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Posts Tagged ‘Breeanna Messner’

Messner, Stone sparkle in narrow playoff loss!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, Breeanna Messner, CHS Wolves, district playoffs, Makana Stone, Mount Baker on February 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Breeanna Messner filled the stat sheet Tuesday, with eight points, eight boards and eight assists. (John Fisken photo)

They’re coming home, with their season on the line.

After a disastrous third quarter killed their chances Tuesday in Mount Baker, the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team will get a second chance to nab a playoff win Thursday — in front of its home fans.

The Wolves (9-12) fell 56-46 to the Mountaineers in the opening game of the double-elimination 1A District 1 tourney, meaning they will need to win their next two games to nab a berth to tri-districts.

That journey will start with a 7 PM game Thursday against Meridian (4-17), a team they beat 46-34 in early December.

Meridian may be a bit down in the dumps right now, having been blasted 59-7 by top-seeded Lynden Christian Tuesday.

Knock off the Trojans for a second time, and Coupeville advances to play the loser of Blaine and King’s Friday, at that team’s gym.

Win there and the Wolves will play in the third place/fourth place game on a neutral court at Mountlake Terrace High (very likely a rematch with Mount Baker) Saturday, but would be guaranteed of advancing, win or loss.

Tri-districts run Feb. 18-22 and lead-in to regionals and the state tourney.

To get back on the winning side of the score book, Coupeville just needs to tweak a few things.

The Wolves came hard against Mount Baker, shared the ball well (16 assists), hit their free-throws better than normal (7 of 12) and got a splendid 18-point performance from sophomore Makana Stone.

But a third-quarter letdown killed their chances.

“We did many things right last night,” said CHS coach David King. “But what counts is the final score.”

And that score would have been tied if you take away the third. But a 14-4 Mt. Baker advantage, fueled by eight points from Emily Brandland, gave the Mountaineers the edge they needed to secure the win.

Coupeville, which had trailed for much of the first half, actually scored first in the second half, taking a 27-26 lead (its only lead of the game) on a quick bucket from Madeline Strasburg.

After that, though, shots refused to fall for the Wolves. Coupeville had good looks at the basket, but the ball declined to cooperate, bouncing around the rim and falling off at the last second too many times.

Sparked by Stone, who went for eight in the quarter, and a hail of three-point bombs (Strasburg, Breeanna Messner and Carlie Rosenkrance all sank a trey), the Wolves got their offensive mojo back in the fourth.

Unfortunately, Mt. Baker proved to be deadly effective at the free-throw stripe, making 10 of 12 down the stretch to prevent Coupeville from chipping away at the lead.

Despite trailing for much of the early going, the Wolves stayed close. Coupeville routinely beat Baker’s press and was able to keep the Mountaineers from going wild behind the three-point line, where they had a deadly reputation.

The Wolves actually out-shot Mt. Baker from behind the arc, claiming a five-to-three advantage. Messner banged home two, while fellow senior Amanda Fabrizi netted one right at the end of the first quarter.

“This team should be proud of the effort,” King said. “If we had a few more shots that went in, the outcome of the game could have had us on the other side of the score and a win.”

Stone led the Wolves, snatching eight rebounds, rejecting four shots and collecting two steals and two assists to go with her 18 points. Messner filled up the stat sheet as well, with eight points, eight boards, eight assists and two steals.

Strasburg hauled in eight rebounds and Julia Myers snared another six, as Coupeville hit the boards with ferocity.

When it came to putting the ball in the bucket, Strasburg (6), Fabrizi (5), Rosenkrance (3), Kacie Kiel (2), Myers (2) and Wynter Thorne (2) all chipped in to support Stone and Messner.

Monica Vidoni and McKayla Bailey also saw time off the bench, and King was pleased with the group-wide effort he saw.

“Everyone got into the game and played well,” King said. “Monica getting her hands on a couple of balls going for rebounds. McKayla and Wynter came in and gave us some strong and productive minutes.

“Both are playing well on defense and their offense has picked up and they are both playing with more confidence,” he added. “We need both of them to continue to play well when called on to give the starters the rest they need.”

