Avalon Renninger, already a star on the soccer field, netted her first varsity basketball point Saturday at Meridian. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Avalon Renninger is a made woman.
The Coupeville High School sophomore drained a fourth-quarter free throw Saturday at Meridian, officially notching her first varsity basketball point.
And that was the end of the highlights for the Wolves.
Well, OK, there might have been a few more, but not a whole lot.
Playing a brutally-efficient hoops powerhouse, an undermanned Coupeville squad put up a spirited fight, but fell 59-21.
The non-conference loss drops the Wolves to 4-11 on the season.
After this, things get serious, as CHS, 2-2 in Olympic League play (and sitting a half-game off of Chimacum and Port Townsend, who are 3-2), closes with five of its final six against conference foes.
First up is Klahowya (1-3), which visits Whidbey Tuesday (varsity 3:30, JV 5:15).
Before getting into the heart of league play, Coupeville, which played Saturday without two of its top three scorers (Mikayla Elfrank and Ema Smith), got to face a test under extreme duress.
After playing four games at last year’s state tourney, Meridian returned seven seniors and the Trojans have blitzed to an 11-2 mark this season.
Their only losses have been to Lynden Christian (13-0) and La Center (12-1), and they are a team with dreams of making a run at state tourney glory.
“Meridian is a well-oiled machine,” was the understatement of the year, delivered by Coupeville coach David King.
His Wolves only played eight girls total, with ankle injuries haunting Elfrank and Smith. Those who were able to hit the floor went down fighting, however.
“There were some bright spots on the offensive end, especially against their press,” King said. “Meridian is not only quick, but fast.
“We wanted to try to slow the pace of the game and not allow their pressure to speed us up,” he added. “Tonight we did that.”
Mixing things up, King had Sarah Wright handling most of the in-bounds plays, and the combo of her smart throw-ins and her teammates aggressively coming to meet the ball helped greatly.
And while the Trojans clamped down on defense, so did Coupeville, which held Meridian scoreless for nearly three minutes to open the game.
“It was good defense on our part and balls rimming in and out for them,” King said.
Wright was an equal opportunity ace all night, leading Coupeville with nine points, including netting three first-quarter free throws off of the same foul when she was hammered on a three-ball attempt.
While those were the only points the Wolves scored in the opening eight minutes, CHS was still relatively in the game at the first break, trailing just 13-3.
That changed in the second, when Meridian took advantage of Wright and Lindsey Roberts falling into foul trouble.
With the Wolves one-two punch sidelined for stretches of time, the Trojans pushed the lead to 25 at the half and 35 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter was Coupeville’s best stand, as it was outscored just 11-8.
“We were still battling and making some good offensive adjustments,” King said. “Post game we talked about the experience and that Meridian is a very good basketball team. We can learn from them with their court awareness and calm demeanor.
“Overall, it’s a loss,” he added. “However, I think we grew a little today and the players recognize that.”
Wright paced the Wolves with nine points and four rebounds, while Roberts added eight points, four boards and two steals.
Senior Kyla Briscoe netted a three-ball, while racking up four rebounds, three steals and an assist, and Renninger’s free throw rounded out the scoring.
Allison Wenzel (three rebounds and an assist), Hannah Davidson (three rebounds), Scout Smith (two rebounds and an assist) and Chelsea Prescott (two rebounds) also saw floor time for the Wolves.
