Coupeville High School freshman Ja’Kenya Hoskins saw action in both varsity and JV games Saturday during the season-opening Sedro-Woolley Jamboree. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The Wolves wait to take the floor. (Amy King photo)
Everyone loves jamborees.
For the players, it’s a chance to get on the court and face someone besides your own teammates.
And for coaches, it’s a chance to gauge where their team is without having to worry too much about wins and losses.
So, with the regular-season opener looming Tuesday, the Coupeville High School girls hoops squad hit the road Saturday, landing at the Sedro-Woolley Jamboree.
The event drew nine schools, ranging from 1B to 4A, and both Wolf teams finished the night with a split.
But, like it said up top, wins and losses were not priority #1.
“Our mission with the jamboree was to get game jitters out and see what we have learned in our two weeks of practice,” said Coupeville coach David King. “As coaches we (he and wife Amy) came away pleased with the effort and results.”
Varsity:
Coupeville fell by two to 2A Bellingham, then toppled Darrington 12-9 in the nightcap.
Lindsey Roberts paced the Wolves on offense, while freshmen Izzy Wells and Ja’Kenya Hoskins stepped up to replace missing varsity players.
“Effort and attitude played a big part” in the frosh getting the call, David King said.
The duo each played one of two games for the varsity, while junior Tia Wurzrainer and sophomore Mollie Bailey also made their varsity debuts, playing in both games.
The Wolves almost pulled off an upset against a foe from a much-bigger school, staying close to Bellingham and pulling within a bucket with just 15 seconds to play.
“We had good ball movement up until the end,” King said. “But a defender stepped in front and stole the ball.”
While two wins would have been extra sweet, Coupeville’s coach was pleased with a lot of what he saw from his squad.
“Varsity played well on defense and did a very good job with executing our plays many times.”
JV:
The second unit “fell behind early to Lakewood and tried climbing back in, but ran out of time,” in its finale, but that couldn’t dim the glow from the opening rumble.
Squaring off with Bellingham, the Wolves built a 10-4 lead, then withstood a wild comeback that saw the game knotted up as time ran down in the short game.
Not content to play for the tie, Coupeville pulled out a buzzer-beater special.
Wolf point guard Kiara Contreras snagged an in-bounds pass, put the ball on the floor, then launched a pass that zipped most of the length of the court before landing on the fingertips of teammate Anya Leavell.
Her fellow fab frosh promptly knocked out the bottom of the net with a game-winner from the baseline, bringing her teammates to their feet.
Of course, the pass could have gone terribly wrong in so many ways, and given Bellingham its own chance to win.
Except Contreras and Leavell, seasoned players with multiple middle school and SWISH seasons under their belts, are cold-blooded killers.
So it was all good.
Both of us (coaches) are saying ‘nooooo’,” King admitted. “But in the end, it all worked out perfect.”
The JV games marked the debut for freshmen Lily Leedy, Kylie Van Velkinburgh, Alana Mihill, Contreras and Leavell, as well as for first-time players Morgan Stevens and Ivy Leedy.
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