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Young Wolves tangle with Turks

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Daisy Leedy-Bonifas slices to the hoop. (Julie Wheat photos)

This time they got to make the bus tires go round and round.

After having a scheduled trip to Granite Falls denied by bad off-Island weather Wednesday, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams made it all the way to the wilds of Sultan Thursday afternoon.

Squaring off with the always-feisty Turks, the Wolf hardwood heroes brought their A-games across three titanic tilts, before returning home, ready to do it all again next week.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

Coupeville jumped out to an early lead but couldn’t hold off a high-powered Sultan squad which roared back to claim a 36-20 win.

The loss drops the Wolves top squad to 0-2 on the still-young season.

With three different players tallying a bucket in the first frame, CMS staked itself to a 6-2 lead at the first break, but then the Turks found a new groove.

Dropping in double-digit scoring in each of the remaining quarters, the hosts pulled ahead 15-8 at the half, before carrying a 25-12 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Coupeville put together its best offensive run in the fourth, with Emma Green knocking down six of her team-high eight points, but time eventually ran out on the scrappy Wolves.

Anna Powers and Laurel Crowder each banked in four points to back Green, with Kaleigha Millison and Finley Helm adding a bucket apiece to round out the attack.

Aubrey Flowers, Cami Van Dyke, Bella Sandlin, and Ava Alford also saw floor time for the Wolves.

 

Level 2:

Sultan roared out to a 20-6 lead through one quarter of action and never slowed down, claiming a 49-8 triumph to drop CMS to 0-2 on the season.

The Wolves scored all of their points in the first half, failing to net a point across the third and fourth quarters.

Annabelle Cundiff, Reagan Green, Autumn Hunt, and Claire Lachnit finished with two points apiece for Coupeville, with Amira Anunciado, Sabrina Judnich, and Sandlin rounding out the rotation.

 

Level 3:

Coupeville’s first win of the season at any level came thanks to a consistent offense and a plucky defense.

The Wolves third unit, which didn’t get a chance to play together in the season opener against South Whidbey, held on for an 18-12 victory with 6th grader Halle Black accounting for eight of her team’s points.

Sophia Burley (4), Daisy Leedy-Bonifas (4), and Juniper Dotson (2) also kept the scorebook keeper busy, with Danielle Halsing, Ruby Folkestad, and Millie Somes bringing heat on the defensive end of the floor.

 

What’s next:

Coupeville travels to Everett Feb. 24 to play Northshore Christian Academy, then gets three straight rumbles at home, beginning with a Feb. 26 clash against Cascade League powerhouse King’s.

The Granite Falls games have been rescheduled for the end of the season and will go down (weather permitting) Mar. 12.

CMS coach Brooke Crowder surveys the action.

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Stop, pop, make the numbers jump

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong delivers a crunch-time bucket. (Jackie Saia photo)

Honor what has been, dream about what can be.

With the 52nd season of Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball having ended Tuesday in an overtime playoff loss on Orcas Island, some numbers are set in stone, while others remain open to addition.

Departing seniors Teagan Calkins and Danica Strong have finished their runs, while eight active players can return to storm the career scoring charts once again next winter.

Leading the way will be current junior Haylee Armstrong and sophomore Tenley Stuurmans, who currently sit at #39 and #55 all-time for a Wolf hoops program launched in 1974.

While both have a long way to go to challenge Brianne King for the top spot, the duo can certainly aim for top 10 finishes.

If everything goes right.

You can never fully predict the future — injuries, skipped seasons, even a pandemic has altered past hoops careers.

But, if they’re on the floor, basketball in hand, next winter, I feel confident Armstrong and Stuurmans — who needs 24 to pass big sis Lyla for family honors — will continue to make the net pop.

Until then, a look at the 255 varsity players whose scoring stats I have been able to document thus far.

Active players in bold:

 

Brianne King – 1549
Zenovia Barron – 1270
Makana Stone – 1158
Megan Smith – 1042
Ann Pettit – 932
Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby – 892
Terry Perkins – 673
Lexie Black – 622
Kristan Hurlburt – 598
Tina Lyness – 594

Marlene Grasser – 574
Judy Marti – 545
Brittany Black – 502
Jen Canfield – 497
Erica Lamb – 497
Emily Vracin – 467
Tina Barker – 464
Vanessa Davis – 448
Lindsey Roberts – 448
Maureen Wetmore – 438

Sarah Powell – 425
Mika Hosek – 424
Cassidi Rosenkrance – 423
Maddie Georges – 407
Ashley Manker – 404
Teagan Calkins – 402
Shawna West – 388
Katie Smith – 374
Whitney Clark – 359
Amy Mouw – 353

