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Wolf JV can kill you in one play

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 19, 2019| 1 Comment »

Lily Leedy snagged six steals Friday, as Coupeville’s JV girls routed South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Three seconds.

High school basketball is a 32-minute game, but the Coupeville High School JV girls basketball team didn’t need the full time Friday to put its game on ice.

Scoring in three ticks of the clock, with Ja’Kenya Hoskins deflecting the opening tip to Anya Leavell, who hit Audrianna Shaw in stride for a wham-bam-game-over bucket, the Wolves made their intentions clear.

After that, it was nothin’ but good times, as Coupeville blew out to a 25-1 lead at the half before pulling back and settling for a 35-7 thrashing of visiting South Whidbey.

With the season sweep of their next door neighbors, the Wolf JV rises to 4-2 in North Sound Conference action, 7-6 overall.

Next up for the CHS second unit is a rematch Monday against Oak Harbor, another Whidbey team it also blew out the first time around.

The home non-conference tilt tips at 3 PM.

Facing a South Whidbey squad which is in rebuilding mode, Coupeville put the hammer down and did it quickly.

Using a press powered by Hoskins, Shaw, Leavell, Izzy Wells, and Mollie Bailey, CHS turned steal after steal into layups and short buckets.

The Wolves finished with an astonishing 34 steals on the night, with Leavell making off with nine.

Wells and Lily Leedy were coming up fast behind the fab frosh, picking Falcon ball-handlers six times apiece, while Hoskins made off with five.

“They covered the floor really well, working together to weave a web that South Whidbey couldn’t break through,” said CHS coach Amy King.

“Once we started substituting, and getting up a little more, we stayed aggressive but pulled back on the press.”

South Whidbey came dangerously close to being shut out in the first half, finally dropping a single free throw through the net in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter.

The Wolves slowed their roll a bit after the break, settling for a 10-6 advantage in the second half, but got big play from everyone on the bench.

“We started subbing and with each new rotation, came the same energy, the same teamwork,” King said.

Leedy was a firecracker, mixing steals with kick-outs to her open teammates for shots.

And she wasn’t the only one.

“Alana (Mihill) always plays such great defense and tonight was no different,” King said. “Morgan (Stevens) was strong on defense, stopping drives and rebounding with a “Nicole (Laxton)-like” fierceness.

“Kylie (Van Velkinburgh) helped where needed, as a post but helping with the ball,” she added. “Hurting with shin splints that just won’t go away, she had a hand up to discourage shots, directed teammates and took shots when open.”

Two late plays brought the Wolf faithful to their feet.

On the first, Abby Mulholland, working down low in the key, sucked the defense in, then found Stevens with a “brilliant pass” to set up a crowd-pleasing bucket.

As the clock ticked down on the game, Wells, who was a one-woman wrecking crew with 11 points, 14 rebounds, six steals, three assists and two blocks, ended things with emphasis.

South Whidbey had a perfect pass into the corner on the game’s final play, got the shot off and … WHAM!!!

Wells, “the quiet assassin,” rejected the ball and had “that perfect solid block to end the game.”

Shaw, who played “a very strong game” with “outstanding defense,” was also a terror on the offensive side of the ball, scoring a game-high 12 to go with the 11 by Wells, while Mulholland ruffled the nets for five points.

Bailey (3), Leavell (2), and Stevens (2) rounded out the offense, with Hoskins snatching six boards.

“Ja’Kenya always makes an impact on the court,” King said. “She ripped rebounds, made passes and adds an energy that lifts her teammates up.

“As a coach, I can say I was very proud of every one of them,” she added. “They put together their most complete game all season.”

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You got mashed by Makana (and friends)

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on January 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone netted her fourth-straight double-double Friday as Whitman College won by 41 points. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re not playing around.

The Whitman College women’s basketball team faced a dangerous foe Friday night, a Pacific Lutheran University team which came to Walla Walla boasting an 11-3 record.

Well, now it’s 11-4 after the Blues put a 41-point whuppin’ on the Lutes.

Paced by Coupeville grad Makana Stone, who went for her fourth-straight double-double, Whitman cruised to a 91-50 victory, maintaining a perfect record in league play.

With the win, their seventh-straight and eleventh in their last 12 games, the Blues are 7-0 in Northwest Conference play, 13-3 overall.

