Coupeville Sports

Wolves idle, standings ever evolving

December 19, 2022 by David Svien

There are no games this next week, but Lark Gustafson and fellow CHS basketball coaches will still be tinkering. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Nick Guay and Co. return to action Dec. 27. (Andrew Williams photo)

Time to rest up.

Coming off a period of playing three games in four days, Coupeville High School basketball teams are now off for a week-plus.

Both Wolf varsity squads return to action with appearances at Eastern Washington tournaments Dec. 27-28, while JV teams are idle until the first week of the new year.

The down time will give Coupeville players a chance to deal with a few nagging, low-key injuries, while coaches continue to tweak their game plans.

As we wait for the return of live action, a look at where Northwest 2B/1B League schools sit through games of Dec. 17:

Northwest League boys basketball:

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

Northwest League girls basketball:

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

Posted in Basketball, standings | Tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Darrington, league standings, Northwest League | Leave a Comment »

Downes dazzles, Wolves howl

December 18, 2022 by David Svien

Logan Downes hit six three-balls Saturday while torching the nets for a career-high 33 points. (Andrew Williams photo)

He pulled a Larry Bird.

Matching the uniform number of the former NBA great, Coupeville High School junior Logan Downes threw down a career-high 33 points Saturday in Forks, sparking the Wolf varsity to a huge win.

Pulling out a 52-46 non-conference victory despite not scoring as a team in the second quarter, CHS gets to 3-4 on the season.

Now, the Wolves, who played three games in the last four days, are off for a week-plus, not returning to action until they hit a tournament in Eastern Washington Dec. 27-28.

When they head to Wenatchee for that two-game tilt, Brad Sherman’s squad will carry positive mojo from Saturday’s win.

Facing a fellow 2B team for the first time this season, and an always tough one at that, the Wolves headed to Forks coming off a fairly lackluster performance against Sedro-Woolley two days earlier.

And Coupeville responded in style.

Coming out of the gate strongly, with Downes tossing in 13 points in the opening frame, the Wolves roared out to a 21-8 advantage.

Only to see the rim turn harsh on them, denying each and every Coupeville shot in an agonizing eight-minute span.

The Wolf defense saved them, however, as they held Forks to a fairly modest nine points in the second quarter, and still clung to a 21-17 lead at the half.

If Sherman was worried, the ever-calm hoops guru didn’t show it, and his players responded, with Downes dropping another 13 points in the third quarter.

Wolf coach Brad Sherman, back in Forks for the first time since he was a teenager. (Morgan White photo)

Ryan Blouin nailed a long three-ball to help out, keeping Coupeville ahead 37-35 heading into the final frame, before the Wolves closed like champs.

Cole White, Jonathan Valenzuela, Downes, and freshman Chase Anderson got big buckets down the stretch, with the Wolves also netting all four of their free throw attempts in the fourth.

Downes 33-point performance, fueled by six three-balls, is the most by a CHS player since Hawthorne Wolfe netted 38 twice during the 2020-2021 season.

The school single-game record of 48 was set by Jeff Stone in 1970, back before you got an extra point for hitting a shot from behind the arc.

Downes began Saturday’s game as the #79 scorer all-time in the 106-year history of Wolf boys’ basketball and finished it at #67.

He passed 12 former CHS players in one day, including highlight-reel dudes like Robin Larson, Ethan Spark, Glenn Losey, and JD Wilcox, and sits with 374 career points and counting.

Coupeville got scoring from seven other players Saturday, with White (4), Valenzuela (4), Blouin (3), Nick Guay (2), Dominic Coffman (2), Alex Murdy (2) and Anderson (2) getting their names in the book.

William Davidson and Zane Oldenstadt battled like beasts on the boards, with Coupeville once again proving it can go toe-to-toe with rough ‘n tumble foes.

The Wolf defense clamps down. (Morgan White photo)

Posted in Boys Basketball | Tagged Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, Forks, Larry Bird, Logan Downes | Leave a Comment »

The rim is a fickle mistress

December 18, 2022 by David Svien

Mia Farris powers to the hoop. (Andrew Williams photo)

Long trip, tired shooting touch.

Playing for the third time in four days, after a long trek to the wilds of Forks, and minus its leading scorer, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad struggled offensively Saturday afternoon.

Putting up a season low in points, the Wolves fell 50-21 to the Spartans, evening their non-conference record at 3-3.

The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for Coupeville, which hadn’t gone below 37 points in a game this season.

The Wolves were missing senior guard Alita Blouin, who has popped for 59 points in five games.

She suffered a wrist injury in practice Friday, but is expected to recover quickly, and should be back in the lineup when CHS heads to Eastern Washington for a tournament Dec. 27-28.