Tracy Taylor – 350
Kailey Kellner – 339
Katie Marti – 332
Amanda Allmer – 331
Misty Sellgren – 331
Taniel Lamb – 330
Marie Grasser – 321
Mia Littlejohn – 317
Haylee Armstrong – 305
Amanda Fabrizi – 299

Scout Smith – 290
Bessie Walstad – 288
Hailey Hammer – 282
Madeline Strasburg – 261
Carly Guillory – 260
Sarah Mouw – 259
Lyla Stuurmans – 257
Julie Wieringa – 252
Danette Beckley – 249
Chelsea Prescott – 249

Mia Farris – 247
Marlys West – 247
Kendra O’Keefe – 244
Breeanna Messner – 235
Tenley Stuurmans – 234
Hilary Kortuem – 231
Ema Smith – 228
Mikayla Elfrank – 227
Annette Jameson – 223
Beth Mouw – 216

Lisa Roehl – 216
Alita Blouin – 215
Audrianna Shaw – 212
Linda Cheshier – 210
Izzy Wells – 204
Pam Jampsa – 202
Julia Myers – 202
Kim Warder – 193
Kacie Kiel – 188
Stephanie Clapp – 185

Kassie Lawson – 184
Heather Davis – 182
Jaime Rasmussen – 181
Trudy Eaton – 180
Heidi Bepler – 179
Madison McMillan – 176
Jodi Christensen – 174
Danica Strong – 172
Aimee Messner – 168
Danielle Vracin – 167

Sherry Bonacci – 165
Marie Hesselgrave – 165
Marilyn Brown – 164
Hayley Ebersole – 163
Yashmeen Knox – 163
Traci Perkins – 161
Suzette Glover – 159
Carolyn Lhamon – 153
Jai’Lysa Hoskins – 151
Jennifer Bailey – 150

Emily Young – 149
Vanessa Bodley – 146
Joli Smith – 142
Jennie Cross – 140
Savina Wells – 133
Taya Boonstra – 132
Sarah Burgoyne – 126
Christi Messner – 125
Kayla Lawson – 124
Avalon Renninger – 123

Gwen Gustafson – 122
Cheryl Dunn – 119
Ryanne Knoblich – 119
Hannah Davidson – 116
Jill Whitney – 116
Sarah Wright – 115
Laurie Estes – 114
Debbie Snyder – 113
Tiffany Briscoe – 111
Lauren Escalle – 109

Sally Biskovich – 108
Kara Harvey – 108
Kalia Littlejohn – 106
Kyla Briscoe – 104
Kelly Snyder – 104
Sue Wyatt – 100
Lupine Wutzke – 98
Monica Vidoni – 97
Christine Barr – 95
Lauren Grove – 93

Babette Owensby – 93
Toni Thiefault – 92
Jada Heaton – 87
Jennifer Pettit – 85
Laura Young – 83
Marnie Bartelson – 81
Cheryl Pangburn – 79
Courtney Arnold – 78
Tonnalea Rasmussen – 78
Sharon Jolly – 75

Amanda Manker – 73
Beth Cavanaugh – 72
Wynter Thorne – 68
Rachelle Solomon – 64
Lindsey Sherwood – 61
Ann Kahler – 60
Ja’Kenya Hoskins – 59
Chelsea Rosenkrance – 59
Judy Wallace – 58
Rose Marti – 57

Jean Wyatt – 57
Jennifer Eelkema – 55
Arianna Cunningham – 53
Christine Larson – 53
Courtney Boyd – 52
Kari Johnson – 52
Erin Ryan – 52
Anya Leavell – 51
Nicole Shelly – 50
Traci Barker – 49

Paige Mueller – 49
Stephanie Kipp – 48
Adeline Maynes – 47
Lynn Wilson – 47
Andilee Murphy – 46
Kennedy O’Neill – 44
Janiece Jenkins – 43
Meghan Metlow – 43
Tia Wurzrainer – 43
Jessy Caselden – 41

Karen Jampsa – 40
Jennifer Meyer – 40
Jill Keeney – 39
Suzanne Enders – 38
Mandi Murdy – 37
Shawn Diem – 35
Min Powell – 35
Abby Mulholland – 32
Lauren Rose – 32
Tammie Hardie – 31

Nezi Keiper – 29
Shannon Rutledge – 29
Taylor Sherman – 29
Anna Myhr – 28
Kirsty Croghan – 27
Lori Friswold – 27
Sarah Vass – 27
Tina Jansen – 26
Kim Stuurmans – 26
Kathy Jolly – 25

