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Posts Tagged ‘girls basketball’

Late shooting woes plague Wolves

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan led Coupeville in scoring Saturday night. (Kaitlyn Leavell photo)

The basket stopped accepting Coupeville’s offerings in the final minutes.

After waging a tense tussle with Toledo for three-plus quarters Saturday, the Wolf varsity girls’ basketball squad went cold late, allowing the Riverhawks to storm their way to a non-conference victory.

The visitors closed on a 17-2 run across the game’s final six minutes, turning a five-point advantage into a 40-20 win.

The loss drops a rebuilding Coupeville squad to 0-2 on the season.

Megan Richter’s squad will have six days to work on its shooting touch, not returning to action against a rival until a trip to Sultan next Saturday, Dec. 9.

Saturday’s rumble, coming against a largely unknown foe, was a close, and low-scoring affair for much of the afternoon.

Madison McMillan drilled a quick shot mere seconds into play to stake CHS to a 2-0 lead, but the Wolves hit a wall after that.

Coupeville’s next bucket didn’t come until right before the end of the first quarter, courtesy a jumper from the side by Lyla Stuurmans, cutting the lead to 8-4.

The second quarter was an equal opportunity freeze-out, as the teams combined to hit six free throws … and not a single field goal.

Skylar Parker and Katie Marti connected on shots from the charity stripe, but CHS was down 11-7 at the half.

Things picked up in the third frame, though mainly for Toledo.

McMillan banked in a pair of buckets — one on a slash to the basket, the other off of an offensive rebound — but the visitors swished the game’s only three-ball as they pushed the advantage out to 21-14 heading into the fourth.

The Wolves, who played inspired defense for stretches of the game, cut the margin down to 23-18 after back-to-back buckets from Mia Farris and McMillan.

Farris made off with a steal, hitting the jets and sliding past a pursuing defender on a charge to the hoop, while McMillan knocked down a note-perfect pullup jumper.

But that was where it ended for Coupeville, at the moment where McMillan’s field goal dropped through the net and hit the hardwood.

Ramping up its attack, Toledo suddenly broke through and in a big way, raining down a series of buckets to pull away.

Farris sweetly swished a pair of free throws late, but Coupeville couldn’t get a shot from the field to drop in the game’s final minutes, mirroring its earlier struggles.

McMillan paced the Wolves with a season-high eight points, while Marti added five in support of her fellow junior.

Farris (4), Stuurmans (2), and Parker (1) also scored, while Jada Heaton, Teagan Calkins, Kayla Arnold, and Reese Wilkinson also saw floor time.

It was the varsity debut for the latter two of that group.

And in an intriguing side note, Farris, who is tied for #2 on the team in scoring with 10 points across the first two games, has notched all of her points in the fourth quarter this season.

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Come home, to the gym of your youth

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Lindsey Roberts (left) and Hailey Hammer fight for a rebound during an alumni game. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The invitation is there.

Every person who has played, coached, kept stats for, or cheered for Coupeville High School girls’ basketball is invited back for the 50th anniversary of the program.

The event is set for Saturday, Dec. 16 in the CHS gym, with South Whidbey the opponent.

The Wolf varsity boys tip off at 5:15, with the girls at 7:00. The festivities happen at halftime of the girls’ game.

We’ll be honoring the 1999-2000 Coupeville squad, the first to win a game at state — in any sport — as well as the top 15 scorers all time.

But it’s more than that.

The reason we want as many people as possible to cram the gym that night is because the entire program, and the very concept of girls getting a chance to play God’s Chosen Sport, is at the heart of the event.

The Wolf girls started 57(!) years after the CHS boys first dropped a basketball through the net in 1917, and yet have put up more banners and league titles.

Even once female athletes were finally given the same opportunity afforded their male counterparts, they spent several years being forced to trek to Camp Casey for practice.

But those early athletes endured, and they are a shining light to the generations which have come after them.

Wolves (l to r) Julia “Elbows” Myers, Monica Vidoni, Madeline Strasburg, and Amanda Fabrizi prepare to inflict pain on a hapless rival.

When Madison McMillan drops a jumper in the paint, she carries on the tradition started by Marie Grasser.

When Katie Marti slices ‘n dices the defense, she is the heir to Novi Barron and Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby.

When the little girls in the crowd, the ones pulling on a jersey for the first time in youth league play, look out onto the court, they will see the current stars in action, but they will see more.

They will see young women, now adults, who fought against stupidity, who asked for nothing more than a chance, and then went out and made magic.

