Brian Shank, seen here in practice, knocked down a season-high 13 Wednesday night at Chimacum. (John Fisken photo)
Talk about riding the see-saw.
Playing their first league game of the year Wednesday, the Coupeville High School boys’ basketball team played superb defense in the first and third quarters at Chimacum.
Unfortunately, the Wolves couldn’t stop the host Cowboys in the second or fourth, and fell 48-40.
The loss drops Coupeville to 0-3 overall, 0-1 in 1A Olympic League play.
Facing off with the two-time defending league champs, the Wolves came out strongly, holding an 8-5 lead at the first break.
But then the see-saw crashed in the second, as the Cowboys rode a 19-10 surge over the next eight minutes to stake themselves to a 24-18 lead at the break.
Even as the score was slipping away a bit, one bright spot in the second was the play of Brian Shank.
The Wolf senior, who had three points through the first two games, erupted for seven in the quarter in a bid to keep the Wolves close.
Shank dropped another four in the third, while Hunter Smith picked up the hot hand, drilling nine of his team-high 15 as CHS put together its best run of the night.
A 13-5 advantage in the quarter put Coupeville up by a bucket entering the final eight minutes, but the pendulum swung back just as fast.
Using three treys and eight free throws down the stretch, the Cowboys matched their second quarter output, and a 19-9 closing run gave them the win.
Smith’s 15 paced Coupeville, while Shank banked home 13, Gabe Wynn hit for six, Hunter Downes popped for four and Ethan Spark netted a pair of free throws to round out the scoring.
JV nipped:
Incompetent scoreboard operating prevented the Wolves from possibly forcing overtime in a 60-57 loss.
Since the board said 63-55, CHS coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh had no clue a trey in the final seconds would have allowed Coupeville to knot things up.
After the final buzzer sounded, both team’s scorekeepers pointed out the mistake, but, by then it was too late.
The loss drops the Wolf JV to 1-2 overall, 0-1 in league play.
Freshmen Jered Brown went off for 23 in a game in which 10 Wolves scored.
Sean Toomey-Stout hit for seven and Kyle Rockwell knocked down six while Jacobi Pacquette-Pilgrim, Mason Grove and Ulrik Wells each chipped in with four apiece.
Koa Davison (3), Tucker Hall (3), Dawson Houston (2) and Nikolai Lyngra (1) also scratched their names in the book.
Read Full Post »
Coupeville Sports 