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Posts Tagged ‘Boys Basketball’

Close games, big intensity

Posted in Boys Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on December 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville defenders Nico Strong (10), Abel O’Neil (middle) and Les Queen (right) converge on a rival in an earlier game. (Julie Wheat photo)

It was a rumble in the side gym.

While their high school counterparts punched it out with Forks next door Thursday, the Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball squads did their own dance with visiting Lakewood.

Squaring off with a much-bigger school, the Wolves won one and narrowly lost two in an afternoon of close finishes.

 

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

A single point separated the top squads, with Lakewood sneaking away with a razor-thin 44-43 victory.

While the loss drops Coupeville to 2-4 on the season, the Wolves showed plenty of offensive pop, with a trio of players hitting double-digit scoring on the afternoon.

CMS big man Diesel Eck was rumbling in the paint and popping outside to singe the nets on a three-ball, en route to a game-high 18-point performance.

Backing him up with 10 points each was River Simpson and Kamden Ratcliff, while Trey Stewart banked in three, and Xander Beaman popped for two to round out the attack.

Gracen Joiner, Darius Stewart, Colton Ashby, and Aiden Wheat also saw floor time for the Wolves.

CMS coach Alex Evans (red hat) plots some strategy. (Suzan Georges photo)

 

Level 2:

Another close one, but this time it was the Wolves who got to howl at the end.

Sparked by 14 points off the fingertips of Les Queen, CMS came out on top 33-31 to run its record to a sparkling 5-1.

RayLynn Ratcliff’s squad has won four straight games, with their only loss this season coming early to powerhouse King’s.

While Queen earned top honors in the scoring column, five other Wolves scored as well, led by Braxten Ratcliff, who made the nets jump for seven points.

Nico Strong (4), Xander Flowers (4), Abel O’Neil (2), and Brady Sherman (2) also tallied points, with Brayden Grinstead, Henry Purdue, Mario Martinez, and Hayden Maynes seeing floor time.

 

Level 3:

A late run wasn’t quite enough for Coupeville, which fell 29-22 and sits at 1-4 on the season.

The Wolves poured in 13 of their points in the fourth quarter, but a scoreless third stung.

Dreyke Mendiola paced CMS with seven points, with Gabe Reed (6), Luke Blas (5), Alton Hansen (3), and LJ Schultz (1) also making the scorebook keeper burn some pencil lead.

Oliver Miller, Burke Winger, Jack Bailey, Vincent Alguire, Logan Dees, Jon Driscoll, Dom Durbin, and Logan Flowers rounded out the roster, bringing passion and grit to their time on the floor.

 

Up next:

Two more games left in the season, and they are both Monday matinees at home.

Coupeville hosts Sultan Dec. 8, then wraps the campaign by welcoming South Whidbey to Cow Town Dec. 15. Tipoff is 3:15 PM each time.

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Rough opener for CHS varsity boys

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Camden Glover played strongly in the paint Tuesday night. (Marquette Cunningham photo)

It’s a work in progress.

Playing minus two key players Tuesday, a new-look Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball squad struggled to contain a quick, efficient South Whidbey team, falling 57-42 in the season opener.

The bad news?

The game actually wasn’t that close, as the Wolves trailed by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

The good news?

The Wolves stayed scrappy until the end, even after their most dangerous big man fouled out, and closed the game on a 18-5 tear that saw six different players put the ball in the hoop.

Coupeville started the season without leading scorer Chase Anderson and high-energy Davin Houston, both on the sideline in street clothes, and things got out of hand quickly.

Camden Glover rolled inside for a bucket in the paint to make it 2-2, with running mate Malachi Somes drawing an offensive charge on a South Whidbey ballhandler on the very next play.

Then things got bumpy.

South Whidbey ripped off 12 unanswered points, with four consecutive buckets coming off of steals, and kept pushing the pace en route to a 20-5 lead at the first break.

The deficit stretched out to 23-5 early in the second frame, before the Wolves were finally able to put together a sustained run of their own.

A jumper from Glover kick-started an 11-5 tear for CHS, with Somes and Mahkai Myles combining for seven of those points, while Liam Blas and Glover hit the boards hard.

