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Now, things get serious!!

Posted in standings, tagged , , , , , on January 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   As they head into the heart of the league schedule, both CHS hoops teams will need big rebounds like this one pulled down by Hannah Davidson. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The week ahead is the biggest week yet for the Coupeville High School basketball squads.

The Wolf girls play two games, while the boys have three bouts (with one a makeup for a game postponed when the refs failed to show).

All are against Olympic League foes and the results will greatly impact any chance CHS has to add more league titles to the school’s Wall of Fame.

The Wolf girls, three-time defending champs, sit a half-game off of Chimacum and Port Townsend, no matter what the league’s “official” site would like you to believe.

While it waits for OlympicLeague.com to give it proper credit for a win over Klahowya (the Wolves are 2-2 in conference, not 1-2), Coupeville hosts Klahowya Tuesday and travels to Chimacum Friday.

Meanwhile, the Wolf boys, who are a game back of Port Townsend, have trips to Klahowya Tuesday and Saturday, packaged around a home game Friday against Chimacum.

That night marks the 101st anniversary of CHS boys basketball.

By the time the week is done, both Wolf squads will have six of their nine league games in the books (will OlympicLeague.com keep up???), with just a single game against each of their three conference rivals left.

As both teams head down the stretch, the scoring races are heating up, as well.

On the girls side of the ball, Mikayla Elfrank’s ankle injury, which has sidelined her for several games, has allowed Lindsey Roberts to storm past her and claim the #1 spot on the points chart.

With the guys, no one is likely to catch Hunter Smith, who is more than 100 points ahead of Coupeville’s second-leading scorer as he rises up the school’s career scoring list.

Smith, who is averaging 19.1 a night this season, sits #17 all-time, one decent game from cracking the Top 15.

Varsity scoring and league standings through Jan. 14:

Girls:

Lindsey Roberts 105
Mikayla Elfrank 99
Sarah Wright 66
Ema Smith 57
Kyla Briscoe 48
Kalia Littlejohn 38
Scout Smith 29
Chelsea Prescott 25
Hannah Davidson 6
Allison Wenzel 3
Avalon Renninger 1

Boys:

Hunter Smith 248
Ethan Spark 144
Joey Lippo 61
Hunter Downes 38
Mason Grove 15
Kyle Rockwell 15
Cameron Toomey-Stout 15
Jered Brown 14
Dane Lucero 10
Gavin Knoblich 2
Ulrik Wells 2
Jacobi Pilgrim 1

Olympic League girls basketball:

School League Overall
Chimacum 3-2 6-8
Port Townsend 3-2 5-8
COUPEVILLE 2-2 4-11
Klahowya 1-3 3-10

Olympic League boys basketball:

School League Overall
Port Townsend 4-1 8-5
COUPEVILLE 2-1 4-9
Klahowya 2-1 6-7
Chimacum 0-5 0-9

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Still the best!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Wolf frosh Genna Wright snagged four rebounds and pilfered two steals Saturday at Meridian. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Just gonna put this out there — you score one point in the first 16 minutes of a high school basketball game, you’re not likely to win.

That being said, the Coupeville JV girls hoops squad picked up the scoring pace in the second half Saturday at Meridian, refusing to exit quietly.

While the host Trojans finished with a 45-13 win, the young Wolves, who are missing a chunk of players due to injuries and driver’s ed classes, still boast the best record by a CHS basketball team this winter.

Now 6-8, Coupeville’s second squad returns home Tuesday to play Klahowya in an Olympic League tussle.

Saturday, the Wolves fell behind 14-1 after one quarter and 25-1 at the halftime break, with a solitary free throw from Nicole Lester the only thing dropping for Coupeville.

CHS was much more competitive in the second half, tossing in five points in the third and seven in the fourth.

Ashlie Shank paced the Wolves with six points and two steals, while Maddie Hilkey (three points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists) and Mollie Bailey (three points, four boards) joined the fight.

Genna Wright (four boards and two steals), Lester (three boards, two steals), Tia Wurzrainer (two rebounds), Julia García Oñoro (a rebound and a steal) and Avalon Renninger (a blocked shot) also played.

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Score today, star tomorrow!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on January 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Chris Ruck netted a three-ball Saturday, scoring his first points as a Wolf hoops star. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville’s young guns were firing on all cyclinders.

Mason Grove broke 30 points for the third time this season in a JV game, while the Wolf C-Team, making its debut Saturday, came from behind for a victory.

That made for a hectic, but largely satisfying day for CHS coach Chris Smith.

JV:

Sultan’s depth proved to be too much for Coupeville in a 72-54 loss, but Grove’s season-long assault on the net continued.

The Wolf sophomore, who has swung between JV and varsity this year, rained down eight three-balls on his way to a game-high 32.

