Sophomore Jacobi Pilgrim and Coupeville’s other young varsity players got plenty of floor time Friday at Vashon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The scoreboard doesn’t always tell the whole story.
If that’s all you looked at Friday, it might be a bit of a letdown, as a Coupeville High School boys basketball squad coming off of an emotional overtime win came back down to Earth.
Unable to mount much of a sustained offensive charge against a strong Vashon Island defense, the Wolves fell 52-27 deep on the road.
The non-conference loss drops CHS to 2-4 heading into a home tilt against undefeated Bellevue Christian Saturday. Tip-off is 3 PM.
What knowing just the score won’t tell you is the Wolves were missing starters Cameron Toomey-Stout and Joey Lippo.
One of their replacements, Jered Brown, made it through the first half, before illness left him on the bench after the halftime break.
With three key players either missing or only able to play reduced minutes, CHS coach Brad Sherman went deep into his bench.
Sophomore Mason Grove made his varsity debut, while other young guns like Ulrik Wells, Gavin Knoblich and Jacobi Pilgrim saw substantial playing time.
“Lots of young guys stepped up tonight and gave us some good minutes, which was really nice to see,” Sherman said.
“Getting them some time now, before we hit the league schedule hard, is ultimately a good thing, if we can develop a little more depth in some areas.”
Vashon, which spread its scoring out across the roster, came out on fire in the early going, shooting the Wolves out of the gym before they could get their legs fully under them.
The Pirates turned a 16-4 lead after one quarter into a 35-10 bulge at the half.
Things were different in the second half, however, as Coupeville battled Vashon to a 17-17 stalemate over the third and fourth quarters.
“Really a lot of credit to Vashon. That’s a good basketball team,” Sherman said. “Our guys fought hard. They always fight hard. I love that about them.”
Hunter Smith went for 10 of his game-high 14 points in the second half, including draining 8-10 free throws.
In a game where neither team spent too much time at the free throw stripe, both teams shot especially well when they did wind up there.
Vashon was a flawless 6-6, while Coupeville finished 9-12.
Ethan Spark added eight points, including a pair of three-balls, to back Smith, while Kyle Rockwell banged down low for a season-high four points.
“Kyle played tough, he’s doing well,” Sherman said. “It’s been nice to see.”
Dane Lucero tickled the twines on a free throw to round out the scoring and defensive buzz-saw Hunter Downes spent the night terrorizing the Pirates on the boards and in the paint.
Coupeville, which plays its next five games at home, sits atop the Olympic League in the early going, tied at 1-0 with Klahowya. Port Townsend (1-1) and Chimacum (0-2) bring up the rear.
With the Wolves playing virtually all their league games at the end of the schedule — eight of their final 10 games are conference clashes — the early part of the season gives CHS a chance to prepare for the games which will dictate their playoff fate.
“Always hurts to leave without the win, but we have to be forward-looking,” Sherman said. “What’s ultimately important in these is that, win or lose, we are getting ourselves ready for our league schedule.
“We play a tough non-league schedule and that’s a good thing,” he added. “These are good tests for us and each time we get to evaluate where we can improve, to get to where we know we want to be sitting at the end of the year.”
