Kennedy O’Neill assesses the situation. (Jackie Saia photo)
It was, exactly as expected, a war.
Coupeville and Friday Harbor’s varsity girls’ basketball teams have clashed three times this season (so far), and all three have been royal rumbles.
The teams split their regular season series, with both road squads winning, setting up Thursday’s District 1/2 playoff opener off in the San Juans.
Take away a brutal first quarter, and Coupeville wins, but the host Wolverines had just enough gas left in the tank to pull out a 47-40 win in a game which was a one-score affair with less than 20 seconds to play.
With the loss, CHS drops to 5-14 on the season, and will play either La Conner or Orcas Island Feb. 17.
Win that loser-out game, and the Wolves would likely square off for a fourth time with Friday Harbor two days later, this time in Mount Vernon, with a trip to state in the balance.
To see the bracket, pop over to:
https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4989
Thursday’s clash started with Wolf guard Haylee Armstrong forcing a steal, sprinting to the other end, juking a defender out of her shoes, and slapping home a layup.
Unfortunately for Coupeville, it wouldn’t hit another field goal for nearly nine minutes, which left the visitors fighting from behind the rest of the night.
While CHS coach Scout Smith would have preferred her team didn’t fall behind 17-3 by the first break, with Friday Harbor dominating on the boards, she was very pleased with the response from her road warriors.
“The girls showed a lot of grit and determination today,” Smith said.
“I’m really proud of the way they were able to battle back after an early deficit and make it a close game.”
And how, as Coupeville ripped off substantial runs to open the second (12-5), third (7-0), and fourth (15-7) quarters, getting their buckets from a variety of players and ramping up their intensity on defense.
Each time the Wolves got close to knotting things up, however, Friday Harbor would find a bucket or two to stem the incoming tide, holding a 29-15 lead at the half, and a 36-25 advantage coming out of the third.
Coupeville put together its best sustained run in the fourth, racing the clock and shredding the defense.
Sophomore ace Tenley Stuurmans went off on a run of three straight buckets, set up by superb passes from Teagan Calkins and Armstrong, plus a bold defensive play from Adeline Maynes.
Everyone was hitting the bottom of the net in the final frame, with Danica Strong dropping in her second three-ball of the night, and five different Wolves recording points.
Friday Harbor found a miracle three-ball from the corner to push the margin back to 43-37 before Coupeville slashed it down to 43-40 when Calkins dropped in a runner as the clock madly ticked towards 0:00.
But the miracle comeback wasn’t to be, as the host team played the game’s final 30 seconds about as well as you can.
The Wolverines yanked down two offensive rebounds, netted a pair of free throws, and forced two back-court turnovers, with one turning into a lightning-quick layup, keeping Coupeville from getting across half court during the frantic finale.
Stuurmans paced CHS with 11 points, while Calkins banked in eight, and Armstrong rattled the rim for seven.
All seven Coupeville players to hit the floor scored, with Strong (6), Arianna Cunningham (4), Maynes (2), and Kennedy O’Neill (2) also keeping the scorebook keeper busy.
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