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Posts Tagged ‘free throws’

No fingernails left, but a win!!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Sean Toomey-Stout, swooping in an earlier game, banked in nine points Friday as Coupeville’s varsity won a thriller in Concrete. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

In a basketball world captivated by three-point shots, Ulrik Wells is a bit of a throw-back.

The lanky 6-foot-4 Coupeville High School junior does the dirty work in the paint, snatches rebounds by the bushel and hits his free throws.

And, while new-school long-range gunners often dominate the highlight reels, old-school skills can win you ball games.

Perfect example, Friday night, as Wells scored a career-high 14 points, including hitting six pressure-packed fourth-quarter free throws on the road to lift the Wolves past Concrete 43-42.

After coming close several times, it was the first win of the season for the CHS varsity boys, who now sit at 1-6.

To be completely honest, Friday’s non-conference bout was decided thanks to both new-school and old-school skills.

Coupeville out-shot their hosts behind the arc, with freshman Hawthorne Wolfe drilling a trio of treys to spark a 5-1 advantage on three-balls.

Older gunners Mason Grove and Sean Toomey-Stout also connected from three-point land, providing some nice daggers.

But the one-point game came down to free throws in the end.

The Wolves had two more opportunities at the charity stripe than the Lions (22-20), and hit one more (14-13), perfectly providing the winning margin.

Wells drained 8-10, including 6-8 in the final quarter, but Wolfe came up big too, netting both of his free throws in the fourth.

Meanwhile, Concrete as a team got to the line only four times in the second half, and never in the fourth quarter.

So, despite hitting just one field goal over the final eight minutes (Wells was again The Man), Coupeville won the final quarter 10-4, turning a five-point deficit into a one-point win.

Wells hit what would prove to be the winning shots with under a minute to play, pushing the Wolves back in front.

After that, it was up to the CHS defense to hold, and it did.

“Clutch. Guys fought hard to pull back ahead and hold on,” said Coupeville coach Brad Sherman. “Ulrik was big down the stretch. Showed a ton of heart in that fourth quarter.”

The game, between a pair of longtime rivals, was perfect for a Friday night, a back-and-forth affair where neither squad could pull away.

While Concrete snatched the early advantage at 11-9 headed into the first break, the Wolves immediately turned the tables in the second quarter.

With Wolfe dropping a pair of three-balls, Grove swishing a long trey and big men Wells and Jacobi Pilgrim combining for seven points in the paint, CHS used a 16-11 run to take a three-point lead to the half.

The break seemed to suck a bit of the life out of the Wolf attack, though, as they were stung 16-8 in the third. But, thanks to five points from Toomey-Stout in the quarter, they didn’t fall too far behind.

In the end, the third-quarter fade proved to not be fatal, but just an excellent way to set up the fireworks ahead.

Coupeville spread its offense among six players, with Wells (14), Wolfe (11) and Toomey-Stout (9) leading the way.

Pilgrim tossed in a varsity career-high four points, with Grove (3) and Brown (2) also scoring.

Dane Lucero, Koa Davison, Jean Lund-Olsen and Gavin Knoblich also saw floor time for the Wolves, who kicked off a four-game road trip with the visit to Concrete.

Coupeville has away games at Port Townsend, Nooksack Valley and King’s ahead on the schedule, not playing at home again until Jan. 8.

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Tears in Texas!!

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , , on March 2, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Makana Stone capped her sophomore season at Whitman Friday, tossing in six points and grabbing seven rebounds in a playoff loss. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The dream died at the free throw line.

East Texas Baptist University scored the game’s final seven points on charity shots Friday, turning a one-point deficit into a 65-59 win over Whitman College.

The loss, coming in a first round game at the NCAA D-III women’s national championship tourney in Richardson, Texas, ended the season for the Blues and their stellar sophomore, Makana Stone.

The Coupeville grad went for six points, seven boards and two assists, including a gorgeous pass to set up Emily Rommel for a key bucket in the final two minutes.

Snagging a pass deep in the paint, Stone shoveled the ball under the defense to her senior running mate, who knocked down a bank shot to knot the game at 58-58.

When senior Casey Poe drained a free throw at the 1:22 mark, Whitman took its final lead, but couldn’t hold on.

Unable to net a field goal in the final minute and 45 seconds, and unable to score at all after Poe’s free throw, the Blues had to foul, and East Texas made them pay.

Erin Meeks, who entered the night shooting an ice-cold 44% from the free throw line, netted four straight in the final minute, giving her a season-best 7-8 performance at the stripe.

