Timothy Nitta pulled off a beautiful three-point play the hard way Saturday in Puyallup. (Jackie Saia photo)
It was the showdown which didn’t really happen.
At least not the way it was intended.
Saturday’s prime time special in Puyallup pitted two of the best teams in 2B boys’ basketball against each other, only to have things take a jarring left turn just minutes into the game.
Coupeville’s leading scorer, Logan Downes, who is averaging 24.5 points a night, went down with what looked like an ankle injury after only getting up one shot.
After that, a three-man ref crew which all appeared to be blind in at least one eye, further knifed the Wolves, who stayed scrappy but fell 61-42 to a strong Chief Leschi squad.
The non-conference loss, which ended with Coupeville shooting four technical free throws in the final seconds after the officials finally remembered they could call fouls on the host team, drops CHS to 13-5.
Chief Leschi improves to 15-4.
The Wolves are off for six days, not returning to the floor until Friday, Feb. 2, when they host Friday Harbor on Senior Night.
That will give time for greater clarity on the severity of Downes injury.
Coupeville trailed just 6-2 when it lost its leader and pulled to within 9-7 later in the first quarter after two strong plays.
On the first, Cole White scored on an inbounds play in which he bounced the ball off a rival’s back, then slapped home the layup.
Cole White slices through the defense. (Addie Russell photo)
The second was a three-ball drained from the top by big man Hunter Bronec, wanderin’ far away from the rim and suddenly looking like vintage Dirk Nowitzki.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, that was where things dried up for a bit.
With the offensive attack hamstrung by the loss of its scoring ace, and foul trouble for his main support guys — Chase Anderson and Cole White — CHS went dry from the floor.
Chief Leschi, by contrast, rained down a series of three-balls, with one to end the first frame and four more to make the second quarter uncomfortable for the Wolves.
A 14-7 lead at the first break blossomed into a 34-13 advantage at the half, and things looked bleak.
But the Wolves dug down deep, getting quality minutes from bench players such as Timothy Nitta and Zane Oldenstadt, and battled back in the second half.
Anderson threw down all 10 of his points in the third quarter, including rippling the net on a pair of three-balls, and CHS cut a 25-point deficit down to 44-30 late in the frame.
Chief Leschi didn’t blink, however, ending the quarter on a 3-0 mini-surge, before icing the game with an 11-4 tear to open the fourth.
Even then, with too little time remaining to seriously threaten the Warriors, the Wolves reached deep for one more comeback try.
Hunter Bronec and White knocked down back-to-back buckets in the paint while being pummeled, and Coupeville closed the night on an 8-3 rally, outscoring their foes in the second half.
That included White and Ryan Blouin slipping free throws through the net after Chief Leschi was assessed two technical fouls on the same play.
The gym was heated, both sides believed they were being shafted, and yet, to prove I might have been wrong with my earlier jab about blind refs, a look at the scorebook reveals a weird fact.
Based on watching the game, I would have sworn Coupeville players had twice as many fouls called on them, and yet it was 20-20.
Dead even, unless you count the two techs, which actually puts Chief Leschi in the lead.
Weirdness, man.
With Downes on the sideline, ice packed on his ankle, White stepped up and drilled a team-high 15 points, which pushes him into a new pay bracket.
The pale prairie prince cracks the 350-point club, just the 79th Wolf boy to do so in 107 seasons.
Take his 352 points, add them to dad Greg’s 604, and Rock White’s offspring are getting dangerously close to reaching 1,000 points as a family.
Anderson added 10 in support Saturday, while Hunter Bronec banked in nine and Nitta pulled off a three-point play the hard way.
Guay (2), Hurlee Bronec (2), and Blouin (1) rounded out the attack, with William Davidson, Oldenstadt, Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim, Mikey Robinett, Aiden O’Neill, and (briefly) Downes also seeing the floor.
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