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Posts Tagged ‘Friday Harbor’

Win, bow, and exit

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Kayla Arnold goes strong to the hoop. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Cold-blooded closers.

Scoring almost half their points in the fourth quarter Friday, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball players exited as winners.

Holding off host Friday Harbor 41-38, the young Wolves wrap an 8-8 season full of great promise.

Kassie O’Neil’s squad reps a 2B school, but they played seven games against 1A, 2A, or 3A teams this season, finishing a solid 3-4 against big-school rivals.

Friday’s rumble pitted the Wolves against a fellow 2B team, and one which beat them the first time around.

Revenge was in the air, and it was fueled by Madison McMillan, who was a mad bomber, dropping a pair of three-balls during an eight-point explosion in the fourth quarter.

Wolf aces Jada Heaton (left) and Madison McMillan celebrate being awesome. (Bailey Thule photo)

Coupeville squeaked out to a 10-9 lead by the first break, ever so slightly stretched the lead to 20-17 at the half, then had its only cold shooting stretch of the night in the third frame.

Not that Friday Harbor was lighting up the rim, either, as the Wolverines used a 6-3 mini-run to knot things up at 23-23.

Then, in the snap of the net flipping high, the rivals went off down the stretch, combining to rain down 33 of the night’s 79 points across the final eight minutes.

McMillan was on fire, but she got help, with Skylar Parker, Kierra Thayer, Teagan Calkins, and Desi Ramirez-Vasquez also scoring in the fourth quarter.

Coupeville spread its offense out, with 10 different players banking in shots.

McMillan led the way with a game-high 12 points, with Thayer (7), Calkins (6), Skylar Parker (6), Kayla Arnold (2), Bryley Gilbert (2), Reese Wilkinson (2), Jada Heaton (2), Carlota Marcos-Cabrillo (1), and Ramirez-Vasquez (1) also scoring.

Kassidy Upchurch, Brynn Parker, and Liza Zustiak rounded out the roster for O’Neil, the former Wolf hoops star in her first season as JV coach.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Madison McMillan – 133
Kierra Thayer – 73
Desi Ramirez-Vasquez – 57
Carlota Marcos-Cabrillo – 49
Jada Heaton – 44
Teagan Calkins – 40
Reese Wilkinson – 35
Skylar Parker – 20
Bryley Gilbert – 17
Kayla Arnold – 14
Liza Zustiak – 14
Brynn Parker – 7
Kassidy Upchurch – 4

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Wolves lose battle, still ready for war

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

William Davidson eyeballs the paparazzi. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A bump in the road.

It wasn’t the way the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team wanted to end the regular season, falling 67-60 at Friday Harbor in a foul-riddled brawl Friday night.

But while the loss drops the Wolves to 13-7 on the season, it ultimately doesn’t matter all that much, except as a lesson to be learned.

Friday Harbor is still NOT going to the postseason, and Coupeville is still the #1 playoff seed from District 1, and that was set in stone long before the Wolves went Island-hopping.

The Wolves host Northwest Christian (Lacey) Tuesday, Feb. 14 in their bi-district opener, then welcome either Auburn Adventist Academy or La Conner to the CHS gym Feb. 16.

Win two games in the four-team double-elimination royal rumble, and Coupeville heads back to the state tourney for the second-straight season.

So, celebrate tonight Friday Harbor boys’ hoops fans, because tomorrow you can start thinking about spring sports.

Dominic Coffman is ready for the playoffs. (Bailey Thule photo)

Friday’s tilt started firmly in favor of Coupeville, took a nasty detour, then became a bare-knuckle slugfest in the late going.

Nick Guay opened the game by hitting a jumper, before the refs discovered the teams were using the smaller basketball normally employed by high school female players.

The basket stood, however, and then Logan Downes and Alex Murdy combined to rain down a trio of three-balls with their normal ball, helping the Wolves build an 11-4 lead midway through the first quarter.

Things got batty from there, however, as Friday Harbor hit a groove (and a bunch of buckets), using a 20-2 surge over the next 6-8 minutes, pulling ahead 24-13.

Coupeville rallied, with Murdy raining down shots while hanging in mid-air, while teammate Jonathan Valenzuela swept up a wayward baby who wandered onto the court during play.

Back within 29-23 at the half, the Wolves were playing with fire, as they have from time to time this season, falling behind, then rallying to crush foes.

