Chelsea Prescott, seen here in an earlier game, matched her jersey number Thursday, pouring in 23 points in an OT win. (John Fisken photo)
Wolves (l to r) Prescott, Bella Velasco, Izzy Wells and Abby Mulholland wait for their game to start. (Susan Hulst photo)
Something for everyone.
Want a rout in favor of the good guys? We got it.
More in the mood for a thriller that comes down to the final play but also ends in favor of the good guys? We got that, too.
They got to the finish in different ways, but both Coupeville Middle School girls basketball squads sent their fans home happy Thursday, claiming emotional wins over visiting Forks.
The 7th grade Wolves cruised to a 32-13 win to improve to 5-4 on the season, while the 8th graders (now 2-7) pulled off a come-from-behind 37-35 triumph in a wild affair.
Thursday’s games couldn’t have gone more differently.
7th grade:
Kylie Van Velkinburgh hit a soft one-handed jumper a few seconds into the game, and the rout was on.
With several Wolves anxious to get things finished as quickly as possible (they had an Ariana Grande concert in Seattle to get to), CMS pushed the pace.
Back-to-back buckets from Anya Leavell, set up by strong passes from Audrianna Shaw and Van Velkinburgh, kick-started things, before Ja’Kenya Hoskins threw down three consecutive baskets to stake the Wolves to a 16-5 lead at the half.
Leavell dropped in three more buckets during a 12-0 third quarter run which effectively ended any Forks comeback hopes.
When she wasn’t filling up the bucket, her teammates were equally on fire, with Adair De Jesus tipping a loose ball right into Van Velkinburgh’s hands for a layup and Kiara Contreras rampaging end to end.
Coupeville’s Energizer Rabbit closed the third by ripping a ball free, then zipping to the other end, where she stopped ‘n popped for a sweet basket.
Not content to stop there, Contreras nailed a fourth-quarter jumper after another steal.
Leavell paced the Wolves with 10, while Hoskins (8), Van Velkinburgh (6), Contreras (4), Shaw (2) and Samantha Streitler (2) all scored.
De Jesus, Alana Mihill, McKenna Somes, Lily Leedy and Katelin McCormick all provided hustle and gritty defense, as CMS drove the Forks ball-handlers batty.
8th grade:
Walk away after the first quarter and you might be surprised with the news the Wolves won.
Trailing 13-4, with little to show except a gorgeous pull-up jumper from Genna Wright, things were looking dire.
And then the game changed thanks to a ramped-up defense and an ability to hit free throws.
Facing a fairly rough ‘n rowdy Forks squad, the Wolves went to the line more than normal, and netted 10 free throws, with most of them coming at crucial moments.
Coupeville used a 10-0 run to open the second to retake the lead, only to watch a ref miss a crucial call mere seconds before the halftime buzzer.
Forks, looking dangerously close to being shut-out in the second quarter, hit a miracle three-ball on a play where the shooter somehow escaped being called for a blatant travel.
How blatant? Even the ref’s seeing-eye dog was like, “Hey, man…”
Trailing 16-14 at the break, instead of being up 14-13, Coupeville never blinked, thanks to Mollie Bailey.
Despite not wearing the “superstar” socks older sisters McKayla and McKenzie had bought for her (and being verbally abused from the stands for said decision), the unflappable Wolf point guard went to work.
In between shooting occasional glares at her family, the youngest Bailey won a battle for a loose ball in front of the hoop, then banked it home to knot things at 16.
Very next play, she out-muscled two Spartans for a rebound, then popped the ball into Chelsea Prescott’s hands.
Cue another bucket, as Coupeville’s primary scoring threat knocked down a bank shot, part of a game-high 23-point barrage.
With Prescott singing the net from all angles, and Izzy Wells chipping in with a put-back off of a rebound, CMS twice stretched the lead out to six.
Enter a wicked one-two punch, as Forks used a dagger of a three-ball to cut the lead, before Wolf coach Ryan King was T’d up for protesting Prescott being pummeled and knocked to the floor by rabid Spartans on back-to-back plays.
While her coach was forced to sit for the remainder of the game, Prescott had no such restriction, and she made Forks feel her full fury.
With CMS down 31-28, she circled the defense, spun and dropped an ice-cold trey with 34.8 seconds to play, then stared down the Spartans as she retreated.
The Wolves forced a crucial traveling call with 15 ticks left to send the game to overtime, a three-minute period they played with brutal efficiency.
Trailing 35-32 after the larger Spartans went inside for two quick buckets, CMS closed the game on a 5-0 tear.
Prescott slid two free throws through the twines to get the Wolves close, then things got frantic.
Heidi Clinkscales made off with a steal and took it coast to coast for a layup that would have put Coupeville up by a point, only to have the lead ref wave off the bucket.
This time, he claimed, he did see a travel.
Not thrown off in the slightest, Clinkscales promptly pilfered the ball on the very next play, leading another wild chase down the floor.
This time, no travel, though she did get knocked to the floor by three Spartans at the end of her journey.
Facing a one-and-one, Clinkscales drilled the first attempt to tie things at 35, sending a jolt of energy through the Wolves, who all promptly ran back on defense, forgetting they had a second free throw opportunity awaiting them.
While that charity shot rolled around and popped off the rim, CMS held firm on defense, with a loose ball leading to the game-winner.
Out on the break, Bailey led Wells perfectly, dropping the ball into her hands, then pumping her fist as the 7th grader, who plays up a grade, hit a running layup.
Forks had a three-pointer at the buzzer to win, but couldn’t stick the mood-killer, leading the giddy Wolves to charge off the floor, win in hand.
Coupeville got points from five of its eight players, with Prescott’s 23 backed by Wells (6), Wright (5), Bailey (2) and Clinkscales (1).
Abby Mulholland, Bella Velasco and Kaitlin Painter all saw floor time for the victorious Wolves.
Coupeville Sports 