On their way to deliver another beat-down. (Michelle Glass photo)
Call him Knute Rockne.
Whatever Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball coach Brad Sherman said at halftime Saturday, it lit a fire under his squad.
Down by six at the break in Sultan, the Wolves tore up the floor in the second half, turning a nailbiter into a 58-48 romp.
The non-conference road win over a 1A school which is slated to move to 2A next year lifts lil’ 2B Coupeville to 3-1 on the season.
It also gives the Wolves a nice bounce back after taking their first loss of the season and sends them into a busy week on a high note.
CHS hits the road again, and again, playing at Granite Falls Tuesday and Friday Harbor on Friday, before nabbing a rare home game Saturday against archrival South Whidbey.
Playing in front of a chippy crowd in Sultan, the Wolves hung tough during a back-and-forth first half.
Chase Anderson got Coupeville on the scoreboard first, hauling in a long football-style pass from Logan Downes, before the latter nailed a soft jumper of his own.
The Wolf senior had a memorable opening frame, firing another long outlet pass to Cole White for a breakaway layup, and netting the first of his five three-balls.
Downes also put up a shot which got stuck in the gap between the rim and the backboard, though he shrugged that off and kept firing.
Most of a 3-1 team. (Michael Davidson photo)
Up 11-10 at the first break, after thwarting two Sultan shots in the final three seconds, Coupeville opened the scoring in the second quarter thanks to a nifty play from Anderson.
Intended or not — and that was the subject of much debate — the super sophomore froze the defense, appeared to pass the ball to himself by bouncing it off a rival, then slashed to the hoop for a sweet layup.
Sultan responded by mounting its best run of the night, closing the half on a 15-6 run.
A trio of three-balls hurt, while a buzzer-beating turnaround jumper really stung.
Coupeville got a pair of treys, one from Downes and one from Ryan Blouin, during the stretch, but found itself trailing 25-19 at the break.
Not to worry, as Sherman said whatever he said, and, to a man, the Wolves responded.
First up was Downes, who went off for 16 of his season-high 33 points in the third quarter, sticking in knives from every angle and twisting them with wild glee.
Back-to-back three balls tied the game up, and a three-point play the hard way staked Coupeville to a lead it would not relinquish.
White, trying not to get hit in the face by a defender for the third straight game, stayed a step ahead of the Turks, draining a short jumper before slashing to the hoop for a gorgeous layup.
With William Davidson and the Battlin’ Bronec Brothers, twin titans Hunter and Hurlee, hitting the boards with passion, CHS thwarted the Turks from grabbing many second-chance opportunities.
CHS coach Brad Sherman strolls back to the bench as his Wolves prepare to attack. (Michelle Glass photo)
Sultan, down 40-28 late in the third, did cut the deficit back to 42-38 heading into the fourth, but Coupeville had an answer every time.
Anderson, bounding airborne and yanking down a pass like the football receiver he also is, came up with a crunch time bucket, while the Wolves closed things out at the free throw line.
After a Turk three-ball cut the lead down to 50-46 with about 90 seconds to play, Downes crashed through the defense for a game-sealing bucket.
From there, Anderson, White, and Downes calmly flicked charity shots through the rim, each flip of the net a slap to the face of Turk Nation.
Along with the win, the night was rich in history, as Downes moved from #13 to a tie for #9 on the CHS boys’ career scoring list.
Now sitting with 869 points and counting, he’s even with Denny Clark, just six points away from unseating Sherman (874) for #8 on a chart compiled over the course of 107 seasons.
Downes passed Wolf legends Hunter Smith (847), Bill Jarrell (855), and Arik Garthwaite (867) Saturday.
White and Anderson each banked in nine to support Downes and his 33, with Blouin (3), Hunter Bronec (2), and Hurlee Bronec (2) also scoring against the Turks.
Nick Guay, Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim, and Davidson rounded out the rotation.
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