Kailey Kellner (left) and Kalia Littlejohn bring Island Ball to the mainland. (Amy King photos)
Back (l to r) Lauren Rose, Mia Littlejohn, Tiffany Briscoe, Kalia Littlejohn, Kailey Kellner. Front: Sarah Wright, Lindsey Roberts, Ashlie Shank, Lauren Grove, Ema Smith, Kyla Briscoe.
Away from the court, a little phone time.
You can try and sneak a camera into the pre-game huddle, but Tiffany Briscoe will catch you. Every single time.
Ocean Shores has been invaded.
11 Wolf hoops stars and two slightly-frazzled coaches (“Towels everywhere!” exclaimed Amy King with a chuckle after surveying a hotel room later) have embarked on a road trip.
The mission: team bonding and much skill-building.
Both are important as, even though the Wolves are the defending 1A Olympic League girls’ basketball champs, six seniors departed and Coupeville’s younger players will be heavily relied on next season.
Early returns? Highly positive.
Even without their seniors — Makana Stone and McKenzie Bailey — the gathered players, who include eight freshmen or sophomores, came out strong Monday to kick off their camp.
First they had to get there, though.
“What a LONG day,” said CHS coach David King.
The Wolves were up before the sun, loaded everyone in before 6:30 and caught the 7:15 ferry. Then had to turn around and play two games in the afternoon after arriving.
Coupeville won the first, using a second-half rally and a last-second defensive stop, to topple Castle Rock 24-22.
Then, tired legs finally got the better of the Wolves, as they fell 23-16 to Onalaska in the nightcap.
They return to the court today for three games, facing Adna, Lincoln and Foss. The latter two games pit them against much-larger schools.
“A little out of our comfort zone, but it is camp and what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right?,” said Amy King, ever-enthusiastic, as she charged to meet the new day.
“Coffee… maybe some coffee first,” is what I would like to assume was her husband’s response.
Taking the court in their first game Monday, the young Wolves took a few moments to jell. Which would be expected.
“Nerves played a part in the early going for us. Good shots taken, but not falling,” David King said. “Defensively, we played well.
Trailing by three at the half, Coupeville began to click in the second half.
Up by two with five seconds to go, the Wolves had a one-and-one at the free throw line to ice the game.
The first freebie slid off the rim, though, giving Castle Rock a chance to tie or win.
The Wolves locked down on defense, even without taking a moment to talk about it (“In hindsight I should have called a time-out once I saw their setup”) and didn’t allow their foes to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.
Lauren Grove paced the Wolves in the opener with eight points, while Kailey Kellner snared seven boards.
King also praised the play of two players who are, slightly, at least, grizzled vets.
“Tiffany (Briscoe) was hustling each time she was on the court,” he said. “Mia (Littlejohn) did a great job from the point guard spot.”
The second game, while close, featured a Wolf squad ready to finally take a break.
“I think the day got to us. We came out flat and never recovered,” David King said. “Defensively, we just didn’t have it.”
The freshmen made an impact, as Kalia Littlejohn knocked down a sweet three, Lindsey Roberts hauled in four rebounds and Ema Smith “brought some energy offensively.”
With day one in the books, David King was looking at more than his team’s win-loss record and came away pleased.
“We are very young and still trying to find our way. Each player is being asked to expand their game and do things that they wouldn’t normally do,” he said. “The one thing they can control is their effort.
“We are going to see some tough teams here. Do we want to win every game, of course,” King added. “But more importantly is we want each player to give 100% effort at all times.”
Read Full Post »
Coupeville Sports 