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Night of legends, night of memories!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2018| 3 Comments »

   Denny Clark was one of many former Wolf greats who returned Friday for the 101st anniversary of Coupeville High School basketball. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mike Bagby is ready to suit up and drop 30.

   Randy Duggan (center) catches up with his coaches, Bob Barker (left) and Craig Pedlar.

Bill Riley, born to be a star.

   Pat O’Grady, one of the stars of the 1969-1970 Wolves, still the highest-scoring team in school history.

   Jeff Rhubottom, a one-man wrecking crew in the ’70s, reunites with Coach Barker.

Barry Brown, one of the most talented Wolves to emerge from the ’60s.

   Late in his career, Coach Barker took over the CHS girls hoops job, where he coached Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts.

   As Dale Sherman (left) tells another tall tale, Kimberly (Stuurmans) Bepler (in pink) and Tami (Stuurmans) Aparicio catch up with former babysitter, and school record-holder, Jeff Stone.

Randy Keefe, forever The Man.

   Tim Quenzer, whose picture from ’69-’70 graced the cover of Friday night’s collectiable game program.

   Coach Barker informs Bill Jarrell that yes, he does still remember every basket the sweet-shooting guard scored back in the ’70s.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Friday night was a treat, watching history come to life in front of me.

As I’ve plowed through dusty newspaper archives, scrapbooks and the memories of those nice enough to put up with my questions, I have come to a greater knowledge of the history of Coupeville High School basketball.

But seeing the players and coaches of the past return for the 101st anniversary of Wolf basketball was something different.

Men who I never saw play, many of whom I had never even met before, walked into the gym and it was all suddenly very real.

The guys from the ’70s only needed a few seconds to fall back into giving each other a hard time, and you saw the teens they once were reemerge.

In a move that showed great class, the current Wolves went down the line before tip-off, shaking hands with the legends who had come back.

For a moment, Hunter Downes met Barry Brown, Mason Grove united with Randy Keefe, and the past, present and future of Wolf basketball were joined.

And then Bob Barker, a man who changed countless lives during his time as a teacher, coach and Athletic Director, entered the gym and it was as if Elvis had returned to the building.

I’ve sat through my fair share of games at CHS, in a lot of different sports, and witnessed electrifying wins and horrifying defeats.

What I witnessed Friday tops them all.

At its core, Coupeville Sports, whether through the articles or the side projects like the Wall of Fame or the basketball anniversary, is about making sure the past isn’t forgotten while the present is celebrated.

The men (and women) who have helped Wolf boys basketball endure for 101 years, deserve to be recognized, to be remembered, and to be appreciated.

A lot of people helped me pull this off, from CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith, who shocked me by saying “go knock yourself out,” to Katey Wilson, who worked magic in crafting the game program, to public address announcer Moose Moran, who took my purple prose and turned it into vocal gold.

To everyone who said yes, to everyone who showed up, to the players, coaches, managers, stat keepers, time clock operators, cheerleaders and fans, YOU are Wolf basketball.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your night.

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Rough and tumble, and then some!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Tia Wurzrainer netted five points Friday at Chimacum. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sometimes the score doesn’t tell all.

While the Coupeville High School JV girls basketball squad fell 33-25 at Chimacum Friday, Wolf coach Amy King looked beyond the numbers on the board.

“It was one of the best games JV has played this season,” the sage round-ball wizard said.

While the loss drops the young guns to 2-4 in Olympic League play, 6-10 overall, King was especially pleased with how her players have adapted in the past few days to facing withering defenses.

“Normally, when a team puts a press on us, we panic and rush everything and that results in turnovers,” she said. “For the past two practices we worked on slowing the ball down, spreading out more on the press break, passing more and dribbling less.

“This game, we did all those things that we practiced.”

With Ashlie Shank and Mollie Bailey doing “a great job passing back and forth up the court,” the Wolves showed off some of the “best passing we have done this season.”

With plenty of open shots to be had in the first half, the Wolves jumped out to a 6-4 lead at the first break, then went in tied 12-12 at the half.

Unfortunately, CHS lost Avalon Renninger, as the sophomore spark plug got knocked silly when a Chimacum player plowed right through her.

Adding insult to injury, not only did the Wolf star have to leave the game and go into concussion protocol after hitting her head, the refs also called a foul on her, and not the offensive player imitating a freight train going down a mountain decline with no brakes.

