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Posts Tagged ‘Concrete’

Can’t slow their roll

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Grady Rickner and Coupeville are flying high at 10-0. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

No stumble in their step.

Holding visiting Concrete without a shot for the first two-and-a-half minutes Thursday, the Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball team made quick work of their overmatched foes.

Blitzing the Lions 72-24, the Wolves surge to 8-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 10-0 overall.

Next up is a non-conference rumble at South Whidbey Saturday, then a rematch with their top league foe, Mount Vernon Christian, Jan. 27.

The Wolves, who are chasing their first league title since 2002, play their final five regular season games on the road, not returning home again until they host the district tournament Feb. 15-17.

Giving the local fans a glimpse at how scary it can be when everything is clicking, Coupeville decimated Concrete from the opening tip.

With all five starters attacking on defense, the Wolves roared out to a 14-0 lead before Concrete managed to get a shot up, much less make a bucket.

Xavier Murdy drilled a three-ball from the left corner to kick things off, then a madly scrambling full-court press produced turnover after turnover to be converted into lightning-quick buckets.

The Lions finally got the ball airborne at the 5:35 mark of the first quarter, hitting a layup.

Concrete also converted its second shot attempt, though by the time that pullup jumper tumbled through the net, it trailed 27-2.

The Wolves knocked down six three-balls in the opening frame, with Xavier Murdy netting half of those, and headed to the bench boasting a 38-6 advantage at the first break.

For comparison, Concrete has only topped 38 points in an entire GAME twice this season in 11 contests, so anyone hoping for a shocking comeback had to have known they were out of luck.

To the Lions credit, they scrambled and played hard, and actually slowed Coupeville’s offense down for a brief bit.

The Wolves only added a pair of breakaway buckets off of steals across the first five minutes of the second quarter, but then shook free of their brief stupor to push the halftime lead out to 52-15.

Third quarter three-balls from Caleb Meyer, Logan Downes, and then Meyer again — with a picture-perfect jumper off the fingertips of Logan Martin mixed in for good measure — moved the needle all the way out to 63-15.

Then the running clock became the only thing capable of slowing Coupeville’s roll.

Giving his bench some solid floor time, CHS coach Brad Sherman watched as Dominic Coffman carried the scoring load late, while Nick Guay popped an elegant jumper from the side for his first varsity points.

Brad Sherman draws up a play.

With two regulars sidelined by Covid protocols, the Wolves also bumped freshman Hunter Bronec up to the first team, and he made a strong varsity debut.

Xavier Murdy paced Coupeville’s attack, going off for all 22 of his points in the first half, with Meyer and Downes adding 13 and 12, respectively.

Coffman (6), Alex Murdy (5), Grady Rickner (5), Cole White (5), Guay (2), and Martin (2) also kept CHS scorekeeper June Mazdra and her well-sharpened pencil busy.

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Short bench, big win

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Lyla Stuurmans was a terror on defense Thursday as Coupeville shredded Concrete. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re back!

Well, some of them are, and those ones are ready to rumble.

After postponing two games in a row due to Covid protocols, the Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball team returned to action Thursday, though with only six of 12 players in uniform.

Still, the Wolves made it work.

Adding JV warrior Mia Farris to the mix, the Wolves had more than enough firepower to rout visiting Concrete 47-15.

The victory over a rough-and-tumble Lions squad lifts Coupeville to 4-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-4 overall.

It also puts the Wolves a game-and-a-half up on Friday Harbor (2-4 in league) in the battle for a playoff spot.

Coupeville hit the floor Thursday missing three regular starters, and with three of the seven active players just freshmen.

And while Concrete is not an immensely talented team, it is a feisty one.

If by feisty I mean the Lions revive memories of NBA games from the ’80s, when shooters got hacked by all five defenders at the same time, and bodies bounced off the floor on nearly every possession, with the wrecked players left to wallow in their own misery.

Sort of warms my old-school hoops heart.

But what should also make local fans happy is how the Wolves responded, not backing down in the flurry of elbows, knees, and full body slams.

Instead, Coupeville’s undermanned squad hit go on its offense, blitzed Concrete in the open court, and pounded the boards with intensity.

An opportunistic defense, exemplified by Lyla Stuurmans bounding from one end of the floor to the other, and Farris picking off passes like a veteran, revved the motor.

Then the Wolves knocked down their shots with glee.

Carolyn Lhamon opened things by shredding Concrete for seven points in the opening frame, as CHS built a 14-1 lead.

Two of her buckets came on power moves in the paint, but the Wolf junior also got out on the fly, taking a steal the length of the court before slapping home a layup which elicited a whoop from mom Helene.

Maddie Georges got three the hard way, putting a rebound back up and in while being pummeled, while Katie Marti notched her first varsity points off of a slick play.

That dash to the basket started with a Gwen Gustafson steal, followed by Ja’Kenya Hoskins threading the defense with a pass which slid right onto Marti’s hands as she cut through the paint.