They will see legendary former Wolf coach Phyllis Textor, back in the gym where she once prowled the sideline, and they will (hopefully) see Ann Pettit, Ashley Manker, Emily Vracin, Skyler Lawrence, and many, many more.

Every single one of you is part of something bigger than yourself.

Be proud. Come home to your gym and celebrate everything you have accomplished.

Lauren Rose gets feisty.

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Lessons learned, better days ahead

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Mia Farris, seen last season, led Coupeville in scoring during Monday’s season opener. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The offense is a work in progress.

There was times Monday when the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad really clicked during its season opener, but also a lot of moments where the Wolves looked like what they are.

A team which lost almost 80% of its offense to graduation and has to figure out how to generate buckets with basically an all-new starting lineup.

Unable to score back-to-back buckets at any point against host Mount Baker, the Wolves fell 52-21 against a team which rained down five shots from beyond the arc, and a whole lot of others from in close.

The game was knotted up at 2-2 early after Madison McMillan tore down a rebound, then powered her way right back up to bank the ball home over outstretched arms.

Unfortunately for Coupeville, it didn’t score again for six minutes plus, allowing Mount Baker to go on a game-busting 12-0 run.

McMillan finally stopped her team’s bleeding, nailing a pull-up jumper to close the first quarter, only to have the Mountaineers immediately respond with a 10-0 surge to open the second frame.

The Wolves eventually hit on a string of free throws, with Skylar Parker, Jada Heaton, and Katie Marti each rippling the net, but only knocked down one field goal in the quarter.

That came when Marti powered up court, going coast to coast to beat the buzzer and pull CHS within 28-9 at the half.

Coupeville picked up the offensive pace a bit after the break, notching six points in both the third and fourth, but Mount Baker controlled the boards and continued to stretch the lead.

Marti delivered a pair of beautiful passes to set up buckets, hitting Heaton with a long outlet heave, then threading the ball through the defense to find Lyla Stuurmans for a layup.

Wolf junior Mia Farris had the hot hand in the final frame, scoring all of her team-high six points in the waning minutes.

Marti rattled the rim for five points in support, while McMillan (4), Heaton (3), Stuurmans (2), and Parker (1) also scored.

Teagan Calkins and Kayla Arnold rounded out the Wolves to see floor time, with both making their varsity basketball debut for CHS.

Coupeville returns to action this Saturday, Dec. 2, when it hosts Toledo for varsity-only non-conference rumbles.

The girls tip off at 3:00, followed by the Wolf boys at 4:45.

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“They brought heart!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong and the Wolf JV basketball squad earned a big win in their season opener. (Jackie Saia photo)

So, I’ve got good news, and news which will probably keep me awake at night.

The good news first.

Playing with skill and passion, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad opened a new season in style Monday, bouncing host Mount Baker 44-41.

Holding off a foe from a bigger school, and on the road, brought a huge smile to the face of Wolf coach Kassie O’Neil.

“We have a lot of things to improve on, but they brought heart, and you could see it!” she said while bouncing in a bus somewhere on the backroads of Washington state.

O’Neil unleashed eight players on the hardwood, and every one of them gave her something back in return.

“Teagan (Calkins) had a ton of fast break lay ins,” O’Neil said. “Capri (Anter) was a beast on rebounding and putting it back up.

“We went out in a press, and it frazzled them.”

Coupeville came out on fire, jumping out to a 10-4 lead after one quarter of play, with Calkins scoring half of that tally.

She got help from Bryley Gilbert and Haylee Armstrong, then the Wolves held on through a brief Mount Baker rally in the second frame to carry an 18-16 lead into the locker room.

And this is where I break out in a cold sweat…

Coupeville lost its scorekeeper at the half, which means I have no way of knowing who scored the 26 points put up by the Wolves across the third and fourth quarters.

For someone addicted to stats, especially scoring stats, I have one word for you … AAAGGGGGOOOONNNNYYYY.

But I shall go on, probably forever haunted. If you catch me sitting in a gym in the future, staring wistfully into the great abyss, now you’ll know why.

But anyway. Back to reality.

From what we do have, Calkins led the Wolves with nine points in the first half, with Gilbert (5), Armstrong (2), and Anter (2) banking in buckets.

Brynn Parker, Dakota Strong, Desi Ramirez-Vasquez, and Lexis Drake also saw floor time for Coupeville.

The Wolf JV girls don’t play their next game until Saturday, Dec. 9, when they travel to the wilds of Sultan for another non-conference game.

