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Wolves spike Forks

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Senior setter Maddie Georges filled up the stat sheet Saturday, pacing Coupeville volleyball to a big win at Forks. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They went a long way to collect a milestone victory.

Enduring an all-day trek to the wilds of Forks Saturday, then surviving an epic first set, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad earned Cory Whitmore his 70th win as Wolf coach.

By the time they were done, the road-weary Wolves had a 30-28, 18-25, 25-13, 25-14 non-conference victory in hand, lifting their record to 4-2 on the season.

Now on a three-match winning streak, Coupeville gets some rest before travelling to La Conner Thursday, Sept. 29 to face off with the three-time defending 2B state champs.

That showdown is still in the future, though.

For now, Whitmore (70-32 at CHS) and Co. can marinate in the moment, and dream of taking a long nap when they get home.

“If you’re going to go out to Forks, you better leave with a win,” Whitmore said. “Very proud of the girls’ return to practice on Friday that then carried over to Saturday’s match.

“Our focus today was simply on communication and consistency of that communication,” he added. “This was a team win because everyone bought into that concept.”

Coupeville, which was coming off an epic five-set thriller against Orcas Island, where it had to rally from a deep deficit to grab the victory, played strongly in all facets at Forks.

“We served tough throughout; that allowed our defense to be on top of their offense,” Whitmore said.

“But our back row was especially scrappy today, digging up some hard driven balls but also chasing down digs to reset our offense.”

Alita Blouin (in black) and Ryanne Knoblich await the serve. (Bailey Thule photo)

Three players came up with double-digit digs, paced by Alita Blouin going low for 25.

Lyla Stuurmans (12) and Ryanne Knoblich (11) chipped in as well, while Maddie Georges tallied eight, missing a triple-double by just two digs.

The senior setter filled up the stat sheet all day, doling out 26 assists and zinging 11 service aces.

Most of all, Whitmore came away pleased with the way his players talked on the floor, something which was missing at times against Orcas.

“They showed tenacity in each aspect of the team,” he said. “But even more so toward the goal of communicating with each other through the ups and down, and that was fun to watch.”

 

Saturday stats:

Alita Blouin — 25 digs, 1 assist, 5 aces
Mia Farris — 4 kills, 1 dig
Maddie Georges — 8 digs, 26 assists, 11 aces
Taygin Jump — 2 digs, 1 ace
Ryanne Knoblich — 5 kills, 11 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces
Madison McMillan — 1 dig, 3 aces
Grey Peabody — 10 kills, 1 block assist
Jill Prince — 5 kills
Lyla Stuurmans — 7 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces, 1 block assist

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McMillan shines in JV rumble

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan paced Coupeville with eight points Saturday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re a second-half team.

The Coupeville High School JV girls basketball team struggled putting points on the board early Saturday, before closing on a hot streak.

The Wolves outscored visiting Forks 10-6 in the fourth quarter, with four different players putting the ball in the net, during a 31-18 loss.

The non-conference defeat drops the JV to 0-2 on the season, and marks the final time the young Wolves will play in front of their home fans until 2022.

Coupeville’s varsity has a home game against Darrington next week, but the Loggers don’t have a JV.

After that, the Wolves hit the road for games at Orcas Island, Mount Vernon Christian, and South Whidbey, not playing in their own gym again until a Jan. 4 tilt with La Conner.

Coupeville had the fan support Saturday, but Forks, after a long trip, came out on fire, jumping to a quick 12-3 lead after one quarter of play.

The Wolves clamped down on defense after that, but the rim was unforgiving to CHS, as the deficit slowly crept out to 17-5 at the half, and 25-8 through three quarters.

The final frame was different, however, with Madison McMillan, Katie Marti, Edie Bittner, and Skylar Parker all making the net pop for Coupeville.

McMillan finished with a game-high eight points, with six of those coming after halftime, while Marti banked in four points.

Parker (2), Bittner (2), Bryley Gilbert (1), and Mia Farris (1) also scored for Coupeville, with Jada Heaton, Desi Ramirez-Vasquez, and Kayla Arnold also seeing floor time.

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Wolves use balanced attack to blitz Spartans

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Alex Murdy knocked down 14 points Saturday, one of four Wolves to score in double digits in a big Coupeville win. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Attack as a pack.

Two games into the season, the Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball squad has proven to be very balanced, and very dangerous.

After toppling 3A Oak Harbor in their opener, the Wolves returned to the floor Saturday and came within a point of having five players score in double-digits.

Romping to a 71-53 non-conference win over fellow 2B school Forks — in a game it led by as many as 30 points — Coupeville improved to a sterling 2-0 heading into the start of league play.

