Jackson Sollars heads up court. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
The Turks were tough.
Sultan remains one of the most consistent middle school boys’ basketball programs in the region, as shown once again Thursday afternoon.
Having traveled to Coupeville for a late-week rumble, the Turks swept all three games from their hosts – though one game came down to the final seconds.
How the day played out:
Level 3:
Things went in reverse order, with the second JV squad tipping off first, and producing the closest thing to a nail-biter seen all day.
In a truly bizarre game, Sultan hit a trio of three-balls in the first two minutes, then scored just a single basket over the next 19 minutes, only to get hot again at the end in a 19-15 win.
One, two, three, the low-level line drive treys found the bottom of the net and Sultan looked like it would run away with things.
But then everything changed.
Diesel Eck rolled hard to the hoop for a bucket to get Coupeville on the board, and the Wolves slowly chipped away at their deficit.
CMS scored three buckets off of rebounds in the second quarter, accounting for all the scoring, and slicing the lead down to 9-8 heading into the locker room.
Maverick Walling pushed Coupeville in front, hitting a short jumper off a pass from Johnathan Jacobsen to open the third, before Sultan finally found the bottom of the net again – this time on a jumper in the paint.
The Wolves responded, however, with Jacobsen cleaning the glass and banking home back-to-back buckets to send his team into the fourth quarter holding on to a 14-11 lead.
It wasn’t to be however, as Sultan nailed consecutive three-balls to open the final frame, before adding a putback off of an offensive board.
A free throw from Xander Beaman accounted for Coupeville’s lone fourth quarter point, with the clock madly running out as the players scrapped on the floor for loose balls in the final seconds.
Jacobsen paced the Wolves with six points, while Mario Martinez (2), Lincoln Wagner (2), Eck (2), Walling (2), and Beaman (1) also scored.
Aiden Wheat also nailed a bucket, but had it waved off as a foul was called on a teammate a fraction of a second before his shot sank through the net.
River Simpson, Jacob Lujan, and Deacon Frost rounded out the roster, showing scrappiness on the boards.
Ready to attack.
Level 2:
This was two games in one – before the press and after the press.
With Sultan allowed to bring a full-court defense to bear, the Turks ripped off a 20-0 run to open things.
Then, once was the press was suspended with a 20-point lead — a middle school rule — the two teams fought to a 15-15 stalemate in a game eventually won 35-15 by the Turks.
Jayden Little broke Sultan’s run with a free throw late in the second quarter, and then the power to the scoreboard promptly went out.
Once it came back on, the Turks pushed the lead out to 23-1 at the half and 27-1 midway through the third quarter.
Still playing hard, Coupeville pulled off the day’s best bucket at that moment, with Liam Lawson breaking ankles and dishing the rock to Eck, who smacked home a crowd-pleasing layup.
The Wolves brought intensity to their defensive effort in the waning minutes, with Treyshawn Stewart, Khanor Jump, and Eck registering blocks on Turk shots.
CMS picked up 10 of its 15 points in the fourth, with Roger Merino-Martinez slicing to the hoop to record three buckets in a couple minutes work.
His six points led the offensive attack, while Little (5), Eck (2), and Beaman (2) tallied points, and Jonah Weyl, Frost, and Trenton Thule also nabbed floor time.
Level 1:
The top teams went last, and a big second quarter run propelled Sultan to a 39-25 victory.
Take away an 18-4 Turk advantage in that frame and it was a 21-21 stalemate.
Coupeville stayed close early, heading to the first break down just 8-6, with Nick Laska banking home a second-chance ball, before draining a trey from the top.
The dam broke in the second frame, however, and it broke badly, with Sultan ripping off 12 straight points to open the quarter.
Down 26-10 at the half, Coupeville slipped a little further behind at 31-12 after three, before mounting its best run in the fourth.
With Laska and Chayse Van Velkinburgh taking turns raining down buckets, the Wolves won the frame 13-8, closing the game on a 7-0 surge.
The duo accounted for all of Coupeville’s scoring on the afternoon, with Laska pounding away for 15 and Van Velkinburgh slashing his way to 10.
Carson Grove, Calvin Kappes, Nathan Niewald, Jackson Sollars, Kamden Ratcliff, Lawson, and Jump also played for the Wolves.
What’s next:
After three straight games at home, the Wolves hit the road for two of their final three.
CMS travels to South Whidbey Dec. 4, then hosts a rematch with their neighbors Dec. 11, before closing the season Dec. 13 at Lakewood.
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