Even playing a woman down, Coupeville regained the lead in the third, with Maddy Hilkey, Tia Wurzrainer and Ashlie Shank all coming up with big shots.

Wurzrainer, who lives, dies and excels on defense, netted hers after a sizzling set-up pass from Bailey and some open encouragement from the varsity coach.

“Mollie made a great pass to Tia and she can hear Mr. (David) King from the bench say “shoot it” and well, if he says to, you do,” Amy King said with a laugh. “She shot it, made it and got a free throw as well.”

The game took a turn for the worse in the fourth, though, as Chimacum reverted to its standard style of “beat the ball-handler black and blue.”

“The game started getting rough,” King said. “Ashlie got pushed out of bounds, flying across the floor. No call. Mollie had visible red on her arm from being slapped. No call.

“We start getting tensed up and they capitalized on the errors we made.”

A 21-18 lead to start the fourth slipped away in a hail of non-calls and questionable decisions from the refs.

Despite playing against more than just the five rivals on the floor, the young Wolves never quit.

“The girls fought and never let down,” King said. “Once the game ended, we were all disappointed, but, during the post game talk, it was determined that we played a really good game despite the score.

“Our passing was great. We took the right shots, broke their press easier than the last time and everyone worked hard,” she added. “We see them one more time on our home court and will continue to work hard to have a different outcome.”

Shank paced the Wolves with eight, Hilkey (6), Wurzrainer (5), Bailey (2), Genna Wright (2) and Lester (2) also scored and Kylie Chernikoff and Julia García Oñoro combined for four rebounds.

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Big Shot Briscoe conks Cowboys!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2018| 1 Comment »

   Lindsey Roberts had nine points and 13 rebounds Friday as Coupeville rallied to beat Chimacum and move into first place in the Olympic League. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Give Kyla Briscoe the keys to the city.

Hitting a game-busting three-ball with just five ticks to play Friday, the Coupeville senior sent the Wolf girls basketball squad to an epic road win and a share of first-place in the Olympic League.

When Briscoe’s shot nestled through the net, it drove a stake through the hearts of Chimacum fans everywhere, lifting CHS to a 33-30 victory and capping a remarkable second-half comeback.

Now 4-2 in league play, 6-11 overall, the Wolves have won four of their last six and are tied with Port Townsend (4-2), who they face next, atop the conference.

That game arrives Jan. 26, and will be on Coupeville’s home court. The Wolves and RedHawks have split their previous two meetings this season, both winning at home.

With the loss, Chimacum (3-3) slips a game behind, while Klahowya (1-5) brings up the rear.

Friday’s fracas ended wildly, as the Wolves used up most of their nine lives to escape with the victory.

Having rallied from seven points down at the half, Coupeville was clinging to a two-point lead at 30-28 when Chimacum knotted things back up on a bucket with 29.5 seconds to play.

Facing a trap from the rough-and-tumble Cowboys, the Wolves beat it, cleared half court, but then got re-trapped and forced into a jump ball.

With the possession arrow pointing towards the visiting team, Coupeville retained possession, and, after a timeout and words of wisdom from coach David King, ran the clock down, looking for a final shot.

Then the Wolves almost threw everything away.

Enter Lindsey Roberts, who used her long reach to corral an errant pass and save the day.

Alertly spotting Briscoe cutting to the wing, she delivered the ball onto her teammate’s fingertips, then waited for the biggest shot of the year to go exactly where every Wolf wanted it to go.

With Wolf sophomore Scout Smith perfectly blocking out a defender to give her room to work, Briscoe caught the pass and promptly drilled it right through the bottom of the net.

Coupeville had to wait several agonizing seconds to fully celebrate, though, as Chimacum’s final pass sailed out of bounds as time expired.

The win signaled the Wolves ability to adapt, as they changed up their game plan after falling to the Cowboys the first time the teams met this season.

“Our first game against Chimacum, they disrupted us and helped cause 43 turnovers,” King said. “We knew we needed to improve this area to look to get a win.

“They make up for team height with quickness and an aggressive press and defense,” he added. “That first game it seemed like they were a team playing with smoke and mirrors. Sometimes it felt like they had seven or eight players on the court at once. So we worked to correct some things for tonight.”