Alita Blouin’s scoring touch was missed Saturday. (Andrew Williams photo)

The Wolves have nine days off now between games.

By the time they take the court in Ellensburg, the memory of a rough shooting performance in Forks will hopefully have faded.

Trailing 9-2 after one quarter Saturday, Coupeville got really buried during a 20-5 Forks surge in the second frame.

The Wolves picked things up a bit after that, racking up seven points apiece in both the third and fourth quarters, but they were never able to pull themselves back out of the early hole.

Forks finished with an advantage in every phase of the game, netting five three-balls while CHS failed to hit from behind the arc.

The Spartans were just 11 of 25 at the free throw line, but even there, they topped the Wolves, who struggled in a 7-18 performance.

Senior Ryanne Knoblich accounted for a third of Coupeville’s offense, tallying seven points, while Katie Marti knocked down five.

Lyla Stuurmans (3), Maddie Georges (3), Mia Farris (2), and Carolyn Lhamon (1) also scored, with Skylar Parker, Jada Heaton, and Gwen Gustafson seeing floor time.

Posted in Girls Basketball | Tagged CHS Wolves, Forks, girls basketball, long road trip, Ryanne Knoblich | Leave a Comment »

JV boys chomp Spartans

December 17, 2022 by David Svien

Camden Glover slaps in a bucket. (Morgan White photo)

Let the Wolves run wild.

Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball coach Hunter Smith did just that Saturday, unleashing his pack and letting them savage host Forks.

Blowing the game open with a big second-quarter run, and getting points from all nine guys in uniform, the Wolves turned an early deficit into a runaway 60-40 win.

The non-conference victory sends Coupeville’s young guns into the holidays with a 2-3 record.

The boys JV doesn’t return to action until a home game Jan. 6 against Orcas Island, in what will be the league opener.

Saturday’s bout in the town which gave the world both Ron Bagby and Twilight was a tense affair early, with Forks clinging to a 17-13 lead at the first break.

Camden Glover paced Coupeville in that opening frame, pouring in six points with strong work in the paint, but the Spartans held a slight edge.

Which promptly vanished in a hail of Wolf buckets, as CHS went on a game-busting 24-6 tear across the second eight-minute segment of the game.

The Porter twins led the attack, combining for 14 of their 20 points in the second quarter, with Johnny edging Jack 8-6 during the tear.

Up 37-23 at the half, Coupeville continued to pull away after the halftime break.

Wolf fab frosh Malachi Somes popped a third quarter three-ball and liked it so much, he came back to nail a second trey as CHS pushed its lead out to 19 points.

Coupeville got something from everyone, with the Porter boys leading the scoring attack with 10 points apiece.

Hunter Bronec (9), Aiden O’Neill (8), Glover (8), Somes (6), Chase Anderson (5), Yohannon Sandles (2), and Carson Field (2) also scored, with Sandles sinking a pair of free throws for his first high school points.

Chase Anderson heads to the hoop. (Morgan White photo)

Posted in Boys Basketball | Tagged Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, Forks, Jack Porter, Johnny Porter | Leave a Comment »

Slow start stings JV girls

December 17, 2022 by David Svien

Teagan Calkins fires off a shot. (Jackie Saia photo)

Liza Zustiak is part of the sisterhood.

The Coupeville High School freshman tallied her first bucket as a high school hoops star Saturday, providing the biggest bright spot during a long, somewhat rough afternoon for the JV girls basketball squad.

Stung by a slow start, the Wolves fell 38-16 at Forks, dropping their record to 2-3 in non-conference play.

Coupeville’s young guns get some time to work on things, not playing again until the new year.

Next up for the JV girls is a home game Jan. 4 against Granite Falls.

Until then, Wolf coach Kassie O’Neil and her squad will try and rediscover their groove.

“We did not play our game (today),” O’Neil said. “Got a lot of work to do.

“But hopefully we can use these failures to propel us forward and learn from,” she added. “That’s really all we can do right now.”

Forks took control of the game early, jumping on Coupeville to the tune of 17-4 in the first quarter.

Things got better after that, with the Wolves battling their hosts to a 6-6 tie in the second frame and putting up a close fight in the fourth quarter.

But CHS also went scoreless in the third, and that eight-minute drought didn’t help matters.

Madison McMillan and Kierra Thayer paced the Wolves with six points apiece, with Zustiak and Kayla Arnold each adding a bucket.

Brynn Parker, Teagan Calkins, Bryley Gilbert, Skylar Parker, Reese Wilkinson, Jada Heaton, and Desi Ramirez-Vasquez also saw floor time for Coupeville.