Concrete put together its best offensive stand in the second quarter, playing the Wolves to a 9-9 tie across the eight-minute span, but Coupeville blew the game open in the second half.

Stuurmans, who stuffed one Lions shot like she was Dikembe Mutombo in his prime, tickled the twines for a pair of third-quarter jumpers to spark a decisive 11-0 run.

The fab frosh wasn’t done, coming back around late in the game to throw a wicked baseball-style pass which set up a streaking Marti for yet another layup.

In between the razzle and the dazzle, Georges responded to being abused by the Concrete defenders by staring icy daggers at them, before dropping her own wicked elbows when the refs were distracted.

She also netted a pair of softly tumbling three-balls, which kicked the net up with an impudent little flip as they made the numbers on the scoreboard jump.

In a game in which all seven active players scored, Georges (12) and Lhamon (11) led the way for the Wolves, with Gustafson banking in another eight points.

Marti (6), Farris (4), Stuurmans (4), and Hoskins (2) also netted buckets, with the first two of those players recording their first-ever varsity points.

Coupeville is scheduled to play a non-conference game at home Saturday against South Whidbey, then has a week off before finishing the regular season with three league tilts.

Two of those are against Friday Harbor, as the Wolves and Wolverines battle for the #2 playoff seed among NWL 2B schools.

Mia Farris made a strong varsity debut.

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“They are in it to win it!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Audrianna Shaw slapped in 12 points Tuesday as Coupeville cruised to its fourth win in five games. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Savina Wells celebrated her 15th birthday in appropriate fashion — as a winner.

The Coupeville High School freshman was one of 10 players to score Tuesday, as the Wolf varsity girls basketball team obliterated host Concrete 59-25.

The victory lifts CHS to 3-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-1 overall, heading into a big showdown at Mount Vernon Christian Friday night.

As the Wolves prep for the weekend — they also have a non-conference clash at South Whidbey Saturday — they sit a half-game off the lead in the NWL.

Defending champs La Conner are 4-0 in league action, 7-0 overall.

Tuesday’s road trip to the wilds of Concrete went off about as well as possible, with the Wolves popping the net from the word go.

Maddie Georges sank two shots from behind the three-point arc in the first quarter, part of an eight-point opening for the junior guard, while Ja’Kenya Hoskins controlled the paint.

Up 17-2 at the first break, Coupeville stretched the margin out to 31-7 by the half, then 50-16 heading into the final frame.

It was the sort of well-balanced, everybody-contributes effort CHS coach Megan Smith is thrilled to see.

“We have a solid team! They are in it to win it,” she said.

“And I am beyond impressed with all the strides I have seen them make so far,” Smith added. “It’s only up from here.”

Shaw and Lyla Stuurmans have had plenty to celebrate.

Georges paced the Wolves with a game-high 13, including a trio of three-balls, while Audrianna Shaw knocked down 12 in support.

Izzy Wells (8), Hoskins (6), Carolyn Lhamon (5), Nezi Keiper (4), Savina Wells (4), Gwen Gustafson (4), Abby Mulholland (2), and Lyla Stuurmans (1) also scored, with freshman Katie Marti also seeing floor time.

 

JV sidelined:

Concrete only has one team, so Coupeville’s younger stars had the night off.

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Wolf boys runnin’, gunnin’, and winnin’

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Xavier Murdy and Co. are off to a 5-0 start after annihilating Concrete Tuesday night. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The victory express keeps rolling right along.

Throwing down 35 points during a game-busting second quarter Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball squad continued its undefeated season.

Shredding host Concrete 73-22, the Wolves improve to 3-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-0 overall. That’s the best start for the program in 24 years.

The victory also put Coupeville alone atop the NWL standings, at least for a night.

The Wolves are a half game up on defending league champs Mount Vernon Christian, who put a 2-0 conference mark on the line Wednesday against Friday Harbor.

Coupeville travels to MVC Friday for the season’s biggest showdown to date.

The undefeated Wolves, coming to a town near you soon.

Tuesday, the Wolves seized control from the start, even with a little slower offensive start than has been the norm this season.

Up 18-5 at the first break, Coupeville poured it on in the second frame, outscoring the Lions 35-10 across an eight-minute stretch of excellence.

Fron there, the Wolves cruised in for the lopsided victory, triggering a running clock early in the third quarter, and getting their bench plenty of playing time.

That included giving sophomores Nick Guay and Zane Oldenstadt their varsity debuts, with Oldenstadt rolling hard to the hoop for his first bucket, set up by a zippy entry pass from Cole White.

Everyone on the floor contributed, from Alex Murdy bounding high to snag rebounds and slap home second-chance buckets, to Logan Martin makin’ the net bounce on his jumper.

Along with its win streak, Coupeville also has a stellar scoring streak going, having topped the 70-point barrier in all five games this season.