Follow the bracket:

http://www.wiaadistrict1.com/tournament.php?act=view&league=1&page=1&school=0&sport=12&tournament_id=1088

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Fab-tastic!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Amanda Fabrizi, Basketball, Breeanna Messner, Senior Night on February 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Amanda Fabrizi, a danger in the open court. (John Fisken photos)

Breeanna Messner (5) and Fabrizi — hard work during the early days of practice has paid off.

They were everywhere.

It was Senior Night Friday, and, in every nook and cranny of a densely-packed Coupeville High School gym, you were reminded of the love and respect the Wolf basketball community has for Amanda Fabrizi and Breeanna Messner.

The dynamite duo, who have played together since their middle school days, could be seen in photo collages, in giant face masks brandished by Messner’s billion relatives and on the one-of-a-kind tie worn by CHS coach David King.

Showcasing images of both girls from the five years they have coached the pair, starting with SWISH ball in eighth grade, the tie was designed by King’s wife, Wolf JV hoops guru Amy King.

The unifying theme — both young women sporting huge smiles in almost every shot.

That look was on display again as they sparked their Wolf squad to a 43-20 romp over visiting Granite Falls, notching Coupeville’s third win in its last five games.

Now 9-10 overall, 5-8 in Cascade Conference play, CHS wraps its regular season with a trip to Everett Saturday to play first-place King’s. District playoffs begin Tuesday, with the Wolves traveling to Mount Baker to kick off the double-elimination tourney.

Putting Granite Falls (1-18) out of its misery fairly quickly, Coupeville’s seniors put a distinctive stamp on the game.

They combined for eight points in the first quarter, with Messner hitting for six with a pair of jumpers and a sweet rolling hook.

After that, it was the Fabrizi Show, as she rained down points in every quarter, on her way to a career-high 20.

That’s right, she matched Granite Falls by herself … and probably would have outscored the Tigers if King hadn’t pulled the duo in the fourth to give them a proper curtain call.

Running and gunning, and joining Messner in scrapping for every loose ball, ripping the ball away from Granite Falls defenders with a grin on her face, Fabrizi got her points in a variety of ways.

She rained down a pair of three-pointers from well beyond the arc, one coming off of a quick in-bounds pass, while also slashing to the hoop repeatedly.

Coupeville spent most of the game making off with steals and kicking the ball out quickly, and Fabrizi was the first player out in front on almost every fast break.

The few times the duo didn’t have the ball in their hands, the Wolves were still quite effective. Madeline Strasburg converted a pair of breakaway buckets off of steals, while Monica Vidoni triggered and finished an impressive full-court play.

The junior ripped down a board, passed off to Messner, then hauled tail down court. Messner, having split two defenders, kicked the ball to Strasburg, who whirled and whipped it to Vidoni, now down in the paint, for a quick layup.

Granite Falls only weapon was an occasional trey, usually of the desperation variety.

The Tigers cut the early lead to 6-4 on a three-pointer, then hit another one — but only after the Wolves poured in 15 straight points. Granite Falls went without a two-point bucket until the final minute of the third quarter, at which point they were trailing 31-10.

Fabrizi capped her career night by pouring in seven of her 20 points in the opening moments of the fourth quarter.

Strasburg and Messner each popped for six, Vidoni and Makana Stone dropped in four apiece, Kacie Kiel swished a jumper for two and McKayla Bailey notched a free-throw to round out the scoring.

Wynter Thorne, Carlie Rosenkrance and Julia Myers all saw floor time, as well, with Myers, AKA “Elbows,” controlling the boards.

Twice she snatched rebounds away from Granite Falls players so ferociously the hapless Tiger involved ended up planted on the floor clutching nothing but the deep frown plastered on their face.

Exactly the opposite of the looks on the faces of every Wolf on a night that played out perfectly to script.

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Last night for the legends!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Amanda Fabrizi, Basketball, Breeanna Messner, CHS Wolves, Senior Night on February 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Amanda Fabrizi (3) and Breeanna Messner as seniors.

Junior year artistry.

True grit.

That is what has marked the high school basketball careers of Breeanna Messner and Amanda Fabrizi.

Highly-intelligent, super-friendly, easy-going young women off the court, they do not EVER back down from their opponents on the hardwood.