Breaking Chimacum’s press, the Wolves scrapped and led for chunks of the first half, before a few errors began to add up and hurt them.

Trailing 18-11 at halftime, Coupeville righted itself during the break.

“After halftime we wanted to get back to what made us successful to start the game and just chip away at the lead,” King said. “We wanted to get back to Coupeville basketball.”

The key was coming hard on defense, as the Wolves, using a 2-3 zone, shut Chimacum down.

A 10-5 surge in the third cut the deficit back to just a bucket, then the Wolves tied things up at 25-25 midway through the fourth quarter on a jumper from freshman Chelsea Prescott.

Free throws from Sarah Wright and Briscoe, packaged around a no-nerves jumper from Scout Smith, put CHS in front by three before the Cowboys retied things to set up the frantic final 30 seconds.

Coupeville, which is playing without top scorer Mikayla Elfrank, who is rehabbing a shredded ankle, has pulled together as a team, with everyone chipping in, whether it’s with scoring or intangibles.

“All eight players brought passion and didn’t want to go home without getting a win,” said a proud King.

Wright paced the Wolves with a career-high 13 points, while also snagging seven boards and collecting two steals and two assists.

Roberts added nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Briscoe knocked down six points, Scout Smith banked in three and Prescott added a bucket.

The other three Wolves were equally invaluable, with Ema Smith (nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks on a bum ankle), Allison Wenzel (three rebounds) and Hannah Davidson drawing praise from their coach.

After three straight seasons of finishing 9-0 in league play, this year’s version of the Wolves has faced numerous obstacles, but are still in the driver’s seat for a fourth-straight title.

The grit and fight needed to get to where they are at continues to impress King.

“This year, this league is a tough battle each game,” he said. “Tonight was our night and the big shot by Kyla sealed it. And a great shot it was!

“But it’s also making three more free throws,” King added. “It’s never quitting and believing if we play Coupeville basketball, we give ourselves a chance to win.”

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Prepare to get thrashed!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 19, 2018| Leave a Comment »

James Vidoni was one of 11 Wolves to score Friday as the Coupeville JV rolled to a 58-25 win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Only one man could stop Mason Grove, and that was his coach.

The sophomore sharpshooter netted 22 points in just a handful of minutes Friday, then was stashed away for later use in the varsity game, as the Coupeville High School JV boys basketball squad romped to its biggest win of the season.

Scoring the first 23 points of the game, with 17 of those coming from Grove, the Wolves shredded visiting Chimacum 58-25.

The win lifts the young guns to 2-3 in Olympic League play, 3-11 overall.

Playing on the 101st anniversary of the first basketball game in school history, the Wolves gave the early bird fans a lot to cheer about.

Just a few seconds into the game, Koa Davison pilfered a steal, then threw it down for a layup, effectively ending the game in one dazzling play.

Just to make sure, Grove buried five shots from behind the three-point arc over the next two minutes.

Adding a layup off of a breakaway, he matched his season-best one-quarter performance with 17 points, and CHS rolled into the first break up 25-8.

If the rain of baskets wasn’t enough to scar the Cowboys, a resounding block from Wolf big man Ulrik Wells killed their last shred of hope.

Elevating, then smacking the ball like he was at a volleyball net, the lanky sophomore sent dad Lyle into a fit of joyous delirium and made the fans filling up the gym come to a momentary halt.

From there, it was all Wolves all the time, with a 13-1 second quarter stretching the lead out to 38-9 and allowing CHS coach Chris Smith to amply use his bench.

Whether it was Jean Lund-Olsen ripping a rebound out of a Cowboy player’s hands and immediately throwing the ball back up and in for a bucket, or David Prescott banking home a runner, everything went Coupeville’s way on this night.

Grove’s 22 gives him 268 in 14 JV games (a 19.1 average), while Daniel Olson, Sage Downes and Davison each added six.

Lund-Olsen (4), Wells (4), Gavin Knoblich (2), James Vidoni (2), Prescott (2), Alex Jimenez (2) and Jake Pease (2) also scored, while Tucker Hall was a force on the boards.

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Night of 1,000 stars, and 1,000 buckets!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 19, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Ethan Spark threw down a season-high 27 points Friday as Coupeville crushed Chimacum 81-34. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Bob Barker (left), longtime coach and teacher, and Jeff Stone, who still holds most of the school’s scoring records 48 years later, returned Friday for the 101st anniversary of Wolf basketball.