That follows on the heels of 34 and 33-point performances against Port Townsend earlier this season, and marks the biggest scoring binge by a Coupeville JV player since the 2002-2003 glory days of Allen Black.

Grove has big shoes to fill, as Black, a junior at the time, went off for 347 points in 19 games as a JV player.

He then returned the next year and scored 305 points as a varsity star, earning All-Conference honors.

Grove, who also has 15 varsity points this season, has 235 points in 12 JV games, which means he’s currently ahead of Black’s pace (19.6-18.3).

Facing off with Sultan, Grove got support from Jacobi Pilgrim, who dropped a trio of three-balls on his way to nine points, and Ulrik Wells, who banged down low for six.

Jean Lund-Olsen (4), Gavin Knoblich (2) and David Prescott (1) also scored.

C-Team:

With a ginormous JV roster this season, thanks to a larger-than-expected turnout, Smith and CHS varsity coach Brad Sherman have been scrambling to find some games against C-Teams, as well.

After storming back from seven down at the half Saturday to win 42-39, the third squad travels to Sequim next Saturday, Jan. 20, where it will play their hosts and Port Angeles in a double-header.

Facing off with the Turks, the Wolves fell behind early, then turned on the afterburners.

Down 11-6 after one and 23-16 at the half, CHS sliced the lead to 29-26 heading into the fourth quarter, before turning the game over to Sage Downes.

The freshman singed the nets for seven of his game-high 17 in the final eight minutes, while James Vidoni added a pair of buckets to aid the late-game rally.

Tucker Hall banked home eight (while snagging five rebounds), Vidoni added six points and seven boards and Chris Ruck swished a three-ball for his first CHS points.

Alex Jimenez (4), Daniel Olson (2) and Trevor Bell (2) also scored, while Matt Stevens and Ryan Labrador saw floor time.

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Wolves show grace under pressure!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 13, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Avalon Renninger, already a star on the soccer field, netted her first varsity basketball point Saturday at Meridian. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Avalon Renninger is a made woman.

The Coupeville High School sophomore drained a fourth-quarter free throw Saturday at Meridian, officially notching her first varsity basketball point.

And that was the end of the highlights for the Wolves.

Well, OK, there might have been a few more, but not a whole lot.

Playing a brutally-efficient hoops powerhouse, an undermanned Coupeville squad put up a spirited fight, but fell 59-21.

The non-conference loss drops the Wolves to 4-11 on the season.

After this, things get serious, as CHS, 2-2 in Olympic League play (and sitting a half-game off of Chimacum and Port Townsend, who are 3-2), closes with five of its final six against conference foes.

First up is Klahowya (1-3), which visits Whidbey Tuesday (varsity 3:30, JV 5:15).

Before getting into the heart of league play, Coupeville, which played Saturday without two of its top three scorers (Mikayla Elfrank and Ema Smith), got to face a test under extreme duress.

After playing four games at last year’s state tourney, Meridian returned seven seniors and the Trojans have blitzed to an 11-2 mark this season.

Their only losses have been to Lynden Christian (13-0) and La Center (12-1), and they are a team with dreams of making a run at state tourney glory.

“Meridian is a well-oiled machine,” was the understatement of the year, delivered by Coupeville coach David King.

His Wolves only played eight girls total, with ankle injuries haunting Elfrank and Smith. Those who were able to hit the floor went down fighting, however.

“There were some bright spots on the offensive end, especially against their press,” King said. “Meridian is not only quick, but fast.

“We wanted to try to slow the pace of the game and not allow their pressure to speed us up,” he added. “Tonight we did that.”

Mixing things up, King had Sarah Wright handling most of the in-bounds plays, and the combo of her smart throw-ins and her teammates aggressively coming to meet the ball helped greatly.

And while the Trojans clamped down on defense, so did Coupeville, which held Meridian scoreless for nearly three minutes to open the game.

“It was good defense on our part and balls rimming in and out for them,” King said.

Wright was an equal opportunity ace all night, leading Coupeville with nine points, including netting three first-quarter free throws off of the same foul when she was hammered on a three-ball attempt.

While those were the only points the Wolves scored in the opening eight minutes, CHS was still relatively in the game at the first break, trailing just 13-3.

That changed in the second, when Meridian took advantage of Wright and Lindsey Roberts falling into foul trouble.

With the Wolves one-two punch sidelined for stretches of time, the Trojans pushed the lead to 25 at the half and 35 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was Coupeville’s best stand, as it was outscored just 11-8.

“We were still battling and making some good offensive adjustments,” King said. “Post game we talked about the experience and that Meridian is a very good basketball team. We can learn from them with their court awareness and calm demeanor.

“Overall, it’s a loss,” he added. “However, I think we grew a little today and the players recognize that.”

Wright paced the Wolves with nine points and four rebounds, while Roberts added eight points, four boards and two steals.

