Wolf freshman Mollie Bailey piled up four rebounds, a steal and a block Wednesday in a JV game which came down to the final minute. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
In a game full of swings, the final one went the wrong way.
Unable to hold on to a late lead Wednesday, the Coupeville High School JV girls basketball squad fell 27-23 in a very-psychical game on the road at Chimacum.
The loss drops the Wolf young guns to 2-2 in Olympic League play, 6-7 overall.
That they were still fighting for a win on the game’s final plays was an accomplishment in itself, as CHS was undermanned once again.
With several varsity players in question due to health concerns, three JV players — Ashlie Shank, Maddy Hilkey and Avalon Renninger — had their time carefully parceled out so they could swing up and join the first unit.
Since the Wolf JV only had eight in uniform to start the night, that left coach Amy King the task of being creative in putting together lineups.
It worked, mostly, as the Wolves hung tough in the first quarter, snatched the lead away in the second, then held on to the advantage until late in the game, when tired legs betrayed them a bit.
Not helping matters was a rival with a reputation for bringing the heat.
“We always know going to Chimacum is going to be a physical and rough game, and tonight was exactly that,” King said.
The Cowboys sprung a 1-3-1 trapping defense on the Wolves, but CHS responded strongly, getting good looks at the basket.
Unfortunately, not enough of those shots dropped.
Tia Wurzrainer carried Coupeville early, knocking down a lay up off of a steal and a “nice little jumper.”
With their own defense set to high intensity, the Wolves held Chimacum scoreless in the second quarter, using a 6-0 mini-run to turn an 8-4 deficit into a 10-8 lead at the half.
Wurzrainer was again the woman on the spot, dropping in a third bucket, while Avalon Renninger put a rebound back up and in to spur on her team.
Shank, smartly using what time she was afforded on JV, was a whirlwind, going off for a team-high eight points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Four of those points came on free throws, including three on the same trip.
Fouled while shooting a three-ball, Shank drilled all of her resulting freebies, repeating a rarity she had also accomplished the night before against Port Townsend.
In a game where both teams struggled at the line (Coupeville was a modest 7-16, while Chimacum was an ungodly 1-16), Shank was the exception.
She finished a flawless 4-4, while the other players on both teams combined to go 4-28.
Up by six headed down the stretch, the Wolves couldn’t keep it going, though, and the Cowboys used a final 13-3 run to steal the win away.
“Going into the fourth, I’m not sure what happened,” King said. “Our defense slowed down and we started to panic. We threw the ball away, threw up shots that weren’t needed and didn’t block out on rebounds.”
Wurzrainer finished with six points to back Shank’s eight, with Renninger (5), Nicole Lester (2), Mollie Bailey (1) and Genna Wright (1) also scoring.
Renninger hit the boards hard for nine rebounds, while Julia García Oñoro and Hilkey chipped in with two rebounds and an assist apiece.
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