But South Whidbey had an answer on this evening, rallying to score the final five points of the half to carry a 33-16 advantage into the halftime break.

The third quarter was more of the same for the Wolves.

Aiden O’Neill went coast to coast for a pretty bucket, but South Whidbey responded with an immediate 11-0 spurt, crushing any hopes of a CHS comeback.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter, with Glover being fouled out by overly sensitive refs and the Falcons up 52-24, that Coupeville found a truly consistent groove.

O’Neill knocked down a three-ball from the top, and he, Myles, Somes, Riley Lawless, Carson Grove, and Easton Green all scored as the Wolves dominated the final five minutes after struggling through the first 27.

Somes, who played a standout game on both sides of the ball, even after taking a hard shot to the head, paced Coupeville with a varsity career-high 12 points, while Glover banked in nine and Myles knocked down eight in his varsity debut.

O’Neill (5), Grove (3), Lawless (2), Green (2), and Sage Arends (1) scored as well, with Blas and Nathan Coxsey also seeing floor time.

The Wolves get a chance to carry over their hot finish when they play host to Forks Thursday and Eastside Prep Saturday.

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Wolf JV boys win on opening night

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Liam Lawson banked in 12 points in his high school hoops debut. (Photo courtesy Fern Photography)

One for the Wolves!

Opening night was a bit rough overall for the Coupeville High School basketball squads Tuesday, but the JV boys’ team more than held up its end of the bargain.

Getting 12 points each from fab frosh Liam Lawson and junior big man Jayden McManus, the Wolves led from start to finish against visiting South Whidbey, romping to a 44-32 win.

Fresh off the non-conference victory, the hardwood heroes will get right back at it Thursday, hosting Forks and looking to get to 2-0 on the season.

With coaches Jon Roberts and Craig Anderson calling the shots, the Wolf JV jumped on the Falcons fast, roaring out to a 13-3 lead after one quarter of play.

Five different CHS players scored in that opening frame, and Coupeville remained hot, stretching the lead to 24-9 at the half and 31-18 through three.

Lawson and McManus both scored in all four quarters, while Josh Stockdale (8), Nathan Coxsey (7), Carson Grove (4), and Khanor Jump (1) also tallied points for the Wolves.

Trent Thule, Chris Zenz, and Ayden Warren rounded out the active roster in game #1, all bringing hustle to their time on the hardwood.

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CMS dribblers win two of three

Posted in Boys Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on December 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Nico Strong enjoys slicing ‘n dicing the defense. (Julie Wheat photos)

The last road trip of the season went off with a bang.

Playing away from home for the fourth time Tuesday, the Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball teams won two of three at South Whidbey, claiming the early advantage in the Island rivalry series.

Now, the Wolves finish the 2025 hoops campaign with three straight in their own gym, hosting Lakewood (Dec. 4), Sultan (Dec. 8) and South Whidbey (Dec. 15).

 

How Tuesday played out:

 

Level 1:

Getting double-digit scoring from both Diesel Eck and Kamden Ratcliff, CMS ran the Cougars off the floor during a 50-32 romp.

The win, Coupeville’s second straight, lifts its top squad to 2-3 on the season.

Balanced scoring was the plan, as the Wolves poured in 13 points each in the first, third, and fourth quarters, while spreading the offensive love out between six players.

Eck pounded away for a game-high 17, while Ratcliff popped for 15, with both Wolf gunners racking up points in all four frames.

The dynamic duo was backed by Trey Stewart (9), River Simpson (5), Aiden Wheat (2), and Maverick Walling (2), while Jacob Lujan, Xander Beaman, Darius Stewart, Gracen Joiner, and Colton Ashby rounded out the roster.

The Wolves listen to some words of wisdom.

 

Level 2:

Coupeville’s hottest team captured its third consecutive victory, crunching South Whidbey 41-34 to get to 4-1 on the season.

Gracen Joiner poured in a season-high 18 points, with 10 of those coming in just the third quarter, to pace the Wolves, with Brady Sherman and Xander Flowers each banking in eight in support.