Shelby Kulz – 25
Kylie Van Velkinburgh – 25
Melissa Cox – 23
Haley Marx – 23
Lori Hart – 21
Skylar Parker – 21
Allison Wenzel – 21
Courtney Williams – 21
Aleshia McFadyen – 20
Nancy Dyer – 18

Dina Lanphere – 18
McKenzie Bailey – 17
Carol Estes – 17
Kristina Clark – 16
Dawn Clampet – 15
Nicole Laxton – 15
Capri Anter – 14
Mollie Bailey – 14
Lindsey Tucker – 13
Jeannette Fixel – 12

Tammy Shubat – 12
Nikki Snyder – 12
Kelly Ankney – 11
Naomi Prater – 11
Michelle Riddle – 11
Emily Wodjenski – 11
Alyssa Kelley – 10
Zarah Leaman – 10
Toni Hudson – 9
Georgie Smith – 9

Cindy Bennett – 8
Lexis Drake – 8
Susan Estes – 8
Ami Garthwaite – 8
Eileen Hanley – 8
Keri Iverson – 8
Kristine Macnab – 8
Michelle Smith – 8
Sydney Van Dyke – 8
Carlie Rosenkrance – 7

McKayla Bailey – 6
Lexi Boyer – 6
Rhiannon Ellsworth – 6
Debbie Johnson – 6
Grace LaPoint – 6
Skyler Lawrence – 6
Corrin Skvarla – 6
Janie Wilson – 6
Kayla Arnold – 5
Katy Bennett – 5

Penny Griggs – 5
Marissa Slater – 5
Denise McGregor – 4
Jessica Sherwood – 4
Kara Warder – 4
Reese Wilkinson – 4
Christina Mowery – 3
Samantha Roehl – 3
Ashlie Shank – 3
Jamie Townsdin – 3

Brenda Belcher – 2
Rusty Brian – 2
Carol Davis – 2
Lisa Davis – 2
Nicole Fuller – 2
Bryley Gilbert – 2
Cathy Higgins – 2
Daisy Kent – 2
Katie Kiel – 2
Charlotte Langille – 2

Brynn Parker – 2
Morgan Stevens – 2
Tracy Barber – 1
Amy Biskovich – 1
Corinne Gaddis – 1

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“We made them work for that win”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on February 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Capri Anter (30) and Adeline Maynes are part of a pack of talented younger hoops players who can return next season. (Jackie Saia photo)

“It was an absolute dog fight for 36 minutes!”

Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball coach Scout Smith had an up close and personal view of Tuesday’s playoff rumble between her Wolves and host Orcas Island.

And she witnessed a wild one, with both teams dropping daggers and pulling miracles out of thin air before the Vikings finally escaped with a 50-48 overtime win.

While the loss drops Coupeville to 5-15 and eliminates them from the District 1/2 playoffs a game shy of vying for a state tourney berth, Smith glowed with pride afterwards.

“It’s never fun to lose, but we can walk away from the game with our heads held high,” she said. “I am very proud of the way our team played and fought hard throughout the game.

“Each one left everything they had out on the court tonight.

“Credit to Orcas Island. They played a good game, and we made them work for that win.”

Coupeville’s win/loss record has been deceptive all season, with a young team coming very close to flipping the script in numerous narrow losses.

The Wolves squared off with the Vikings three times this season, and the margin of defeat in those games? Three, two, and two points.

Tuesday’s tilt opened in favor of CHS, which pulled out to an early 10-6 lead, with four different players hitting the bottom of the net — but not the one who would eventually lead the team in scoring.

A big three-ball from Teagan Calkins, setup by a rebound and pass from defensive dynamo Arianna Cunningham, was the main dagger, but then things took a big swerve.

As in the Wolves plunged off a cliff for a bit.

Orcas closed the first quarter with a bucket, then went off on a 14-1 surge in the second frame, momentarily making it look like this might be a blowout, and not in a good way.

Never fear, as Danica Strong wasn’t going out like that.

The Coupeville senior had spent the first half doing the dirty work, ripping down rebounds and swatting one wayward Orcas shot into the cheap seats, but after the halftime break, she came out ready to rain down pain.

Scoring all 15 of her points across the second half and overtime, Strong started tossing haymakers, and the Vikings got staggered.

The Wolves got back to within 26-24 midway through the third quarter but made their biggest moves in the fourth.

Back-to-back breakaway buckets off of steals by Haylee Armstrong and Tenley Stuurmans forced a 31-31 tie, before Strong powered her way through the paint to give the Wolves their first lead in a long time at 35-34.

