Kenneth Jacobsen soars for a tip earlier this season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Levi Dixon is a monster on the hardwood, and his family needs to move to Coupeville.
That’s my takeaway from Wednesday’s middle school boys’ basketball finale, which brought strong South Whidbey squads to the middle of the island.
Fueled by a talented group of 8th graders, the Falcons swept all three games from the hometown Wolves, though one game went down to the wire and the showcase bout was tied at halftime.
How the day played out:
Level 1:
Playing without key injured starter Riley Lawless, Coupeville matched South Whidbey for 14 minutes, before young Mr. Dixon went nuclear on the place.
Knocking down 20 of his game-high 28 after halftime, Elijah Dixon’s younger brother helped the Falcons break a 16-16 tie and run away with a 52-32 win.
Seemingly hitting every shot he put up, Levi Dixon netted 14 baskets while accounting for more than half of his team’s points.
Back in the lineup after missing several games with illness, Coupeville 8th grader Jayden McManus went off for a team-best 14 points, while four other Wolves scored.
Mahkai Myles and Davin Houston tallied six apiece, with Chayse Van Velkinburgh rattling the rim for four and Carson Grove adding a bucket.
Sage Arends, Joshua Stockdale, and Nic Laska rounded out Coupeville’s roster on the afternoon.
Level 2:
Another game, another Falcon sniper named Levi.
This time around it was Levi Batchelor, whose older siblings Brent and Morgan have starred for many a Falcon squad, and he banked in six points to help South Whidbey pull away for a 36-8 win.
The game was just 2-0 in favor of South Whidbey at the first break, but 11-4, 12-2, and 11-2 runs across the final three quarters sealed the deal for the Falcons.
Liam Lawson sank a pair of jumpers to lead Coupeville with four points, while Roger Merino-Martinez and Charles Hart each added a bucket.
Hunter Atteberry, Cyrus Sparacio, Dylan Robinett, Jacob Barajas, Brantley Campbell, Khanor Jump, and Nathan Niewald all saw floor time for the young ‘n scrappy Wolves.
Level 3:
No Levi’s this time, just Drew Staats puttin’ up stats.
The South Whidbey 8th grader torched the nets for 16, as the Falcons rallied late to pull out a 26-21 nailbiter.
Coupeville led 5-4 after one quarter, struggled a bit in the second, then used a 13-6 tear in the third to carry a 19-18 lead into the final frame.
While the Wolves weren’t able to nab the victory, they did spread their offense between four players, with Merino-Martinez throwing down 11 of his team-high 12 points in the third quarter.
Campbell (4), Sparacio (3), and Kenneth Jacobsen (2) also scored in the finale, with Zach Blitch, Jacob Meador, and Dillin Kastner bringing defensive heat.
Read Full Post »