The Wolves next four games, three of which will be on the road, pit them against Northwest 2B/1B League rivals.

Coupeville came within a half-game of a conference title during a Covid-altered season this spring, and coach Brad Sherman and his team want to finish the mission this time out.

So far, the Wolves have more than looked ready, as they have used a withering defense, a willingness to share the ball on offense, and an appreciation for the intangibles of the game to impress their home fans.

Saturday’s tilt was close, for about four to five minutes, and then Coupeville seized control.

The Wolves went up 6-5 on a hanger in the paint from Grady Rickner — a bucket which gave the steady senior his 100th career varsity point — and CHS never relinquished the lead after that.

The first quarter was a prime example of what this team can do when it’s clicking, as six different players dropped in points during a game-opening 23-13 run.

Hawthorne Wolfe buried a three-ball from the cheap seats, then picked the ball at midcourt and spun in for a layup on the very next play.

But it was the rampagin’ Murdy boys who let Forks know the drive home would be a long, sad one, as they terrorized the Spartans into frequent turnovers.

Alex Murdy tossed in a team-high eight points in the first frame, dipping and diving and flipping the ball off the glass with style, while older brother Xavier was, as always, the rock.

Hauling down rebound after rebound, poking balls free, then getting out on the break, X-Man attacked from every angle, earning a slight nod of approval from low-key uncle, and former Wolf hoops great, Allen Black.

Xavier Murdy sliced ‘n diced the Forks defense, just as he did against Oak Harbor.

The best bucket of the first quarter was a Murdy mashup, as Alex flipped a pass across his body to Xavier while flying down the sideline, then pumped his fist as his brother banked the ball home.

The second quarter was where the dam broke, and Forks got washed away in the ensuing flood.

Coupeville senior Logan Martin opened the frame by lofting in a gorgeous three-ball from the left side, then the Wolf defense got savage.

The game jumped from 34-21 to 48-21 in the blink of an eye, as most of Sherman’s defensive dreams came true one after another.

Jumping on the ballhandlers while backed by the increasing roar of a pro-Wolf crowd, CHS ripped off steals, and converted those thefts into buckets, so quickly I almost didn’t get all the plays written down in my notebook.

Almost.

The onslaught was an equal opportunity feast, with five Wolves scoring in the game-busting 14-0 run to end the half.

Logan Downes got the biggest roar, banging home a twisting three-ball, while a bucket from Wolfe was a major moment in the program’s 105-year history.

Those two points, almost lost in the barrage, allowed Hawk to move into 20th place on the all-time CHS boys basketball career scoring list, passing legendary early 2000’s gunner Chris Good.

Coupeville briefly stretched the lead out to 30 points coming out of the halftime break, with Wolfe burying another three-ball, then the Wolves relaxed a bit and coasted in for the win.

Forks still trailed by 27 with a little under three minutes to play, before using a 9-0 surge at the end to make the final score seem like slightly less of a blowout.

With Coupeville’s bench players on the floor, another milestone was achieved as Dominic Coffman recorded his first varsity basket.

The Wolf junior, who had a breakout season on the football gridiron this fall, rippled the net on a sweet lil’ runner in the paint, then immediately turned and scrambled back on defense in a move sure to please coaches in both sports.

Wolfe led Coupeville’s balanced attack, netting a team-high 16 points, while Alex Murdy (14), Xavier Murdy (13), and Downes (10) were hot on his heels.

Caleb Meyer (9), Rickner (4), Martin (3), and Coffman (2) also scored as the Wolves broke 70 points for the second-straight game.

Cole White and Jonathan Valenzuela rounded out the CHS players to see floor time, with Valenzuela making his season debut.

Coupeville opens league play next Friday, Dec. 10, when it welcomes Darrington to town.

After that, the Wolves hit the road for NWL games against Orcas Island (Dec. 11), Concrete (Dec. 14), and Mount Vernon Christian (Dec. 17).

A non-conference clash with next-door neighbor South Whidbey (Dec. 18) wraps the 2021 part of the 2021-2022 hoops season.

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Feisty Forks holds off scrappy Wolves

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Audrianna Shaw pumped in nine points Saturday as Coupeville squared off with Forks. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

This time, the late-game rally fell short.

Three days after upending Granite Falls, the Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball team looked like it was on a repeat course Saturday.

Playing their strongest ball late in the third quarter, the Wolves stormed back and put the fear of God into visiting Forks.

But perhaps the Spartans are atheists, as they drilled a three-ball at the buzzer, then clamped down in the fourth frame en route to a 53-42 win.

The non-conference loss evens Coupeville’s early-season record at 1-1, with the first Northwest 2B/1B League game on tap for next Friday, Dec. 10.