With the clock ticking down, the teams exchanged buckets, with Orcas reclaiming the lead at the very end.

Cue an ice water in her veins moment from Armstrong, who knocked down a free throw with 13.9 seconds to play to knot things at 40-40, before CHS made one final defensive stand to force extra time.

Neither team was ready to go down easy in the four-minute overtime frame, with Strong netting a pair of free throws, Orcas surging ahead 45-42, then Strong nailing a game-tying trey from the right side.

The Vikings slipped back ahead on a pair of charity shots, before things got really dramatic.

Armstrong popped a three-ball on the move to stake Coupeville to a 48-47 lead, only to have Orcas gunner Sofia Mahony-Jauregui answer with a long-range rainbow of her own with under 30 seconds to play to set the final score.

Coming out victorious, the Vikings advance to play Friday Harbor Thursday in Mount Vernon in a winner-to-state, loser-out game, while the Wolves will turn their eyes to the future, when they can return eight of the 10 players from this year’s roster.

“We look forward to next season and bringing back so many young and talented players,” Smith said.

“We will definitely miss our seniors Danica and Teagan, but we are extremely grateful for their contributions to our program.”

Strong capped her run as a Wolf hoops star with a team-high 15 points, while Stuurmans, just a sophomore, banked in 14 in support.

Armstrong (8), Calkins (5), Cunningham (3), and Maynes (3) also scored, with Kennedy O’Neill and Lexis Drake seeing floor time.

As she exits, Calkins notches one final personal milestone, becoming the 26th Wolf girl to score 400 career points for a program launched in 1974.

“The Red Dragon” finishes with 402 points, while Armstrong, a junior, also hit a major mark. With 305 points and counting, she is the 39th CHS female player to crack the 300-point club.

Armstrong, who entered the season with 98 points to her credit, tallied a team-high 207 this season, the most any Wolf girl has scored across a single campaign in the last decade.

She and current JV coach Alita Blouin, who racked up 204 points during the 2022-2023 season, are the only 200+ female single-season scorers since Makana Stone nuked the nets for 427 points in 2015-2016.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Haylee Armstrong – 207
Tenley Stuurmans – 171
Teagan Calkins – 160
Danica Strong – 97
Arianna Cunningham – 53
Adeline Maynes – 47
Kennedy O’Neill – 44
Capri Anter – 8
Lexis Drake – 8
Sydney Van Dyke – 8

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Mighty Madison remains a class act

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , , on February 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan, one of the best to ever grace the diamond for CHS. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Her at-bats? Legendary.

Few Coupeville High School softball players have caused pitchers to break into a cold sweat on a regular basis like Madison McMillan did.

The Wolf third baseman, a key player during a supremely successful era of CHS diamond excellence, hefted a heavy bat and often used it to destroy the hopes and dreams of her rivals.

Madison would amble to the plate, composed and quiet, not a screamer, not prone to needlessly bouncing around, but a young woman fully intent on completing her mission.

And that mission?

To launch as many balls down the left field line as possible, where they could clear the fence and bounce off down the road to be found later hiding out in the Prairie Center parking lot.

Though, truth be told, she was open to using all parts of the field, with her towering shots often heading to center or right, depending on what the pitcher offered.

She possessed prodigious, game-changing power, the kind consistently displayed by only a few Wolves over the years — Sarah Mouw, Hailey Hammer, Veronica Crownover, Sarah Wright — but Madison could also take a well-hit single and turn it into an extra-base hit, letting the wheels do some of the work.

Put her in the field and she was an equal-opportunity destroyer, flying in like a missile to snuff out would-be bunters, or launching laser throws from the corner, the ball burying itself in the first-baseman’s glove a half-second before the runner’s toe tapped the bag.

A key part of a highly successful group. (Grant Van Dyke photo)

Madison grew up on Central Whidbey diamonds, first at Rhododendron and then at CHS, going from promising to talented to truly irreplaceable.

Along the way she and her teammates hit some amazing highs, with last year’s seniors capping their four-year run with 64 varsity wins, including two at state.

Win or lose, Madison was the heart and soul of those teams, a fierce competitor who enjoyed victory with class and endured defeat stoically, embracing her teammates as her sisters and always finding time to honor her grandparents, Gordon and Nancy.

Now wearing a different softball uniform as a member of an Edmonds College squad about to kick off its season, Madison is not merely a one-sport wonder, however.

She was a woman for all seasons during her Cow Town days, making a considerable impact for Wolf volleyball and basketball teams as well.

Winnin’ matches and takin’ names. (Ashley Menges photo)

As a spiker, Madison was an integral part of a program which went to state in back-to-back years during her junior and senior campaigns, with the finale especially sweet.