Add two freebies each for Madison McCoy and Kim Childress, and the Tigers (23-6) advanced to play in the regional final Saturday night.

Whitman, which made a run to the Elite Eight last season, closed at 22-5.

After ripping off 21 straight wins at one point this season, the Blues struggled down the stretch, losing four of their final five games.

Poe, the Northwest Conference player of the year, had a very off night Friday, with her only point being her late-game free throw.

She averaged 17 a night during the season.

Making up for things a bit was sophomore Mady Burdett, who knocked down four balls from behind the three-point arc in the first quarter alone.

She finished with eight treys, helping Whitman hold a 9-0 advantage in that shooting category, and scored a college career-high 24 points.

While the Blues were hot from the outside, East Texas went inside time and again, and ended with a staggering advantage at the free throw line.

The Tigers netted 23-26 at the stripe, while Whitman was 6-10.

The game was a prime slice of March Madness, as the teams exchanged leads for much of the night.

Up 19-17 after one quarter (Stone fed Maegan Martin for the three-points-the-hard-way play which gave Whitman the lead), the Blues stretched it to 33-27 at halftime.

East Texas, with the support of the local crowd, surged 19-13 in the third quarter to knot the game at 46-46 headed into the final quarter.

Twice the Tigers started to threaten to pull away and twice Burdett dropped treys to get Whitman back in things, before she and her teammates went cold at the end.

The game closed a very strong season for Coupeville’s finest, as Stone finished with 332 points, 194 rebounds, 52 assists, five blocks and 18 steals.

She shot a very-strong 51.2% from the floor (140-273) and 76.5% from the line (52-68).

A First-Team All-Conference pick this year, she was Whitman’s #1 rebounder and #2 scorer.

Whitman, which loses captains Poe, Rommel and Sierra McGarity to graduation, has gone 48-10 during Stone’s first two seasons.

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Stone cold and streaking!!

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , , on January 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone (far right) and Whitman are 18-1 after a win Saturday over PLU. (Photo courtesy Eileen Stone)

What did you think was going to happen?

Not this, that’s for sure.

Take the best college women’s basketball squad in the nine-team Northwest Conference, pit it against the cellar dweller, and a nail-biter was not expected to be on the menu.

But there lowly Pacific Lutheran University was midway through the fourth quarter Saturday, nipping unexpectedly at the heels of a red-hot Whitman College squad.

Until Makana Stone closed the door.

Chained to the bench for much of the first half thanks to early foul trouble, the Coupeville grad netted a pair of free throws with 34 ticks to play, ending PLU’s final hope.

Stone’s sweet shots stretched a one-point lead to three, and Whitman tacked on three more freebies in the final 13 seconds to claim a much-closer-than-expected 69-63 victory, keeping alive an 18-game winning streak.

Now sitting at 10-0 in league play, 18-1 overall, the Blues have six days off before they make a two-game trip to Oregon next weekend.

That road jaunt will feature stops at Lewis & Clark College and Pacific University Feb. 2-3.

After struggling to find a rhythm, with Stone, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder limited to just four minutes in the first half, Whitman seemed to have iced the game midway through the fourth.

Freshman Kaelan Shamseldin netted back-to-back three balls to push the lead to 64-55, and it was time for PLU to give up the good fight.

Not so fast, said the Lutes, as Madison Salisbury led an 8-0 rally, with her three-point play the hard way (layup and free throw) pulling the visitors within 64-63.

Whitman’s defense stiffened, though, holding PLU scoreless over the final 91 seconds.

Stone’s free throws gave the Blues breathing room, Casey Poe made it a two-possession game with a single successful shot from the charity stripe, and Taylor Chambers closed things out with two more freebies.

After scoring in double digits in 14 of the first 18 games, Stone was held to a season-low four points (on a season-low four shots), but she used her limited time well, grabbing five boards and handing out two assists.

Senior All-American Poe paced Whitman with 19 points, while junior Maegan Martin exploded off the bench for 18, her single-game best as a college player.

Through 19 games, Stone sits with 267 points, 122 boards, 34 assists, 13 steals and two blocks.

She’s shooting 58% from the floor (113 of 195) and 77% from the free throw line (41 of 53).

Luck runs out in Buffalo:

Coupeville’s other basketball-playing grad, D’Youville College freshman Kailey Kellner, didn’t have as much luck Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans surrendered an eight-point fourth quarter lead, then fell 78-76 in overtime to visiting Pitt-Greensburg.

