Chase Anderson banked in 17 points Saturday. (Morgan White photo)
Just out of range.
The Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad hung tough all game Saturday but couldn’t quite catch up to visiting Sultan.
The Turks hit just enough shots down the stretch to maintain their lead, eventually heading back to the bus with a 59-49 win.
The non-conference loss drops the Wolves to 1-2 on the season, with two games on the schedule for next week.
Coupeville’s JV boys host Sedro-Woolley Thursday, Dec. 15, then travel to Forks two days later.
After that, the CHS young guns are off until Jan. 6, when they return to their own gym to host Orcas Island in the Northwest 2B/1B League opener.
Saturday night, Hunter Smith’s squad was down just 14-11 at the end of the first quarter, before Sultan pushed the halftime lead out to 38-30.
A modest 10-9 run in the third quarter, with four different Wolves scoring, kept things reasonable, but Sultan closed effectively, racking up a 12-9 advantage in the final frame.
Freshman Chase Anderson led Coupeville, banging away for a season-high 17 points and scoring in each quarter.
He rippled the net for a three-ball as well.
Johnny Porter and Aiden O’Neill chipped in with nine points apiece to back Anderson, while Camden Glover and Hurlee Bronec each banked home six.
Coupeville’s final bucket came courtesy Landon Roberts, with Malachi Somes, Jack Porter, and MikeyRobinett also seeing floor time for the Wolves.
Wyatt Fitch-Marron scored six points Wednesday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
No more road trips.
Wednesday’s trek to Everett to face Northshore Christian Academy was the final time this season the Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball squad will bounce across the backroads of America.
After this the Wolves cap the 2022 season with a pair of home rumbles, welcoming Sultan to The Rock Monday, Dec. 12, before hosting South Whidbey two days later.
Those games will put a bow on a season of learning and improvement, as CMS coaches Craig Anderson, Jon Roberts, and Jaylen Nitta continue to finetune the collective skillsets of their assembled players.
How the final off-Island excursion went:
Level 1:
Northshore played a “staggering press” and drove the Wolf ballhandlers bonkers in a lopsided 45-8 win.
The hosts went up 34-0 at the half, as Coupeville struggled to adapt while missing leading scorer Jayden McManus, who was out sick.
“Missing Jayden again is a true bummer,” Roberts said. “He is a KEY competitor on our team.
“His inside presence on defense keeps the other team off. On offense his inside game opens up our outside game. Alas that didn’t happen.”
Roberts was pleased, however, with how his team responded in the second half.
Instead of hanging their heads and accepting the loss, the Wolves manned up and fought Northshore virtually even across the third and fourth quarters.
“What I did see was a team after halftime that used the anger of being nearly beat to pulp to find a lower gear and the result was far better defensive play,” Roberts said.
“Steal attempts, riding players hard to the bucket and picking up fouls. Getting rebounds and going HARD back to the bucket.
“Coaches emphasized grit, toughness in practice on Tuesday. We saw some of this today.”
Riley Lawless paced CMS with four points, while Davin Houston and Chayse Van Velkinburgh each popped for a bucket.
Carson Grove, Sage Arends, Mahkai Myles, Joshua Stockdale, and Nic Laska helped round out the Wolf roster.
Level 2:
Northshore is the only Cascade League school not to field three teams, so Coupeville combined players from its second and third squads in a 47-14 loss.
Wyatt Fitch-Marron had the hot hand for the Wolves, rattling the rims for a team-high six points, while Roger Merino-Martinez (4), Jacob Barajas (2), and Liam Lawson (2) also scored.
Lawson had the shot of the afternoon, as Katie Smith’s nephew knocked down a long jumper where he was mere inches away from getting credit for a three-ball.
Hunter Atteberry, Nathan Niewald, Brantley Campbell, Charles Hart, Zach Blitch, Dylan Robinett, Kenneth Jacobsen, and Khanor Jump also saw floor time for CMS.
Nick Guay knocked down 15 points Tuesday as CHS romped to a big win in Tacoma. (Morgan White photo)
Bombs away.
Four different players hit double digits Tuesday, as the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball squad romped to a blowout win in Tacoma.
Shredding host Concordia Christian Academy 81-31, the Wolves notch their first win of the young season, rising to 1-2 in non-conference action.
The game was just recently added to the schedule after a matchup with Auburn Adventist Academy was bumped to February.
That gave Coupeville little time to prepare for an opponent it’s never faced before, but it didn’t matter much.
The Wolves, coming off hard-fought losses to South Whidbey and Lakewood, hit the floor Tuesday and blitzed Concordia from the opening tip.
Junior gunner Logan Downes rattled the rims for 13 points in the first quarter, and with some offensive help from Alex Murdy, Nick Guay, and Cole White, he helped Coupeville sprint out to a 29-13 lead.
Murdy hammered the Hawks for another 10 points in the second frame as the Wolves stretched their lead out to 53-21 by the halftime break, and the rout was on.
An 18-4 surge in the third quarter put a running clock into play, but even with the seconds flying off the board, the Wolves still outscored their hosts 10-6 in the final frame.
It was an equal opportunity night for Coupeville, with Downes leading the way with a game-high 26, including a pair of three-balls.
He’s kicked off the new season with three straight 20+ point performances, having thrown down 25 against South Whidbey and 22 versus Lakewood.
