Maddie Georges netted six points Tuesday, including a key pair of free throws, as Coupeville’s 8th graders completed a three-game sweep of Langley. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
You win some, you lose some.
The action was fast and furious on the hardwood Tuesday in Langley, with Coupeville Middle School’s varsity girls basketball squads earning a split against their arch-rivals.
The Wolf 8th graders remained perfect with a narrow victory, while the CMS 7th graders took their game to the final buzzer, only to fall on the final shot.
How the day played out:
8th grade varsity:
Still perfect, and still the best team on Whidbey.
Holding on down the stretch, while enjoying a sizable advantage at the free throw line, Coupeville held off their hosts 39-34.
The win gives the Wolves a three-game sweep of the Cougars, while lifting CMS to 5-0 on the season.
Each of the three contests the Island rivals played had a different rhythm.
In the first one, Coupeville had to roar from behind and erase a double-digits deficit for the win.
Second time out, the Wolves blew Langley off the floor, romping to a lopsided victory.
The final match-up was a nail-biter, but one in which CMS held the advantage from start to finish.
Powered by a big three-ball from Alita Blouin, the Wolves went to the first break up 6-5.
After that, it was time for Carolyn Lhamon to shine, as the Wolf post powerhouse dropped in 11 of her game-high 12 points across the final three quarters.
The teams battled through a tight second quarter, with CMS clinging to a 14-13 lead at the half, but the Wolves slowly pulled away after the break.
Four points from Lhamon and three from Ryanne Knoblich keyed a 13-10 surge in the third, before Lhamon and Nezi Keiper each tossed in three during a taut 12-11 fourth frame.
With the clock running down, and Langley still just a three-ball away from forcing overtime, Maddie Georges iced the game.
Striding to the free throw line with confidence in every step, Mad Dog knocked down a pair of free throw attempts, giving CMS a 10-2 advantage on successful charity shots, and that was that.
Lhamon paced the Wolves with 12, while Keiper and Blouin backed her up with seven points apiece.
Georges (6), Knoblich (3), Gwen Gustafson (2), and Hayley Fielder (2) rounded out the scoring attack, with Jill Prince and Jordyn Rogers chipping in with hustle on defense.
7th grade varsity:
One of the odder games in recent memory, as South Whidbey went scoreless until the third quarter, only to win 8-6 with a basket in the final seconds.
The loss drops Coupeville to 2-4 on the season, and gives the Island rivals a split of their two-game season series.
And no, you didn’t read that score wrong.
After four quarters and 28 minutes of floor time, the teams really did combine for a meager 14 points.
“Really good defense was played,” CMS coach Megan Smith said with a laugh. “It was a very close game. The girls played very hard and well, but South Whidbey just beat us at the end and scored at the buzzer.”
Coupeville’s defense was smothering in the first half, but the Wolves could only generate a pair of buckets, both off of the fingertips of Brionna Blouin, and led 4-0 at the half.
Then CMS went cold, while South Whidbey got slightly (very slightly) warmer, slicing the lead down to 4-2 heading into the final quarter.
After that, things went bonkers (sorta) on the offensive side of the ball, with the squads scoring more points in the fourth quarter than in the first three combined.
Blouin hit another bucket, giving her 65 points for the season, best by any CMS girl in either grade, but the Cougars knotted things up, then pushed in the winning basket as time ran down.
Lauren Marrs, Allison Nastali, Skylar Parker, Reese Wilkinson, Erica McGrath, Kayla Arnold, Kaitlyn Leavell, and Desi Ramirez also saw floor time for the Wolves.
7th/8th grade JV:
Coupeville got balanced scoring, with eight players etching their names in the book, but the Wolves fell 26-18.
The loss drops the JV to 2-4 on the season.
Other than a brief defensive lapse in the second quarter, the game was a taut one, with Langley up 6-4 at the first break, and the second half a 10-10 stalemate.
The deciding factor was the second frame, where the Cougars surged to a 10-4 advantage.
Claire Mayne rattled the rims for four points to pace the Wolves, while Mercedes Kalwies-Anderson netted three.
Cristina McGrath (2), Jessenia Camarena (2), Jill Prince (2), Melanie Navarro (2), Adrian Burrows (2), and Trinity McGee (1) also scored, while Ava Mitten, Jackie Contreras, Karyme Castro, Jesse McMahon, Jordyn Rogers, and Abigail Ramirez all saw playing time.
