Lauren Grove had three points, including a huge fourth quarter bucket, and six boards Wednesday night. (John Fisken photo)
The schedule makers have not been kind to the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad this season.
The Wolves, coming off a league title last year that brought the first new championship banner to the CHS gym in 13 years, got the short end of things.
They play at home only eight times in 2015-2016, compared to 11 for the Coupeville boys, and they have three times when they play back-to-back games — with all six of those games being on the road.
Frequent ferry and bus trips, and the tired legs that come with it, finally caught up to the streaking Wolves Wednesday, as they fell 38-34 at Sequim in a non-conference game.
The loss to a tough 2A squad, which came less than 24 hours after Coupeville pulled out an important 1A Olympic League win at Port Townsend, snapped the Wolves five-game winning streak and dropped them to 7-3.
Still, that’s easily the best record of any of Whidbey Island’s six high school teams, and the three losses, all narrow, have come to strong schools in South Whidbey (5-4), Mount Baker (10-1) and Sequim (4-5).
And this from a Wolf squad which lost six key players to graduation and entered this season with only two returning full-time varsity players.
“A 7-3 record isn’t bad for such a new team,” said Wolf coach David King. “In those three losses it’s a total of nine points. We are right there.
“Just need to correct the repeat mistakes and good things will continue to happen.”
Facing off with Sequim, Coupeville let Makana Stone run loose and she tore the joint up, throwing down a 21-point, 16-rebound, four-steal, two-block performance that kept the Wolves close.
The sensational senior even took over running the point at times, bringing the ball up and feeding her teammates, several of whom stepped up with big buckets.
The Battlin’ Briscoe Sisters each hit a key jumper, something King always likes to see from the defensive ball-hawks.
“Kyla got extended time and played well. Her hitting the jumper will hopefully boost her confidence on the offensive end,” King said. “The stats don’t show it, but Tiffany played another solid game for us.”
Sequim countered with a patient offensive attack full of backdoor cuts and, after taking the lead midway through the first quarter, kept the Wolves at bay for three quarters.
Up 12-8 after one, the hosts stretched the lead to 19-14 at the half and 31-22 going into the fourth.
That was when Coupeville made its move, and almost got all the way back.
“The fourth was a whole different game for us,” King said. “We played with determination and showed what we are capable of.”
With Stone pouring in 10 in the quarter and Lauren Grove knocking down “a great drive for a layup,” the Wolves cut the lead down to just two.
Sequim responded immediately though, with Jordan Miller drilling a three-ball to pad the lead back out.
Down by four with 25 seconds left in the game, Coupeville had to foul “five times in about 10 seconds” in an attempt to get the ball back, but it wasn’t to be.
“A few made baskets by us or a couple of defensive stops and the score could have been reversed,” King said. “It was good to see the players that got in, in the fourth, picking up their game and doing whatever it took to come back.”
Kailey Kellner tossed in four points in support of Stone, while snatching six rebounds and doling out four assists.
Grove (three points, six boards and a block), Tiffany Briscoe (two points, three rebounds), Mia Littlejohn (two points, two assists), Kyla Briscoe (two points) and Lindsey Roberts (three boards) also filled up the stat sheet.
The Wolves will look to rebound with a rare home game this Saturday, when Mount Vernon Christian will be in town for a non-conference doubleheader (girls 2:30/boys 4).
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