Tuesday’s work officially moves Downes into the top 100 scorers in CHS boys’ basketball history, which dates back to 1917.
Jumping from 271 to 297 career points, he passes 12 former Wolves, including program legends such as Risen Johnson, Keith Jameson, Boom Phomvongkoth, and Aaron Curtin.
Already the highest-scoring of Ralph and Angie’s three sons, Logan Downes sits just a three-ball shy of becoming the 96th Wolf male to crack the 300-point club.
Murdy dropped in a season-high 16 as Wolf coach Brad Sherman claimed his 40th win at the school, with Nick Guay adding a varsity career-best 15, and Cole White banking in 11.
Ryan Blouin (6), Jermiah Copeland (2), Jonathan Valenzuela (2), Chase Anderson (2), and Zane Oldenstadt (1) rounded out the scoring, with William Davidson and Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim also seeing floor time.
Coupeville returns to action this Saturday, Dec. 10, when it hosts Sultan in a non-conference rumble.
Liam Lawson and his CMS basketball teammates had an eventful trip to Granite Falls. (Kassie O’Neil photo)
Strange things happen on the road.
Monday’s trip to the wilds of Granite Falls offered a bit of everything for the Coupeville Middle School boys basketball teams.
Up to, and including, a freakin’ TIE, which should be illegal on the hardwood.
This isn’t soccer, and Cascade League rules makers need to pull their heads out of their collective tushes, but more on that later in this story.
How the day played out for the Wolves:
Level 1:
Coupeville scored big early, then lost its shooting touch and fell 37-34 in a thriller which came down to the final moments.
Jayden McManus was rock-solid for the Wolves, banging away for a game-high 16 points, with half of that coming during the opening quarter.
Speedy point guard Chayse Van Velkinburgh added seven for CMS, including rippling the net on a three-ball from the parking lot, while Riley Lawless (5), Davin Houston (4), and Dylan Robinett (2) also scored.
Joshua Stockdale, Mahkai Myles, and Carson Grove also saw floor time for the Wolves, with Myles making his season debut.
Level 2:
Things start to go wonky here.
Unable to overcome a withering press, Coupeville put up some points but couldn’t keep up with Granite in a 39-17 loss.
Who scored for the Wolves?
We’ll probably never know, as the scorebook remains a work of mystery, with no scoring totals recorded for the game.
Which means every player in the game can go home and tell their parents they shot the lights out, and mom and pops can only nod as they slowly back out of the room.
“Sure honey, whatever you say.”
Anyways, we do know Hunter Atteberry, Liam Lawson, Nathan Niewald, Roger Merino-Martinez, Cyrus Sparacio, Charles Hart, Robinett, Kenneth Jacobsen, Jacob Barajas, and Sage Arends were listed on the roster.
So, that’s a start.
Level 3:
“The shocker of the night!”
CMS coach Jon Roberts had to sit down and collect his thoughts after RogerMerino-Martinez, in his second game of the season, decided to morph into Damian Lillard.
Raining down shots from every part of the gym, the Wolf 7th grader scorched the nets for 21 points in a 27-27 tie.
“Whether he was stealing the ball and making a layup or taking a confident 12-footer, Roger was the man!” Roberts said.
“Plus, Cyrus did a good job of feeding him and creating shots himself.”
Sparacio chipped in with four points, while Kenneth Jacobsen knocked down a bucket.
Zach Blitch, Jacob Meadors, Johnathan Jacobsen, Barajas, and Khanor Jump also saw floor time for the Wolves, who, against all conventional wisdom, never got to play overtime.
That’s because Cascade League rules allow extra periods only for Level 1 basketball games and say any ties in Level 2 and 3 games should be decided with a rousing moment of rock, paper, scissors.
Seriously. I’m not making that part up.
No, seriously…
Somewhere, retired NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo is shaking his finger at the camera, saying “No, no, no!!!” the way he used to do after blocking a shot and ripping his foe’s very soul from their chest.
Chase Anderson tastes the air up there. (Morgan White photo)
Lakewood flipped a switch.
Saturday’s JV boys’ basketball game was a one-basket affair eight minutes in, then the Cougars upped the ante.
Ripping off a 17-7 run in the second quarter, before tacking on a 19-5 surge in the fourth, the visitors steadily pulled away from Coupeville, handing the Wolf young guns a 63-33 loss.
The non-conference defeat, coming against a 2A school, drops CHS to 1-1 on the still-young season.
The Wolves, even missing several players, came out strongly in their home opener, and trailed just 11-9 at the first break.
Five different Coupeville players scored in the opening frame, but the basket turned fairly unforgiving after that.
The Wolves still hit a couple of big shots down the stretch, including freshman Malachi Somes netting a three-ball for his first points as a high school player.
But it wasn’t enough, as Lakewood was relentless and enjoying a love affair with the rim, which let shots drop from every angle.
Jack Porter paced the Wolves with a team-high 10 points, while Mikey Robinett fought in the paint to knock down six in support.
Hunter Bronec (5), Aiden O’Neill (4), Somes (3), Hurlee Bronec (3), and Chase Anderson (2) also scored for Coupeville, with Yohannon Sandles and Carson Field rounding out the active roster.
The JV boys get back at it next Saturday, Dec. 10, when they host Sultan. Tip is 3:00 PM.
Coupeville Sports 