Braxten Ratcliff (3), Nico Strong (2), and Henry Purdue (2) also scored for CMS, with Brayden Grinstead, Mario Martinez, Abel O’Neil, Jack Bailey, Hayden Maynes, Liam Stoner, and Mica McCloskey also in uniform.

 

Level 3:

Coupeville’s only loss of the afternoon, as the Wolves fell 35-24.

Now 1-3 on the season, the third team was led by Liam Stoner, who tossed in a team-high eight points.

Alton Hansen (4), Dreyke Mendiola (4), Mica McCloskey (4), Luke Blas (2), and Logan Flowers (2) also tallied points, with Oliver Miller, Jon Driscoll, Logan Dees, Jack Bailey, Dom Durbin, LJ Schultz, Burke Winger, and Gabe Reed also offering hustle on the hardwood.

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“We are excited about what each guy brings”

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Malachi Somes crashes to the hoop. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The hunt begins again.

Coupeville High School boys’ basketball kicks off its 109th season — and ninth under current coach Brad Sherman — with a home game Tuesday night against next-door neighbor South Whidbey.

That clash, set for a 7:00 tip, is a non-conference affair, and is the beginning of a four-game homestand for the Wolves, as they seek their third trip to the state tourney in the last five years.

CHS fell short of advancing to the big dance last year, after punching its ticket in 2022 and 2024, but hope burns eternal.

“We always have the goal of competing at the top of our league and district and earning one of the allocations to state out of our bi-district in February,” Sherman said.

“That opportunity is something we are all going to work hard for over the next few months.”

While the Wolves lost a pack of quality seniors to graduation, they return five of the 11 players who scored last season, including senior guard Chase Anderson, who topped the team with 339 points.

The First-Team All-Conference selection is a “dynamic athlete who does a lot for us,” Sherman said.

Anderson will have help, with fellow seniors Camden Glover (115 points as a junior) and Malachi Somes also back, plus the welcome addition of senior Aiden O’Neill, who played varsity as a sophomore before missing his junior campaign due to an injury.

The trio has impressed their coach, who remains the #9 scorer in program history.

“Aiden is a strong shooter,” Sherman said. “Love his quiet leadership and presence on our team.

“With Cam, he’s really tough around the rim, (but) can (also) step out and hit from the outside,” he added.

“Malachi came on strong last year as one of our best defenders and put in a lot of work this off-season.”

Aiden O’Neill (left) and Camden Glover are aiming for strong senior seasons.

Rounding out the roster will be a promising group of guys, including two — junior Davin Houston and senior Easton Green — who scored their first varsity points as swing players last season.

They’ll be joined by Mahkai Myles, Liam Blas, Sage Arends, and Riley Lawless, who all make the jump from JV.

“We are excited about what each guy brings to the table,” Sherman said.

With the core 10 set, depth will be added by using some swing players as the season progresses. Whichever unit is on the floor, Wolf coaches will go into action with a good deal of confidence.

“It’s a great group of guys that knows how to work,” Sherman said. “It’s also a group that’s grown up together, and they know how to have fun together away from the basketball court. That’s important.

“I think the toughness and the tenacity they play with is one of the things that really sets them apart and we’re excited to see them get after it.”

Brad Sherman will likely live in the gym for the next several months.

As he and his assistants have built their program into a consistent contender, Sherman has always preached approaching the game in the right way.

“First and foremost, we want to be a team that lives our pillars and values, serves our community well, and commits to a standard of excellence on and off the basketball court,” he said.

“That’s the ultimate goal.”

As in any season, the plan is to build as the games play out and finish strong.

“Basketball seasons require constant improvement,” Sherman said. “Lots of areas we need to keep focusing on each week.

“Our aim is to seek the small improvements, one day at a time, so that down the stretch we are playing our best basketball,” he added.

“We want to just keep growing as coaches and players, as leaders, as people, and giving it all we’ve got every time we step on the court.”

The seven-team Northwest 2B/1B League offers no easy games, and Coupeville has a diverse non-conference schedule which includes a two-game holiday trip to Eastern Washington.

Regardless of the name on the front of the opposing uniforms, Sherman wants his players to bring their A-game each night.

“We just need to be ready and prepared for every game, no matter who it is.”

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