It is a trait that should be greatly respected and honored as the duo play for perhaps the final time in the CHS gym tonight.

There is a chance the Wolf girls’ hoops squad (8-10) will end up playing one or more of its playoff games at home, but that’s not a given.

So tonight’s Senior Night (JV 5 PM/varsity 6:45) against Granite Falls (1-17) is a must-attend if you want to pay tribute to two of the toughest to ever put on the uniform.

And when I say that Fab and Mess are tough, I mean it as a positive.

In my time watching them, I have seen the duo poked in the eye, slammed to the floor, clocked in the back of the head and all manner of roughed-up.

Boys’ high school hoops is a far, far daintier world these days — girls beat the crud out of each other, and, frankly, complain about it a lot less than their male counterparts do.

And that’s why the Wolf duo shine brightest.

When a rebound is extra tough to snare, when a ball is on the floor skittering away, when a charge needs to be taken, Breeanna and Amanda step up.

Every single time.

They sacrifice their bodies time and again. Floor burns, black eyes, even concussions, all overcome.

They are quiet leaders, not prone to screaming at their younger teammates or ridiculing them, as some seniors on visiting teams have done this year.

That makes them better captains, frankly.

They lead by example. They show the next group of girls what it takes to be tough, to not fear another team simply because of a private school name on the jersey.

As a junior, Messner got whacked in the face, hard, as she came up-court and crumpled.

There was considerable pain on her face, but she never left the court.

Instead, she got up, blinked 1,204 times to try and clear her vision and drilled back-to-back three-point bombs to seal a Coupeville win.

Both times, she went back down-court afterwards not pumping her fists in people’s faces, but with a small, quiet smile of steel gracing her face.

Mess with Mess, and she will make you a mess, and then tell you that you played a good game afterwards and really mean it. She is class, through and through.

Fabrizi is no less tough and just as much of a class act.

She is the one who will take a last-second shot without hesitation.

The one who, time and again, slashes hard to the hoop on breakaways, throwing down little hook-shot layins and drawing fouls, never blinking or pulling back, even when she fully knows she is about to be hammered.

My favorite snapshot of Fabrizi in action came when she was a junior.

A ball bounced free. Two opposing players started to tentatively reach out for it.

Then Amanda came crashing through, slamming into the floor, arms wrapping around the ball, biceps flexing like they were made out of steel, her feet going up in the air and inadvertently kicking one of the other players in the face.

That girl never reached out for a loose ball again. Possibly ever.

There was nothing dirty about the play. Just full-on commitment to playing the way you wish every player would handle their business.

Fabrizi may have done time as a cheerleader (the same as Messner), but she can, and will, kick your butt.

That play kept alive a hard-nosed tradition handed down from the days of legendary Wolf brawlers like Jennie (Cross) Prince, Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts and Jodi (Christensen) Crimmins to today’s rough-and-tumble stars like Messner, Fabrizi, Julia “Elbows” Myers and Madeline Strasburg.

Coupeville does not have to accept second-class citizenship on the court, regardless of how much bigger or richer the opposing school is.

The Wolves can, and should, go down fighting with every ounce of their strength, even when it sparks another round of crying from the King’s coach.

You do not intentionally hurt your opponent (as some other schools are prone to doing) but you DO NOT back down, EVER.

Amanda Fabrizi and Breeanna Messner have lived that every moment they have been on a basketball court.

They deserve your applause. They deserve your respect.

When #3 and #11 walk off the court for the last time — hopefully after a long playoff run — they will do so knowing they brought great honor to the uniforms they wore.

They will be missed, but they will be remembered.

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Wolves want it more!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Amanda Fabrizi, Basketball, Breeanna Messner, CHS Wolves, crunch time, Makana Stone, playoffs, rivalry win on January 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Amanda Fabrizi (John Fisken photo)

Amanda Fabrizi wants to end her high school basketball career in the playoffs.

That much is certain, because Tuesday night, with a rivalry game against South Whidbey slipping away in the fourth quarter and Coupeville High School’s playoff hopes sliding from solid to troublesome, Fabrizi suddenly snapped on her Beast Mode face.