Senior Kyla Briscoe netted a three-ball, while racking up four rebounds, three steals and an assist, and Renninger’s free throw rounded out the scoring.

Allison Wenzel (three rebounds and an assist), Hannah Davidson (three rebounds), Scout Smith (two rebounds and an assist) and Chelsea Prescott (two rebounds) also saw floor time for the Wolves.

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“Guys fought hard!!”

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on January 13, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Hunter Downes was a wild man on the boards Saturday in Sultan, as the Wolves battled to the wire in a close non-conference game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was there, then it was gone.

After leading for much of the game Saturday, the Coupeville High School boys basketball squad went cold from the field late and paid for it, falling 54-49 at Sultan.

The non-conference defeat drops the Wolves to 4-9, but was a good test under fire for a team which now heads into the heart of Olympic League play.

CHS, which sits in a second-place tie with Klahowya at 2-1 in conference action, a game off of Port Townsend (4-1), plays three games in five days next week in a stretch which will tell much about their league title hopes.

The Wolves travel to Klahowya Tuesday, host Chimacum (0-5) Friday, then turn right back around and return to Silverdale Saturday for another match-up with the Eagles.

Facing a former Cascade Conference rival Saturday, Coupeville held its own with the Turks until a final, fateful minute and a half late in the fourth quarter.

Having used the world’s slowest 10-0 “run,” connecting on 10 consecutive free throws, the Wolves were clinging to a 44-42 lead with 2:30 to play.

Despite the fact that it hadn’t hit a field goal in nearly 11 minutes, Coupeville was where it wanted to be.

And then it all fell apart in a matter of seconds.

Give the Turks credit, as they won the game, and CHS didn’t lose it.

Sultan drained back-to-back three-balls from deep in the right corner, then added a reverse layup and three free throws, putting together an 11-0 surge to turn a nail-biter into a semi-runaway.

Hunter Smith knocked down two buckets in the final seconds, on a pull-up jumper and a long trey, but the damage was done by that point.

It was a bit of a disappointing end, after the Wolves looked so good for so long.

Dominating on the boards, with Hunter Downes crashing through the paint and cleaning the glass like a man on a mission, Coupeville escaped a low-scoring first quarter (7-4), then surged in the second.

Cameron Toomey-Stout buried a three-ball from the right side, followed by Smith notching the 700th point of his stellar career on a banker, and the Wolves were holding the Turks at bay.

Sultan got as close as a single point at 19-18, but Smith swished another jumper, before Ethan Spark drove a dagger through the heart of Turk Nation.

Collecting the ball on the right side, he faked, then pulled back and lofted a long trey, which caught all four sides of the rim (yes, a rim is round, go with it…) before flopping home.

Spark’s shot hit the bottom of the net just as the halftime buzzer sounded, sending Coupeville to the break up 24-18 and creating a buzz of dissatisfaction which rippled through the home fans.

The third quarter got off to a dramatic start, as the two teams combined to hit five straight three-balls, including two more from the locked-in Spark.

The second one pushed the Wolves up 30-21, marking their biggest lead of the game.

Enter the refs, who called everything, and I mean everything, sending both teams to the line a staggering amount of times.

That helped Sultan greatly, because the Turks, after missing all five of their free throws in the first half, suddenly got red-hot at the charity stripe.

Connecting on 9-10 freebies, including eight straight, Sultan regained the lead for the first time since it led 8-7 for three whole seconds in the first half.

Back in front 36-34 heading to the fourth, the Turks pushed the lead out to eight, before Coupeville responded with its own impressive display of free throw marksmanship.

Spark hit 6-6, while Joey Lippo and Smith each netted a pair during the Wolves 10-0 “run,” allowing them to finish 18-28 at the line on the night. Sultan went 13-21.

Smith’s late three-ball gave him a game-high 18, pushing his career total to 713. He is the 17th Wolf boy to top 700 points in the 101 years of CHS basketball.

His running mate, Spark, netted 15, which raises his season average to 11.1 points a night.

With Smith scoring at a 19.1 clip, the duo are combining to drop 30+ each game.

Lippo went off for six in support, while Toomey-Stout (5), Downes (4) and Dane Lucero (1) rounded out the scoring. Kyle Rockwell and Jered Brown also saw floor time.

Coupeville coach Brad Sherman would have preferred a win, but liked a lot of what he saw.

“Really thought we were going to pull that one out. Guys fought hard for that one,” he said. “Proud of that effort and their determination.

“Sultan shot the ball very well when they needed it and we just couldn’t respond there at the end.

“I thought our defense played well, mixing up looks and made it pretty hard on their guards at times,” Sherman added. “Boys did a nice job at the free throw line when it mattered. I love seeing that. A lot of positives heading into our next league game.”

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