studying agricultural science and agribusiness, is one of 408 NAC athletes to be honored.

Repping 12 different schools, that group hails from 66 unique teams across seven sports.

To be eligible, an athlete had to notch a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0.

Lippo was honored for golf season, where he played his second campaign at UMPI this past fall.

Now, with spring threatening to show up, he’ll return to the baseball diamond for a third year.

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Rough night, better days ahead

January 21, 2023 by David Svien

Cole White rained down jumpers Friday night. (Andrew Williams photo)

A bump in the road.

Friday night’s loss at Mount Vernon Christian stings, but it’s not fatal for the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team.

Facing a Hurricane team which seemed unable to miss all night, the Wolves fell 73-53, snapping a four-game winning streak.

For the moment, the loss drops Coupeville to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 9-6 overall.

But the silver lining is MVC is a 1B school, and the Wolves rep a 2B program.

So, while the Hurricanes earned a split in the team’s two-game series, this is the last time the squads will play this season.

Coupeville, which won the first time the schools squared off, still controls its own playoff destiny, as only its games against fellow 2B rivals La Conner and Friday Harbor decide who makes it to the postseason.

With one matchup against the Braves, and two against the Wolverines still ahead on the schedule, the Wolves head to Concrete Tuesday to face a 3-11 Lions team.

For CHS coach Brad Sherman and his team, basketball offers the reprieve of not having to wait long for the next game.

A day off Sunday, a day of practice Monday, and then back to the hardwood.

Coupeville didn’t play all that badly against MVC, matching them with five three-balls and getting big performances from its role players.

Problem is, the Hurricanes just had one of those nights when everything they threw up in the air seemed to catch the rim just right.

Once the Wolves were trailing, they would slice a bit here, a bit there, only to see MVC deliver yet another dagger in front of its home fans.

With Cole White popping for a quick five points in the early going, Coupeville led 11-9 heading towards the first break.

Then the Hurricane(s) hit and hit hard.

Using a 6-0 run to claim a 15-11 lead at the first break, MVC stretched its advantage out to 36-24 by halftime.

The Hurricanes clamped down on Coupeville’s leading scorers, Logan Downes and Alex Murdy, but the Wolves got help from the bench.

Nick Guay tossed in three buckets during the second quarter, while Zane Oldenstadt, normally a defense-first big man, connected on back-to-back jumpers to give CHS a fighting chance.

Zane Oldenstadt (far right) played strongly on both ends of the floor against Mount Vernon Christian. (Delanie Lewis photo)

Coupeville got the lead down to seven at 45-38 late in the third quarter on a White pullup jumper, but the ‘Canes responded immediately.

Same thing in the final frame, as the Wolves cut a 12-point deficit to eight, only to have MVC go on an 8-0 run.

Another late Hurricane surge, this one 9-0, made the final score seem like more of a blowout than the game really was.

White paced the Wolves with a varsity career-high 15-point performance, while Guay tossed in 13, and Downes added 12.

Alex Murdy (7), Oldenstadt (4), and Dominic Coffman (2) also scored, with Jonathan Valenzuela, William Davidson, Chase Anderson, and Ryan Blouin seeing floor time.

Liam Millenaar led MVC with 23 points, with Billy DeJong knocking down 18 in support.

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