Whitman sits a game up on defending league champ George Fox (6-1) and two ahead of Puget Sound (5-2), which arrives Saturday in Walla Walla.

UPS will find a Blues team that is as hot as any in the land, and one which cracked the NCAA D-III Top 25 rankings this week.

With Stone throwing down 11 points, including hitting her first collegiate three-ball, Whitman controlled Friday’s game from start to finish.

A 26-11 lead after one turned into a 49-29 bulge at the half, then things got nasty during a 24-9 Blues run in the third frame.

That was the quarter Stone elevated and splatted her first trey in a Whitman uniform.

The former Wolf also finished with a game-high 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action, helping Whitman crush PLU 46-29 on the boards.

She has eight double-doubles and counting during her junior season.

As Whitman heads into play Saturday, Stone sits with 256 points, 148 rebounds, 25 assists, 20 steals, and 17 blocks on the season.

She’s shooting 106-206 from the floor and 43-55 from the free-throw line.

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Playoffs, we’re coming your way

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »

The future is bright for Coupeville’s varsity girls, who clinched a playoff spot Friday by thumping South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Just very proud of the effort on a very emotional night.”

Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball coach David King walked off the floor Friday night having seen his team win its third-straight game, sweep the season series with their Island rivals, move into a tie for 2nd place in the North Sound Conference and clinch a playoff berth.

Having pounded visiting South Whidbey 37-16, the Wolves rise to 5-2 in league play, 7-7 overall, with three to play.

CHS is tied with Cedar Park Christian (5-2), two games off of King’s (7-0) and has a week before they get a rematch with CPC.

But like his players, King savored the win while also realizing the night was about far more than just a hoops game.

Friday’s tilt was Coupeville’s Coaches vs. Cancer game, and the school raised $483.20 for Project Violet at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Before tip-off, the Wolf girls paid tribute to Ronald Smith, the grandfather of JV player Kiara Contreras, who lost his fight with Mesothelioma in Dec. at age 77.

They also brought former CHS player Brisa Herrera to the court, welcoming home a young woman who is cancer-free after a four-month battle with ovarian cancer shortly before her 2018 graduation.

Her high school coach, Amy King, hugged her, and a wave of emotion rose from the packed stands, swelling longest, loudest and proudest from the student section, which was full of many who attended classes with Brisa.

As each Wolf starter was introduced before the game, they, and several of the Falcons, stopped to bump fists with Herrera.

And then Coupeville, whole again with the return of injured starters Lindsey Roberts and Hannah Davidson, went to work.

A long shot off the fingertips of Chelsea Prescott knotted the game at 2-2, and then Avalon Renninger stroked a pull-up jumper and the Wolves never looked back.

While they let the Falcons stay close for a quarter, taking just a 7-4 lead into the second quarter after Davidson capped things by rolling hard to the hoop for a bucket off a Prescott pass, that quickly changed.

Death came from above, as three separate Wolves successfully launched three-balls to cap a game-busting 13-0 run midway through the second frame.

Roberts hit from the top left, Scout Smith nailed hers from the top right, then Ema Smith casually flicked her trey in while on the move at the top of the arc.

As shot after shot went high into the heavens and then splashed down, the delight of the Wolf fans grew, and the slump in the shoulders of the Falcons grew.

Shutting down South Whidbey’s top post player, Lexi Starets-Foote, Coupeville denied South Whidbey much of anything.

“Our posts, Hannah and Nicole (Laxton), brought their A-game,” King said. “They battled all game long.

“I (also) liked our effort in the press once we started to cover the middle.”

Up 20-6 at the break, the Wolves stretched the lead out to the 19-22 point range in the second half, and spread their offensive attack out, with nine of 12 CHS players scoring on the night.

Roberts, who suffered a nasty finger break/fracture at Sultan, had fingers on her left hand taped together for her return, but was electric as usual and didn’t seem overly bothered by the injury.

Her track speed is still at 100% and she used it for one superb breakaway, pulling in an outlet pass from Scout Smith and beating the pack for a loping layup.

“It was great having both Hannah and Lindsey back,” King said. “It solidifies our rotation and gives us a bigger presence in the middle.”

Ema Smith, who has stepped up big-time over the past week-and-a-half, knocked down three treys on her way to a game-high 11 points.