This time, however, Friday Harbor didn’t crack, matching CHS bucket for bucket across the third quarter during a 19-19 stalemate.

Cole White hit a variety of pressure-packed shots, freshman Chase Anderson came up with a big steal and breakaway bucket, and Murdy was locked-in as he cracked the 400-point club like older brother Xavier before him.

But the Wolverines stayed patient, hit the boards hard, and netted a string of three-balls to keep the Wolves at bay.

For a moment at least.

Back down by 11 in the fourth quarter, Coupeville went on a 15-4 tear, knotting things up at 59-59 when Downes splashed home a trey from deep on the right side of the floor.

White set the play up with a nifty steal, and an earlier technical foul on the hosts for being chippy helped as well.

But then, as quickly as the comeback had come to life, Coupeville’s shooting touch evaporated.

Friday Harbor, cheered on by La Conner players in the stands (rival schools uniting for a night to heckle the big dogs), hit six free throws in the waning moments.

Tack on a put-back off of an offensive rebound, and the Wolverines were able to slam the door shut.

For this night, at least.

Downes finished with a game-high 29 points, while Murdy banked in 15, and White tickled the twines for 10.

Guay (2), Anderson (2), William Davidson (1), and Coffman (1) also scored, while Ryan Blouin, Zane Oldenstadt, and Valenzuela saw floor time.

With his first three-ball of the night Downes passed Jeff Rhubottom (459 points in 1977-1978), and now has the second-best single-season scoring total, boy or girl, in 106 years of CHS basketball.

The Wolf junior sits with 486 points heading into the playoffs, chasing just Jeff Stone, who rattled the rims for 644 in 1969-1970.

Career-wise, Downes cracks the 700-point club, passing Chris Good (688) to move into 21st place all-time with 710 and counting.

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Tough night, brighter tomorrow

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Sophomore slugger Katie Marti tore up the hardwood on both ends of the floor Friday night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No time to think about what might have been.

Minutes away from clinching a playoff berth Friday night, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad couldn’t quite seal the deal, but the Wolves will get a second chance Saturday at high noon.

Squandering a 14-point fourth-quarter lead, CHS fell 49-47 in overtime at Friday Harbor.

Having split their season series, with both teams winning at home, the Wolves and Wolverines spar on a neutral court in La Conner a mere 18 hours after their most-recent rumble ended.

Since it’s a tiebreaker and not a playoff game, regular season admission prices will be charged.

The stakes are simple.

Whichever team wins Saturday is the #2 playoff seed from District 1 and joins top-seeded La Conner and District 2’s Auburn Adventist Academy and Northwest Christian (Lacey) at the bi-district tourney Monday, Feb. 13 at Coupeville’s gym.

The loser packs up and heads off to think about spring sports.

Coupeville seniors (l to r) Carolyn Lhamon, Maddie Georges, Ryanne Knoblich, Alita Blouin, and Gwen Gustafson have unfinished business. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Friday’s bout was one-sided for much of the night, with Coupeville, now 8-10 after the loss, leading almost start to finish.

The game had three ties — at 4-4 very early, then 42-42 with six seconds left in regulation, and finally 46-46 late in overtime.

Gwen Gustafson drilled the bottom out of the net to kick off the fourth quarter, taking an Alita Blouin pass and rising up to give CHS its biggest lead of the night at 40-26.

The Wolves still led 42-30 minutes later, after Maddie Georges came flying round the corner to bury a runner over outstretched hands.

And then, everything that could go wrong went wrong for Coupeville, as their hosts ended regulation on a 12-0 tear with the clock madly ticking down.

A late three-ball from McKenna Clark, who led Friday Harbor with 17 points, was a knife in the ribs, but so was a questionable travel call on the Wolves in the waning seconds.

Give the Wolverines credit, though.

After clanking numerous shots all night — Friday Harbor was just 14-27 on free throws while Coupeville was 9-15 — the host team seemingly couldn’t miss at crunch time.

Or in overtime, as Wolverine gunner Mia Blackmon scored her only points of the night on a three-ball to open the extra four-minute frame.

From there, the teams exchanged free throws, with Georges sinking four straight before fouling out, but Coupeville ran out of time as the locals went bonkers.

The wild finish capped a game which began with the Wolves jumping out to a 10-5 lead after one quarter of play.