Plenty of time for me to stare into the abyss and come to terms with the loss of my precious numbers.

Maybe…

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“Protect our team, protect our hoop”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Volleyball is done, and Madison McMillan is off to play basketball. (Jackie Saia photo)

It’s all about the changes, as David Bowie would remind us.

As the Coupeville High School girls’ varsity basketball team prepares to take the floor Monday night for its opener in Mount Baker, things are different from a year ago.

For one thing, head coach Megan Richter, heading into her third season at the helm of a program she once starred for, is a new mom.

Daughter Adeline is still a few years away from burning down the nets like mom did, however, so, for now, Richter will look to a rock-solid group of juniors to carry a lot of the load.

With some help from the seniors and sophomores, that group needs to replace five now-graduated players who accounted for 78% of last season’s scoring.

While sure to miss her former players, Richter likes the group she has in place.

“We have a solid core group of kids returning this year to fill the shoes of the five seniors that left us last year,” she said.

“We, as coaches, have challenged and pushed these kids to step into roles they haven’t had to play before,” Richter added.

“With five open starting positions open for the taking, these girls stepped into the roles like they were made for them.”

Katie Marti points to the spot on the hardwood where she’s gonna plant your fanny. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The junior class is comprised of Mia Farris, Lyla Stuurmans, Jada Heaton, Katie Marti, and Madison McMillan, with Stuurmans the leading returning scorer.

Joining them will be seniors Skylar Parker, Reese Wilkinson, Desi Ramirez, and Kayla Arnold, with the latter three making their varsity debut.

Sophomores Brynn Parker and Teagan Calkins and senior Bryley Gilbert are also expected to see floor time.

Overall, it’s a group which has had success in other sports, with the juniors and Calkins part of a Wolf volleyball team which went to the state tourney this fall.

“This group has really taken on a leadership role and have been team focused,” Richter said.

“We changed our team rules this year to simple and to the point rules that help sharpen our focus on what really matters: protect our team, protect our hoop.”

The next generation of CHS stars is already in place as well, with “a hardworking group of freshman JV players that will be big for us in the future.”

Following in the footsteps of Stuurmans, who made her debut while still in middle school, seven current 8th graders are also making the jump to play with the high school program.

As the Wolves prepare for Northwest 2B/1B League play, a couple of teams stand out as potential heavyweights, though Richter cautions her team not to look past any foe.

“If you ask any of the girls, the goal is always to get to state and to take that league title from La Conner,” Richter said.

“Right now, our biggest roadblock will be Mount Vernon Christian,” she added. “They are going to be a force this season. We just have to play our game and come prepared.

“However, we can’t overlook anyone and will make sure that we work hard, play hard, and hopefully come out on top!”

To get to where it wants to be — in the playoffs and capable of making a run — Coupeville is working hard on intangibles such as defense and team unity.

“My number one goal is to be better than we were yesterday and to have fun on the court,” Richter said. “Basketball is a challenging sport but so rewarding at the same time!

“We are very defensive focused this year, so capitalizing on those turnovers we are going to create is a high priority of ours as well!

“The team’s chemistry on and off the court will be a big strength for us this year. Being able to trust one another and know that they will have each other’s back is something that we pride ourselves on.”

Offense sells tickets, but success starts with stellar play on the other end of the floor.

“Defensively we will be quick and aggressive and that will frazzle a lot of teams and force turnovers,” Richter said.

“We have a high energy team that works hard and wants to get better every day. That’s going to bode well for us!”

Teagan Calkins is ready to rock. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The young Wolves are being guided by a coach who still sits #4 on the all-time CHS girls’ basketball scoring list.

But while she had a ton of personal success thanks to hard work, Richter realizes each of her players brings something different to the group and wants to help each of them find their personal groove.

“The mental game of basketball is always something that we will constantly work on,” she said. “Making sure that we don’t underestimate our opponents or ourselves.

“Because this group is still learning to play in those main roles, they will have to be able to be okay with making mistakes and have a quick turn around when they do happen.

“We work weekly in the classroom on the mental game and how to deal with it. It helps provide tools for the girls and a safe place to let loose some steam that may be blocking their way to the next step.”

Win or lose, Richter and the Wolves will add another chapter to the story of a CHS girls’ program which will celebrate its 50th anniversary Dec. 16 during a home game with South Whidbey.

Giving her players an opportunity to craft memories for life is a big part of the job.

“It’s going to be a fun season!” Richter said. “Lots of building, learning, and adjusting by both the players and coaches, but a fun season nevertheless.”

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