While Roberts, who tossed in six points Friday, gets justifiable props for being #23 on the CHS girls career scoring list, the Emanator has quietly risen to #56 all-time.

After tallying 94 points as a junior, Smith is at 95 and counting for her senior campaign. With 189 career points, she’s just 27 shy of breaking into the career Top 50.

Scout Smith, who had a team-high six rebounds and five steals, banked home five points in support of her veteran teammates.

Prescott (4), Davidson (4), Tia Wurzrainer (2), Anya Leavell (2), Renninger (2) and Laxton (1) also scored, while Ja’Kenya Hoskins snatched four rebounds, Izzy Wells snared two boards, and Mollie Bailey ran the offense in the late going.

While the final stretch of the regular season won’t be easy, with games against Cedar Park, King’s and Granite Falls, Coupeville is guaranteed to advance to the double-elimination district tourney regardless of how that stretch plays out.

The Wolves, who sit three games up on Sultan (2-5) and Granite Falls (2-5) and five up on South Whidbey (0-7), can finish no lower than fourth in the six-team league.

CHS swept the season series from Sultan, won the first meeting with Granite and needs just one win, or one Granite loss, to guarantee a top-three finish.

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“I’m really proud of our effort”

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on January 18, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Jered Brown and Co. fought hard Friday as Coupeville squared off with South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The rivalry is reborn.

Playing for the memory of a fallen, but not forgotten teammate Friday, the Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball squad put together its best performance of the season.

And while the still-young Wolves couldn’t get past South Whidbey and its rampaging scoring machine, senior gunner Kody Newman, the performance speaks well for the future.

Newman torched the nets for 33, including nine in the final minutes, as the Falcons pulled away late, turning a nine-point fourth-quarter lead into a 64-43 win.

But while the seventh and final star of South Whidbey’s #1 sports family graduates this year, Coupeville can return all of its stars next season.

Leading the way will be Hawthorne Wolfe, a freshman whiz kid who leads CHS in scoring and tossed in 17 more Friday while playing for the memory of his childhood friend.

Coupeville’s Class of 2022, and friends, family and fans came out strong in support of Bennett Boyles.

As part of Coaches vs. Cancer, the Wolves left a seat on their bench open Friday in memory of Boyles, who lost a battle with brain cancer when he was just 12.

Wolfe, who played with Boyles on SWISH basketball teams, wears his friends name on his shoes and put together his most-complete performance of his short high school career in tribute.

CHS raised $483.20 during Friday night’s doubleheader, with the proceeds being donated to Project Violet at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

After hugging Bennett’s mom Lucienne before the opening tip, Wolfe tapped his hand on his shoes as he stepped on the court, then lowered his head and whispered something to himself.

And then he came alive, bouncing and slapping his thigh, before rattling home the first of his three shots from behind the three-point arc, followed by a headlong charge into the South Whidbey defense for another bucket.

Flying down the court, Wolfe pulled in a pass from Jered Brown, switched hands in mid-stride, spun a scrambling defender in a circle, and flipped the ball high off the glass.

As the ball slipped through the twines, pulling Coupeville within 7-5, the biggest crowd of the season roared, with Wolfe and Boyle’s fellow frosh making the loudest noise.

But while the future of CHS basketball was playing at the top of his game, the visiting Falcons had a much-more seasoned pro to answer right back.

With Lewis Pope having graduated, Newman is The Man in Langley, and he hit from every angle, knocking down one three-ball from about a step over the half-court line.

The true killer came on the final play of the first quarter, with South Whidbey clinging to just a 12-10 lead and Coupeville pushing their rivals far harder than some might have expected.

Newman, snatching up a madly-skipping ball, hit turbo speed as he slashed down the sideline, storming right past the CHS student section.

With a small nod, and a bit of a grin, he beat the clock, and the scrambling Wolf defenders, slapping home a layup and picking up a three-point play the hard way, tossing in a free throw to cap a game-changing play.

For a moment, Newman’s derring do seemed to turn the entire flow of the game, and South Whidbey quickly stretched its 15-10 lead after one quarter out to 21-10.

But the Wolves didn’t break this time around.

Wolfe twirled through a maze of bodies for a lil’ dipsy-do bucket, then lobbed home a three-ball, before Gavin Knoblich decided to get into the scoring biz.