A quarter of the way through the regular season, the Wolves are averaging 72.4 a night, and Brad Sherman’s team is doing it with very-balanced scoring.

Tuesday was a perfect example, as Caleb Meyer, Hawthorne Wolfe, and Logan Downes topped the stat sheet with 10 points apiece, while Xavier Murdy and White both tossed in nine.

Martin (8), Grady Rickner (8), Alex Murdy (7), and Oldenstadt (2) rounded out the offensive assault, with Guay, Dominic Coffman, and Jonathan Valenzuela also seeing floor time.

It was a night for milestones all around, as well.

With his 10 points, Wolfe has 731 for his career, and passes hardwood legends Dan Nieder (729) and Steve Whitney (730) to move into 17th place on the all-time CHS boys scoring chart.

Meanwhile, Downes (102) and Alex Murdy (101) both cracked the 100-point club, and Oldenstadt became the 405th Coupeville boy to score in a varsity game.

 

No JV rumble:

Concrete only goes one team deep, so the Wolf young guns were idle on this night.

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Few errors, a whole lot of winners

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

“Welcome to the Lucy Tenore Experience. Get ready, folks — I’m about to go be all awesome.” (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Focus on the details.

Do the little things right, and the big things will get easier.

Coupeville High School varsity volleyball coach Cory Whitmore preaches that philosophy, and Tuesday night his players proved they’ve been listening.

Playing a fairly error-free night, the Wolves cruised past visiting Concrete 25-11, 25-18, 25-11.

The win lifts Coupeville to 6-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 6-2 overall, heading into the biggest gut-check of the season.

The Wolves travel to La Conner Wednesday for a first-place showdown with the two-time defending state champs, who haven’t dropped a set while going 6-0 in league, 7-0 overall.

While Coupeville will be an underdog against the Braves, it will be a good test for the young Wolves, to see if they can carry over the strong performance against Concrete while facing a juggernaut.

“It was good to start the week with a win, and a pretty focused one,” Whitmore said. “We’ve made that a priority in everything we do — start to finish, focus in on the details.

“Details will make the difference down the stretch for us, this year and the next, as we try and maintain focus and get the growth we’re looking for.”

Playing on Dig Pink Night Tuesday, while raising money for the fight against breast cancer, Coupeville jumped on Concrete early.

Maddie Georges ripped off five straight points on her serve — with the biggest being delivered via a mighty spike off the dangerous fingertips of an airborne Savina Wells — as CHS built an early 7-2 lead.

The real set-buster was Lucy Tenore, however, who was uncanny at the service stripe, turning a 9-7 lead into an 18-7 advantage.

The Wolf junior pounded out several aces during her run, while Jill Prince and Lyla Stuurmans came swooping in to smash winners which ended brief rallies.

Coupeville libero Alita Blouin was a magician as well, dropping one winner down the middle of the floor while facing the other way, the ball arcing up and away as pretty as a rainbow.

She was equally as deadly from the service stripe, with several Blouin serves setting up Wells, who was swinging the hammer of the gods while patrolling the left side of the floor.

The lanky freshman almost touched the ceiling as she soared into the heavens, her kill arm whipping downward, spraying kills as Concrete players ran for cover beneath her barrage.

The second set, while a little closer in score, was never in doubt, as Coupeville’s superior fire power ruled the evening.

Prince, Tenore, and Wells ended rallies by beating the life out of the ball, with Stuurmans and Olivia Schaffeld dancing through the air to deliver tips which froze the Lions in place.

Concrete’s errors built up as the final set played out, while the Wolves played with ever-more precision.

Tenore was a terror at the net, and she closed the win with a powerhouse put-away which caused the foundation of the CHS gym to rumble like a tsunami was about to make landfall.

Whitmore emerged from the match pleased with how clean his team’s hitting sheet was — “hard work paying off” — and with how the Wolves and their support staff were able to pull off a successful fundraiser.

Money generated by the Dig Pink event will go to pay for mammograms through the WhidbeyHealth Foundation.

“It was a great night for breast cancer awareness, and, on top of that, we were able to focus on local individuals, which is great,” Whitmore said.

“We have a great group of parents who put it all together, with posters, and balls for the girls to throw to the fans, and the money stays local – I love that idea.”

 

Tuesday stats:

Alita Blouin — 1 kill, 9 digs, 2 assists
Maddie Georges — 4 digs, 18 assists, 8 aces
Taygin Jump — 3 digs
Ryanne Knoblich — 1 dig
Jill Prince — 3 kills
Olivia Schaffeld — 2 kills, 4 aces
Lyla Stuurmans — 5 kills, 5 digs, 3 aces
Lucy Tenore — 6 kills, 1 dig, 7 aces
Savina Wells — 7 kills, 1 dig, 6 aces

Savina Wells had six of Coupeville’s 28 aces in a straight-sets win over Concrete.

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