Hitting back-to-back crunch-time buckets, part of her seven points in the final quarter, she crushed the hopes and dreams of her Langley hosts and shut the Falcons fans up as quickly as they had started to get annoying.

With the one-two punch of senior captains Fabrizi and Breeanna Messner combining for 11 points, the Wolves closed on an 18-4 run to snag a 48-38 victory.

Lifting Coupeville to 7-8 overall, 4-6 in Cascade Conference play, it stakes them to a three-game lead with four to play over their Island rivals (2-13, 1-9) in the race for a 1A playoff berth.

It also gave CHS a season sweep of South Whidbey and means one more Wolf league win, or one more Falcon loss, and it’s a done deal — we’re talking about the playoffs.

Things weren’t looking great at the start of the fourth, however.

CHS coach David King had been slapped with a technical by a thin-skinned ref, shots suddenly weren’t falling and a back-and-forth game was starting to trend towards the Falcons, who notched a free-throw to open a 34-30 lead.

Without flinching, Coupeville dug down and found the heart of a champion that Wolf super fan Steve Kiel was hollering for them to locate.

Fabrizi hit three free-throws, Madeline Strasburg knocked down another one and Messner made not one, but two, huge shots under extreme duress as the Wolves ripped off an 8-0 run.

Messner’s first came when she snagged an air ball on a three-point shot, and made the miss look like an unexpected pass, as she hit a running layin.

The second bucket was even more spectacular, as she grabbed a deflected shot and put it up over her head while floating under the backboard with little room to see the hoop.

Twice the scrappy Falcons responded, hitting short jumpers to cut the lead to a bucket, and twice Coupeville hit right back.

The first came on a Makana Stone put-back off on an offensive rebound, then, after South Whidbey trimmed the lead to 40-38, Fabrizi grabbed center stage and flexed some muscle.

She nailed a pull-up jumper off of a Stone rebound and quick pass, then broke free and streaked down-court on the next play, catching Stone’s graceful outlet pass in mid-stride, before slicing between two defenders for the game-icing layup.

Before they hit a rough spot in the second quarter, the Wolves had opened strongly.

Coupeville went on a 7-0 run to end the first quarter, with a pair of free throws from Stone, a tough offensive rebound from Messner and then a rainbow of a three-point bomb from the ice-water-in-her-veins Fabrizi.

South Whidbey’s lone senior, guard Madi Boyd, spurred her team with a variety of slashing buckets, however, and the Falcons reclaimed the lead right before halftime.

The third quarter was a tussle, with Julia Myers keeping Coupeville alive with a pair of sweet jumpers and a ferocious blocked shot.

Coupeville spread the offensive wealth around, with the trio of Messner, Fabrizi and Stone each hitting for 10. Strasburg popped for eight, Myers banked home six and Kacie Kiel — a dynamo on the boards — rounded out the scoring tally with four.

Wynter Thorne, Monica Vidoni, McKayla Bailey and Carlie Rosenkrance all saw playing time, as well, with each Wolf chipping in and filling their role for a team that now sits on the cusp of a playoff berth.

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We’re going airborne!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Amanda Fabrizi, Basketball, Breeanna Messner, CHS Wolves, John Fisken photos, Makana Stone on January 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Breeanna Messner splits the defense in hair-raising fashion. (John Fisken photos)

Amanda Fabrizi goes in with all guns firing.

Skyler Lawrence will not be trifled with on the boards.

Sophia Jebrail (left) gets some air under her as she goes up for the opening tip.

High-flying sophomore sensation Makana Stone is still on the ground, but for just a moment.

I believe I can fly.

That’s the mantra of the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball players, as they swoop and dive through the air above the hardwood on a regular basis.

On the scene Friday to catch some of the aerial acrobatics (and some ground-orientated action as well) was traveling photo man John Fisken.

To see more, and possibly purchase some photos — a percentage of all sales goes to help fund scholarships for CHS student athletes — head over to:

Varsity: http://www.cascadeathletics.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=5375&league=2&page_name=photo_store&school=0&school_year=2013-14&sport=0

JV: http://www.cascadeathletics.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=5373&league=2&page_name=photo_store&school=0&school_year=2013-14&sport=0

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