The extra five minutes were a wild affair, with the teams combining for 32 points, capped by PG gunner Kelsey Oddis hitting what turned out to be a game-winning three-ball with 20 seconds to play.

It was one of seven treys Oddis, a senior averaging 19 points a night, hit en route to a game-high 32.

D’Youville had a chance to tie with seven seconds left, but missed two free throws.

Kellner finished with two assists and a rebound in 10 minutes of play. On the season, she has 46 points, 45 rebounds, 20 assists, eight steals and three blocks.

The loss was a rough one for the Spartans, who are fighting to earn a playoff berth in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

The top six teams from the 10-team conference advance, but D’Youville (4-7 in league, 5-13 overall) currently sits in 7th, a game behind Penn State-Behrend with seven to play.

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“Guys fought hard!!”

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on January 13, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Hunter Downes was a wild man on the boards Saturday in Sultan, as the Wolves battled to the wire in a close non-conference game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was there, then it was gone.

After leading for much of the game Saturday, the Coupeville High School boys basketball squad went cold from the field late and paid for it, falling 54-49 at Sultan.

The non-conference defeat drops the Wolves to 4-9, but was a good test under fire for a team which now heads into the heart of Olympic League play.

CHS, which sits in a second-place tie with Klahowya at 2-1 in conference action, a game off of Port Townsend (4-1), plays three games in five days next week in a stretch which will tell much about their league title hopes.

The Wolves travel to Klahowya Tuesday, host Chimacum (0-5) Friday, then turn right back around and return to Silverdale Saturday for another match-up with the Eagles.

Facing a former Cascade Conference rival Saturday, Coupeville held its own with the Turks until a final, fateful minute and a half late in the fourth quarter.

Having used the world’s slowest 10-0 “run,” connecting on 10 consecutive free throws, the Wolves were clinging to a 44-42 lead with 2:30 to play.

Despite the fact that it hadn’t hit a field goal in nearly 11 minutes, Coupeville was where it wanted to be.

And then it all fell apart in a matter of seconds.

Give the Turks credit, as they won the game, and CHS didn’t lose it.

Sultan drained back-to-back three-balls from deep in the right corner, then added a reverse layup and three free throws, putting together an 11-0 surge to turn a nail-biter into a semi-runaway.

Hunter Smith knocked down two buckets in the final seconds, on a pull-up jumper and a long trey, but the damage was done by that point.

It was a bit of a disappointing end, after the Wolves looked so good for so long.

Dominating on the boards, with Hunter Downes crashing through the paint and cleaning the glass like a man on a mission, Coupeville escaped a low-scoring first quarter (7-4), then surged in the second.

Cameron Toomey-Stout buried a three-ball from the right side, followed by Smith notching the 700th point of his stellar career on a banker, and the Wolves were holding the Turks at bay.

Sultan got as close as a single point at 19-18, but Smith swished another jumper, before Ethan Spark drove a dagger through the heart of Turk Nation.

Collecting the ball on the right side, he faked, then pulled back and lofted a long trey, which caught all four sides of the rim (yes, a rim is round, go with it…) before flopping home.

Spark’s shot hit the bottom of the net just as the halftime buzzer sounded, sending Coupeville to the break up 24-18 and creating a buzz of dissatisfaction which rippled through the home fans.

The third quarter got off to a dramatic start, as the two teams combined to hit five straight three-balls, including two more from the locked-in Spark.

The second one pushed the Wolves up 30-21, marking their biggest lead of the game.

Enter the refs, who called everything, and I mean everything, sending both teams to the line a staggering amount of times.

That helped Sultan greatly, because the Turks, after missing all five of their free throws in the first half, suddenly got red-hot at the charity stripe.

Connecting on 9-10 freebies, including eight straight, Sultan regained the lead for the first time since it led 8-7 for three whole seconds in the first half.

Back in front 36-34 heading to the fourth, the Turks pushed the lead out to eight, before Coupeville responded with its own impressive display of free throw marksmanship.

Spark hit 6-6, while Joey Lippo and Smith each netted a pair during the Wolves 10-0 “run,” allowing them to finish 18-28 at the line on the night. Sultan went 13-21.

Smith’s late three-ball gave him a game-high 18, pushing his career total to 713. He is the 17th Wolf boy to top 700 points in the 101 years of CHS basketball.

His running mate, Spark, netted 15, which raises his season average to 11.1 points a night.

With Smith scoring at a 19.1 clip, the duo are combining to drop 30+ each game.