Facing a hard-nosed, rebound-happy Forks team which featured a rampaging force of nature in the middle named Kyra Neel, the Wolves struggled at times to hold their own on the boards.

By the end of the game, CHS point guard Maddie Georges had fouled out, with her final whistle coming on a phantom offensive charge.

Meanwhile, glass cleaners Carolyn Lhamon and Savina Wells were in foul trouble most of the game, as they tried to combat Neel, who crashed through the paint with a wild glee.

Forks repeatedly gave itself second and third chances, thanks to its players patrolling the boards with intensity, and that made life tough for Coupeville.

The Wolves responded by drilling their share of outside shots, with Izzy Wells a particular highlight as she drained a series of jumpers under pressure.

Georges knocked down an early three-ball, while Audrianna Shaw beat the pack to the hoop on a breakaway, and CHS trailed just 17-15 at the first break.

Shaw’s bucket was set up by a smart move by Savina Wells.

A long rebound landed in front of her, and, instead of pulling the ball in, the fab frosh reached past a rival to poke the ball, redirecting it on the fly to her teammate, who immediately made the defense pay.

While Coupeville continued to make smart plays, its offense dried up a bit in the second quarter, allowing Forks to stretch the margin out to 11 points.

Between a second three-ball off the fiery fingers of Georges and a soft jumper late from Savina Wells, the Wolves couldn’t get a shot to drop for nearly six minutes in the frame.

CHS fixed that coming out of the break, however, with Shaw slapping home a layup off of a dish from Georges.

A 6-0 run late in the third, with Gwen Gustafson, Lhamon, and Shaw scoring, pulled the Wolves to within 36-34, sparking hopes of a comeback win.

Forks was visibly frustrated at that point, as well.

Their otherwise-unflappable point guard was whistled for a technical foul after she hit the floor, then popped up and blatantly tried to hip-check Coupeville’s Lyla Stuurmans into the stands smack dab in front of the ref.

The Spartan floor leader was having trouble dealing with the defensive heat being brought by the Wolf fab frosh, who calmly smiled and strolled away in the aftermath.

Everything was breaking Coupeville’s way. And then, it wasn’t.

With the clock running down, Forks guard Janessa Ramos tossed up a prayer from the right side, and had it answered, her three-ball banking off the glass and through the net just as the buzzer sounded.

A dagger, it sucked a fair amount of air out of the gym, and made Coupeville’s fourth quarter prospects suddenly a little dimmer.

Cue the rampaging Neel, who owned the glass in the final stages, with the Wolves unable to put back-to-back buckets together at any point during the game’s final eight-minute stretch.

The loss of Georges, Coupeville’s deadliest long-range markswoman, barely a minute into the final frame, hurt badly.

That she was sidelined by a foul which simply never happened, called by a ref out of place, didn’t help to make the punch-out any easier to digest.

Coupeville kept fighting until the end, even getting Neel to foul out in the final seconds, but it was too late by that point.

Izzy Wells paced the Wolves with a team-high 14 points, while Shaw and Georges knocked down nine apiece in support.

Lhamon (5), Savina Wells (3), and Gustafson (2) also scored, while Ja’Kenya Hoskins, Stuurmans, Abby Mulholland, and Nezi Keiper all saw solid floor time.

Wolf coach Megan Smith responds to a positive play.

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Young guns keep on scrappin’

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Ryan Blouin dropped in a team-high nine points for Coupeville Saturday. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

“We’re young, we’ve got some talent, we just need to keep working and learning.”

That was the assessment by veteran coach Randy Bottorff after the Coupeville High School JV boys basketball team battled visiting Forks down to the wire Saturday in a narrow loss.

The Wolves, who were without injured big man William Davidson, did get seven players into the scoring column in a 41-33 non-conference defeat.

Now 0-2 on the young season, the Wolf JV has time to work on fine-tuning things, with their next game a week away.

Forks withstood an early barrage of points by Coupeville gunner Ryan Blouin and carried a 12-9 lead into the first break.

The Wolves sliced their deficit to 21-19 at the half, and were still just down 29-25 heading into the final frame.

Nick Guay has been a steadying presence for a young Wolf team.

Blouin finished with a team-high nine points — five of those coming in the opening quarter — while Zane Oldenstadt dropped in eight in support.

Nick Guay (6), Hunter Bronec (4), Johnny Porter (2), Landon Roberts (2), and Jack Porter (2) also scored, with Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim, Hurlee Bronec, and Mikey Robinett chipping in with defense and hustle.

For freshmen Roberts and Johnny Porter, Saturday’s buckets accounted for their first points as high school basketball players.

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