Mia Littlejohn piled up eight points, three rebounds and three assists as Coupeville won its 21st straight league game Tuesday night. (John Fisken photo)
In the relatively short two-and-a-half year history of the 1A Olympic League, no program has been as successful in conference play as the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad.
The Wolves are one of four varsity teams to have never lost in league competition, and, with a come-from-behind 39-29 drubbing of host Port Townsend Tuesday, they now have the longest winning streak of any of those teams.
With the win, its third straight, Coupeville rises to 7-3 on the season, 3-0 in Olympic League play.
From 2014 to today, CHS is 21-0 against its conference foes, topping Klahowya girls soccer (20-0), Klahowya boys soccer (12-0) and Coupeville girls tennis (11-0) in the race to the top of perfection hill.
To get there, the Wolves had to overcome a bit of a slow start Tuesday.
With Port Townsend having cancelled the JV game due to low numbers caused by a toxic mix of injuries and illness, the varsity teams, who entered the game tied for first place, were the only show on the night.
And, in the early going, it was the RedHawks who seemed in control of the plot, forcing the Wolves to once again dig themselves out of a hole.
If there was a positive, it was only a small hole this time around, with CHS trailing 10-9 after one and 17-15 at the half.
“I sound like a broken record with how we start our games,” said Coupeville coach David King. “Tonight seemed to follow that same pattern, however it was a little better than the last couple of games.”
Coupeville’s stellar defense made up for some early shooting issues, but Port Townsend seized the advantage at the free throw line, knocking down five of eight freebies in the second quarter.
Whatever was said during the break seemed to light a fire under the Wolves, as they hit the floor a different team in the second half.
Seizing the lead for good three minutes in, Coupeville then methodically stretched it out to double digits.
Part of the turnaround came from completely neutralizing RedHawk star Kaitlyn Meek, who was held to a single, solitary free throw in the game’s final 16 minutes.
As she fell quiet, Wolf sophomore Kalia Littlejohn “started heating up and percolating,” going on a third-quarter rampage in which she threw down all six of her points.
Coupeville turned the game completely around in the third, rolling to a 15-6 advantage while spreading the scoring between Littlejohn, Lindsey Roberts (4), Kailey Kellner (a long three-ball) and Sarah Wright (2).
“Everything seemed to be working well for us,” King said.
The Wolves kept up the pressure on Meek, a two-time All-Conference player, using a mix of Lauren Grove, Mikayla Elfrank, Littlejohn and Kellner to stifle her.
“We are athletic and deep enough that we were able to rotate players on her all game,” King said. “The rest of the team brought their defensive game as well, minimizing the scoring opportunities with the rest of their roster.”
Once they had the lead, the Wolves put the hammer down hard, impressing their coach.
“In the fourth, Mikayla made a very good move to split a double team to score the basket,” King said. “Kailey scored her basket on a great post-up in the middle of the key, didn’t rush and took it up hard. Made the basket and got fouled.
“This is progress and something we have been talking about all season,” he added. “Don’t shy away from contact. More often than not, good things will come your way if you go strong.”
Kellner dropped in a game-high 11 to pace her squad, while Lindsey Roberts banged down 10 in support.
Mia Littlejohn (8), Kalia Littlejohn (6), Elfrank (2) and Wright (2) also scratched their names in the scoring column.
The “twins,” Roberts and Grove, each hauled down six boards, while Mia Littlejohn and Kellner dealt out three assists apiece.
“This was one of our most consistent games,” King said. “We are still a work in progress, but it’s exciting because we are seeing more consistent play from each player.”
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