Dropping his own trey, and then tapping home a layup off of a sweet entry pass from Sean Toomey-Stout, Knoblich’s 5-0 run pulled the Wolves back to within seven.

Enter Newman again, as he stuck another dagger into his rivals.

This time it was a pass, flicked behind his back to a teammate running to his side, which turned into a gut punch of a Falcon bucket.

While South Whidbey carried a 32-20 lead into the half, the Falcons could never quite pull away until late in the game.

Coupeville banged home a trio of three-balls and got some nice work in the paint from Ulrik Wells and Jacobi Pilgrim and played their rivals to a 17-17 standstill in a third quarter brimming with intensity.

Brown singed the net for a trey of his own to open the fourth, and back within nine, the Wolves looked like a team that might make a run at pulling off an upset.

But Newman has honed the skills of a killer in his four years on the floor for the Falcons, and all the years before that playing against his much-heralded older sisters and brother.

In the crucible of the fourth, the Falcons leader was too much for the Wolves, and he went off for nine points in a closing 15-3 South Whidbey surge.

Record-wise, the two teams are headed in opposite directions.

With the win, South Whidbey is 4-2 in North Sound Conference action, 11-5 overall, and sits in second-place in the six-team league, trailing just King’s (7-0, 13-4).

Meanwhile, Coupeville is 1-5 in league, 2-11 overall, and is battling to hold on to the conference’s fifth, and final, playoff berth.

If the Wolves can replicate how they played Friday, however, anything is possible.

For CHS coach Brad Sherman, the Island rivalry match-up was simply a game well-played, by both teams, and for the right reasons.

“We talked before the game about keeping on theme, playing for Bennett and realizing there is a lot more to life than just basketball,” he said. “We’re honoring someone who went through the fight of his life, and we wanted to play for him.

“I’m really proud of our effort,” Sherman added. “We were scrappier than we have been at any point this season, and we rebounded better than we have all season.

“South Whidbey played well. It was just a good basketball game between two teams out there fighting hard on every play.”

That scrappiness was showcased by Wolfe, who along with his big offensive plays, was a demon on defense.

Four different times a kid listed at 5-foot-7 on the roster forced jumps balls with South Whidbey’s 6’6 big man, including one tussle where he held on to the ball even while being swung two foot into the air.

Wolfe’s 17 points gives him 125 on the season, making him the second highest-scoring freshman boy in 102 years of CHS basketball.

He passes Arik Garthwaite (109), Taylor Ebersole (114), and Mike Criscuola (115), and trails just Mike Bagby (137).

Toomey-Stout rattled the rim for nine points in support of Wolfe, and a fourth-quarter free throw broke a tie between him and older brother Cameron, who graduated last year.

Sean now holds the family scoring title at 81-80, though there’s always the chance sister Maya will return to basketball and come gunnin’ for them both.

Coupeville’s lone senior, Dane Lucero, played aggressively on defense, while Knoblich (5), Wells (4), Brown (3), Mason Grove (3) and Pilgrim (2) also scored.

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Former Wolf star returns for second coaching gig

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on January 18, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Wolf legend Megan Smith is returning to coach middle school basketball after taking a year off.

The prodigal coach returns.

After taking a year off to focus on her real-world job as a teacher, former Wolf legend Megan Smith will be back on the Coupeville Middle School basketball sidelines this winter.

Smith, who coached the 7th grade girls to a 6-4 mark in 2017, has been hired to the same position, though she still needs the school board to officially rubber stamp the move.

Her old job opened up because Alex Evans, who coached the 7th grade program in 2018, has followed his players and moved up to 8th grade for this season.

The previous 8th grade coach, Dustin Van Velkinburgh, resigned after last season so he could devote more time to family. That includes watching oldest daughter Kylie play her freshman season in high school.

Smith, a 2010 graduate of CHS, was a three-time Female Athlete of the Year and 12-time letter winner while competing in volleyball, basketball and softball.

She sits as the #4 scorer in Wolf girls basketball history, having tossed in 1,042 points across her four seasons on the court.

After graduation, Smith played basketball for Peninsula College, where she was joined by former Coupeville teammate Ashley Manker.

When she’s not coaching basketball, Smith is a teacher at the Skagit/Islands Head Start in Mount Vernon.

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