Georges popped the net on a long three-ball, before Blouin nailed the first of her three treys to key a run in the second quarter.

Rampaging sophomore Katie Marti came up huge in the first half, whistling perfect set-up passes to Blouin and Gustafson, while also outwrestling multiple foes for rebounds.

Up 27-19 at the break after Carolyn Lhamon sank a jumper to send the teams to the locker room, the Wolves rode a nine-point third quarter from Blouin to stake themselves to a 38-26 lead heading into the fourth.

Blouin paced the Wolves, rippling the nets for 17 points, while Georges (13), Lhamon (6), Gustafson (6), Ryanne Knoblich (3), and Marti (2) also scored.

Mia Farris and Lyla Stuurmans both shone brightly on the defensive end of the floor for Coupeville.

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Wolf boys clinch playoff berth, girls close

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , on February 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Whatcha gonna do when the Wolves come for you?  (Bailey Thule photo)

The round robin decides everything.

While Coupeville High School basketball teams, and their closest rivals, can play up to 20 regular season games, only four of those rumbles dictate playoff participation.

The Northwest 2B/1B League currently houses four 1B schools — Darrington, Orcas Island, Concrete, and Mount Vernon Christian — and three 2B institutions — Coupeville, La Conner, and Friday Harbor.

When the postseason arrives, 2B and 1B split off and go their own ways.

For basketball, all four 1B schools make the playoffs, which began Thursday.

When it comes to 2B hoops, however, you have to be top two to get the call, since there are a lot less 2B schools in the region, making for a smaller postseason tourney.

Those two NWL teams, repping District 1, pair off with District 2’s Auburn Adventist Academy and Northwest Christian (Lacey), at bi-districts Feb. 13-18.

That event, held at Coupeville High School, offers two tickets to state for the boys this year and one for the girls.

D1/2 will get two state berths for the girls next year. Allegedly.

With that in mind, La Conner swept a pair of home games from Friday Harbor on Friday night, which officially clinches three of the four playoff berths.

On the boys’ side, Coupeville and La Conner are in, while Friday Harbor is eliminated after the Wolverines blew a 20-point lead and fell 59-57 to the Braves.

On the girls’ side, La Conner is in after a 65-18 romp, with Coupeville and Friday Harbor still fighting for the other spot.

Seeding is still up for grabs on both sides, however.

Coupeville closes the regular season next week, hosting La Conner Tuesday, Feb. 7, before island-hopping to Friday Harbor Feb. 10.

The Wolf boys clinch the #1 seed with a win in that first game.

Meanwhile, Coupeville’s girls need to sweep both games next week to have a shot at being #1 but need just a victory over Friday Harbor — who they beat 47-27 first time around — to claim the #2 seed.

If there any ties, teams will play a tiebreaker game, at a neutral site, Saturday, Feb. 11.

 

Where the round-robin sits heading into the final week:

 

Boys basketball:

School Vs. 2B
Coupeville 2-0
La Conner 2-1
Friday Harbor 0-3

 

Girls basketball:

School Vs. 2B
La Conner 3-0
Coupeville 1-1
Friday Harbor 0-3

 

Bi-district brackets:

Boys — http://www.nw1a2bathletics.com/m2/tourn.php?act=vt&tid=3810

Girls — http://www.nw1a2bathletics.com/m2/tourn.php?act=vt&tid=3809

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Milestones met, win welcomed

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Older brother Hunter (right) was in the gym Friday to witness Logan Downes crack the 600-point club. (Angie Downes photo)

Never celebrate too early.

In other words, if it’s a 32-minute game, you might not want to act like you’ve just won a state title six minutes into play.

That’s a lesson the Friday Harbor High School varsity boys’ basketball team, and its fans, learned painfully Friday night.

The Wolverines all but stormed the floor after a bucket gave them the lead at 10-8, only to then get slapped into oblivion by host Coupeville, which promptly snatched back control en route to a 59-34 win.

Putting eight guys into the scoring column, the hometown Wolves won for the ninth time in their last 11 games and get to 11-6 on the season.

Not only was it nice to win in front of an overflow home crowd after playing four straight road rumbles, knocking off Friday Harbor has major playoff implications for Coupeville.

The seven-team Northwest 2B/1B League has three 2B schools, and two earn berths to the bi-district tourney based on how they do against each other in the regular season.