Lippo went off for six in support, while Toomey-Stout (5), Downes (4) and Dane Lucero (1) rounded out the scoring. Kyle Rockwell and Jered Brown also saw floor time.

Coupeville coach Brad Sherman would have preferred a win, but liked a lot of what he saw.

“Really thought we were going to pull that one out. Guys fought hard for that one,” he said. “Proud of that effort and their determination.

“Sultan shot the ball very well when they needed it and we just couldn’t respond there at the end.

“I thought our defense played well, mixing up looks and made it pretty hard on their guards at times,” Sherman added. “Boys did a nice job at the free throw line when it mattered. I love seeing that. A lot of positives heading into our next league game.”

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One step away!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Lindsey Roberts scored a game-high 11 Friday, passing mom Sherry to claim family career scoring honors. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Their record is a bit deceptive.

Stung by poor free throw shooting down the stretch Friday, the Coupeville High School girls basketball team fell 39-35 to visiting 2A Sequim.

And, with that loss, the Wolves fall to 1-4 heading into another non-conference game Saturday, this one on the road at South Whidbey.

But the record is deceptive, as I said, because if a few plays go differently, a ball bounces in a different direction, or some free throws drop, and CHS is 4-1, maybe even 5-0.

The Wolves, who are rebuilding after losing four starters, have been in every one of their games until the end, with three of four losses by six points or less.

Friday night was a classic example of how Coupeville is playing this season — scrappy on defense, opportunistic on offense, but just not always clicking on every cylinder.

Time after time against Sequim, the Wolves would rally, put together a nice run, pull within a single bucket, then not be able to get over that last hump.

CHS led twice, at 6-5 after Ema Smith threw her rear into a defender and backed her down for a solid bucket in the paint, and 19-18 right before the half.

At that moment, the Wolves were on their best run of the night, a 10-2 surge which saw four different players score.

Kyla Briscoe started it with a soft jumper in the paint, then Scout Smith tickled the nets for a pair of free throws before setting up Lindsey Roberts for a bucket with a beautiful entry pass.

Add two more free throws from Roberts, who passed mom Sherry to become the family’s all-time leading scorer (she had already beaten her grandfather, dad, two uncles and an aunt) and a coast-to-coast romp by Kalia Littlejohn, and the heat was on.

Littlejohn, who spent much of the night driving Sequim’s ball-handlers batty, picked the pocket of a rival, then thundered to daylight, slicing between two sprinting defenders to slap the ball up and off the glass.

But, as good as the moment seemed, it was fleeting.

Sequim dropped in a short jumper to regain the lead and end the half, then refused to surrender the momentum in the second half.

Three times the Wolves repeated the same sequence — fall behind, rally within a bucket, then fall behind again — before eventually running out of opportunities and time.

Free throws were a true killer as the game played out.

After hitting five of six freebies in the second quarter, Coupeville made just 4-17 free throws in the second half, including missing seven in the game’s final 51 seconds.

As he watched it play out, CHS coach David King had a mixed reaction.

“Throughout our first five games we have done a very good job of attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line,” he said. “Today we shot 23. I’ll take that every game.

“We just aren’t capitalizing with all of the misses,” King added. “We have to start taking advantage if we are to take the next step up as a team.”

Coupeville kept things close in the final seconds by hitting the boards (and the floor) hard.

Mikayla Elfrank ripped a rebound away from a Sequim player on one of the missed free throws, turning it into second chance points, while Ema Smith was an artist.

Crashing to the floor, she pulled a loose ball from between a player’s legs, then alertly popped up to her knees and delivered a bounce pass right on to the fingertips of Roberts.

Bing-bang-boom and a broken play turns into a Wolf bucket.

Hustle plays like that, and the take-no-prisoners style of team leaders like Littlejohn (“Kalia played outstanding again for us”) offer genuine hope for King as the team prepares to launch a bid for a fourth-straight Olympic League crown.

Coupeville’s hoops guru also liked what his players brought to the court on defense.

“At times we caused some turnovers with our press. We did some good things,” King said. “It’s a work in progress and we are dedicating more time to making it a disruptive part of our game.

“A good start tonight.”

Roberts paced Coupeville with 11 points, lifting the junior to 173 in her career. Her mom scored 165 in her Sherry Bonacci days before graduating in 1989.

Elfrank and Littlejohn each tossed in nine, while Scout Smith, Briscoe and Ema Smith all had a bucket to round out the scoring.

Allison Wenzel, Sarah Wright and Avalon Renninger saw floor time as well for the Wolves.

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