When the legends come to watch you play, you bring your A-game.

Attacking relentlessly, the Coupeville High School boys basketball squad went for a season-high in points Friday, thrashing visiting Chimacum 81-34 on the 101st anniversary of the first hoops game in school history.

The win, which played out in front of a who’s-who of former Wolf hardwood players, coaches, managers, time keepers, stat counters and cheerleaders, lifts CHS to 3-2 in Olympic League play, 5-10 overall.

With Klahowya shocking top dog Port Townsend 52-51 Friday, that sets the stage for an important showdown Saturday in Silverdale.

If the Wolves knock off the Eagles (4-1), they’ll force a three-way tie for first with Klahowya and Port Townsend (4-2).

Chimacum, which is suffering through a rebuilding season, sits at 0-6 in conference action.

Friday night was about the past, present and future of Wolf basketball coming together, and it brought a jolt of electricity to the CHS gym which has been largely absent in recent years.

Eight decades of former players were in attendance, from Al Sherman, who played in the late ’40s, up to the current generation of shooting stars.

A large portion of the 1969-1970 Wolves, the first Whidbey Island boys hoops team to win a district title and still the best offensive team in school history, took the court at halftime.

Along with them came almost every one of the top 15 career scorers, with #3 scorer Randy Keefe moving like he was still playing back in the ’70s.

The irrepressible gunner sprinted out to center court upon introduction, pumping his arms and sending the crowd into convulsions.

From Jeff Stone to Jeff Rhubottom, Bill Riley to Arik Garthwaite, the packed house welcomed home Wolf greats, with the biggest cheers going to legendary coach Bob Barker.

Looking dapper in the red blazer he once wore on the sidelines, the man who led Coupeville to its greatest basketball heights, while influencing generations of athletes and students alike, was mobbed.

As he held court, shaking hands and accepting hugs, Barker might have been in a different gym than the one in which he once coached, but one thing was certain — he was home.

With all the hubbub around them, it might have been easy for the current Wolves to lose focus, especially facing a struggling foe.

Instead, they came out and played up to the crowd, instead of down to the opponent.

Ethan Spark curled in a pair of long three-balls, each one coming from opposite sides of the court, to kick things off and the Wolves were unstoppable.

With Spark (11) and Hunter Smith (8) combining for 19 points in the opening quarter, Coupeville roared out to a 21-4 bulge at the first break.

From there, the massacre was on.

Playing in front of a lot of guys who never got three points on a single shot, no matter how far away from the basket they shot, the modern-day Wolves rained down treys, hitting 12.

Spark knocked down six, sophomore swing player Mason Grove went bonkers, hitting four in limited time, while Joey Lippo and Cameron Toomey-Stout also netted three-balls.

If the game was ever in doubt (it wasn’t), the Wolves settled that with a 25-3 surge in the second quarter.

Six different players scored during that run, with the prettiest basket coming from Jered Brown.

The sophomore guard snagged a loose ball, led a sprint down the floor, then went airborne and rolled under a defender while being hacked. Brown’s reverse layup splashed home, and so did the ensuing free throw.

By the time the current Wolves were ready to cede the floor so the legends in attendance could have their halftime celebration, Coupeville had scored an eye-popping 31 points in the second quarter and led 52-17.

The only thing helping Chimacum in the second half was a running clock, triggered when CHS opened a 40-point lead, which put the Cowboys out of their misery quicker.

Coupeville finished with balanced scoring across the board, with eight of the 10 guys who saw the court putting their name in the books.

Spark rained down a season-high 27, while Smith added 20.

Both seniors hit milestones, with Spark passing the 300-point career barrier (he has 315 and counting) and Smith moving into 15th place on the career scoring chart.

Smith’s 20 gives him 745, and he passed Dan Nieder (729) and Steve Whitney (730), while pulling within 15 points of catching Hunter Hammer (759) for 14th.

Grove singed the nets for 14, Brown banged down seven, Lippo and Toomey-Stout each added five, and rebound-happy hard workers Hunter Downes (2) and Kyle Rockwell (1) rounded out the scoring.

Dane Lucero and Gavin Knoblich also saw floor time.

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