Coupeville is now 2-0 in the round-robin, La Conner is 1-1, and Friday Harbor 0-2.

The Braves and Wolverines play again Feb. 3, with Coupeville hosting La Conner Feb. 7, then travelling to Friday Harbor for the regular-season finale Feb. 10.

In between that, CHS has a road game Feb. 2 against non-league foe Auburn Adventist Academy.

Wolf hoops coaches (left to right) Hunter Smith, Greg White, Randy Bottorff, and Brad Sherman watch the action on Coupeville vs. Cancer night. (Deb Sherman photo)

Friday’s game plan was all about the Wolves putting themselves into position to earn the #1 seed out of District 1, and Brad Sherman’s squad delivered.

Coupeville jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, with Logan Downes snapping the net on a jumper, Alex Murdy sinking a long three-ball, and William Davidson powering through the paint for a bucket.

The third of those baskets earned the loudest shrieks from the audience as “The Show Pony,” a killer on the boards who also is a deft passer and drawer of offensive fouls on rivals, put up a rare shot.

Hauling in a pass from Downes and going strong to the rim, Davidson delighted his large, fairly rabid fan base, who were still hyperventilating several minutes later.

That was when Friday Harbor made its move, stirring things up with a 10-1 run to claim the lead and start the chest-thumping.

Said celebration didn’t last long, however, as another Murdy three-ball and a pair of Dominic Coffman free throws capped the quarter, sending CHS to the bench up 13-10.

Friday Harbor did knot things up at 13-13, but never got back in front, as the Wolves had an answer for every one of their rival’s moves.

Downes tickled the twines on a three-ball, cracking the 600-point club, before fellow junior Nick Guay grabbed the microphone and did a saucy solo.

Reeling off nine straight points on his own, with buckets set up by a Cole White feed, a Chase Anderson steal, and a Davidson rebound, the lanky leaper was feelin’ it.

Murdy spun his defender around with a nasty move before swooping to kiss the ball off the glass, and Coupeville’s lead was out to double digits.

While Friday Harbor trimmed the deficit back to 28-20 by halftime, the third quarter was a heartbreaker for the visitors.

Downes and White combined for 16 points as Coupeville ripped off a game-busting 21-8 run coming out of the break, and any chance of a comeback crumbled.

The best bucket was a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am special.

Zane Oldenstadt corralled a loose ball, flipped it to White, then watched as the Wolf point guard flung a crosscourt pass to Downes, who spun, hopped around a defender and banked the ball home.

Or maybe the best bucket was Downes bringing the ball downcourt, draining the final seconds of the quarter, then flicking a running one-hander off the glass to beat the buzzer and drive the final stake through the heart.

From there it was time to coast home and hand Sherman his 50th win as a high school hoops coach, the Wolves punctuating things with a sensational steal and breakaway bucket from the always-aggressive Murdy.

Coupeville’s scoring sheet was properly balanced, with Downes (18), Murdy (15), Guay (9), White (8), Jonathan Valenzuela (4), Coffman (2), Davidson (2) and Chase Anderson (1) all contributing to the cause.

Ryan Blouin and Jermiah Copeland joined Oldenstadt in doing the important little things necessary to set up their teammates scoring.

While the win, and its help to the playoff cause, was the main focus, several Wolves hit personal milestones in the game.

White notched his 150th career varsity point, while Murdy (386) moves closer to the 400-point club and is now the #65 scorer all-time for a program launched in 1917.

And Downes? His torrid run continues.

When he walked off the floor Friday, he did so sitting with 390 points this season.

That’s the most by any Wolf since Makana Stone netted 427 in 2015-2016, and the most by a CHS boy since Mike Bagby knocked down 414 back in 2004-2005.

If Downes were to head to Siberia tonight, his season would be the 16th best in school history.

Only 11 Wolf boys, and two girls, have scored more in a season, with Brianne King (446, 442) and Randy Keefe (398, 397) having done it twice.

One of the guys still ahead of Downes, for the moment, is his head coach, with Brad Sherman shredding the nets for 396 points in 2002-2003.

Career-wise, Downes passes another one of his coaches, Greg White, jumping from #36 to #31 all-time.

Going from 596 to 614 points Friday, he vaults past Brian Miller (597), Joe Whitney (601), Denny Zylstra (602), Greg White (604), and John O’Grady (611).

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