Those Wolves finished 18-2, won league and bi-district titles, were undefeated until the final day of the season, and finished 4th at the 2B championships.

Across her varsity volleyball career, which began with some appearances in games as a mere fab frosh, Madison compiled 121 kills, 537 digs, four block assists, 59 assists, and 132 service aces, leading her squad in digs as a junior and senior.

Her willingness to scrape balls off the floor, to keep plays alive long after they should have died, is a testament to the fire which burns in her.

The girls nailing winners at the net often get the big headlines, but they don’t get those opportunities if a player like Madison isn’t there to anchor the back line, double pumping her fists after once again thwarting the other team’s best efforts to land a winner.

Doing the dirty work, match in, match out. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

That team-first mentality carried over to the hardwood as well, where she pumped in a strong 176 points as a varsity player, but made her biggest impact on the defensive end of the floor, snagging rebounds and body-blocking fools into the bleachers if they tried to get into the paint.

Madison is proof you can be a woman for all seasons, a standout athlete and student and a better human being.

As she chases her next-level dreams, we want to take a moment today to honor her for all she achieved while repping the red and black for the Wolves.

We’re swinging open the doors of the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame to induct her into our lil’ digital shrine, a well-deserved tribute to one of the classiest athletes I have written about over the years.

After this you’ll find her up at the top of the blog under the Legends tab.

Out in the real world? Out there I hope she gets everything she strives for, and I hope she knows how highly we regard her.

The queen surveys her kingdom. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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“The girls showed a lot of grit”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Kennedy O’Neill assesses the situation. (Jackie Saia photo)

It was, exactly as expected, a war.

Coupeville and Friday Harbor’s varsity girls’ basketball teams have clashed three times this season (so far), and all three have been royal rumbles.

The teams split their regular season series, with both road squads winning, setting up Thursday’s District 1/2 playoff opener off in the San Juans.

Take away a brutal first quarter, and Coupeville wins, but the host Wolverines had just enough gas left in the tank to pull out a 47-40 win in a game which was a one-score affair with less than 20 seconds to play.

With the loss, CHS drops to 5-14 on the season, and will play either La Conner or Orcas Island Feb. 17.

Win that loser-out game, and the Wolves would likely square off for a fourth time with Friday Harbor two days later, this time in Mount Vernon, with a trip to state in the balance.

To see the bracket, pop over to:

https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4989

Thursday’s clash started with Wolf guard Haylee Armstrong forcing a steal, sprinting to the other end, juking a defender out of her shoes, and slapping home a layup.

Unfortunately for Coupeville, it wouldn’t hit another field goal for nearly nine minutes, which left the visitors fighting from behind the rest of the night.

While CHS coach Scout Smith would have preferred her team didn’t fall behind 17-3 by the first break, with Friday Harbor dominating on the boards, she was very pleased with the response from her road warriors.

“The girls showed a lot of grit and determination today,” Smith said.

“I’m really proud of the way they were able to battle back after an early deficit and make it a close game.”

And how, as Coupeville ripped off substantial runs to open the second (12-5), third (7-0), and fourth (15-7) quarters, getting their buckets from a variety of players and ramping up their intensity on defense.

Each time the Wolves got close to knotting things up, however, Friday Harbor would find a bucket or two to stem the incoming tide, holding a 29-15 lead at the half, and a 36-25 advantage coming out of the third.

Coupeville put together its best sustained run in the fourth, racing the clock and shredding the defense.

Sophomore ace Tenley Stuurmans went off on a run of three straight buckets, set up by superb passes from Teagan Calkins and Armstrong, plus a bold defensive play from Adeline Maynes.

Everyone was hitting the bottom of the net in the final frame, with Danica Strong dropping in her second three-ball of the night, and five different Wolves recording points.

Friday Harbor found a miracle three-ball from the corner to push the margin back to 43-37 before Coupeville slashed it down to 43-40 when Calkins dropped in a runner as the clock madly ticked towards 0:00.

But the miracle comeback wasn’t to be, as the host team played the game’s final 30 seconds about as well as you can.

The Wolverines yanked down two offensive rebounds, netted a pair of free throws, and forced two back-court turnovers, with one turning into a lightning-quick layup, keeping Coupeville from getting across half court during the frantic finale.

Stuurmans paced CHS with 11 points, while Calkins banked in eight, and Armstrong rattled the rim for seven.

All seven Coupeville players to hit the floor scored, with Strong (6), Arianna Cunningham (4), Maynes (2), and Kennedy O’Neill (2) also keeping the scorebook keeper busy.

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