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Coupeville 6th grader Tamsin Ward has a bright hardwood future. (Photo courtesy Jandellyn Ward)

“What a cap to the season.”

The Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads brought an end to the campaign Thursday, netting a huge win and a narrow loss to archrival South Whidbey.

The Wolves #1 team pulled out its first victory of the season on their home floor, holding on for a 35-30 triumph, while the second unit lost a heartbreaker 10-9 at the buzzer.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

Big shots from behind the arc sparked Coupeville in a tense, physical conflict between two fairly evenly matched squads.

Wolf 8th grader Haylee Armstrong departed middle school hoops by splashing home a trio of three-balls in the third quarter, while 6th grader Tamsin Ward buried a huge trey in the game’s final minutes.

“The 1’s came out and played the most physical game of the year,” said Coupeville coach Bennett Richter. “They battled through bumps and bruises to pull out the win!

“These girls steadily improved and continued to work hard throughout the season and got their revenge on a very physical South Whidbey team.”

Coupeville jumped out to an early lead, heading to the first break up 8-4, before South Whidbey closed the gap back to 15-14 by halftime.

The third quarter was vintage Hayley Time, as the fast-dribbling, sweet-shooting Armstrong rattled the rims for all of her team’s points during a game-busting 11-4 run.

That gave the Wolves a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, though the visitors made things interesting at the end.

Armstrong, who now moves to high school softball to cap her 8th grade year, finished with a team-best 16 points, while Ward knocked down five in support.

Tenley Stuurmans, Lexis Drake, and Rhylin Price added four points apiece, with Capri Anter banking in a bucket to round out the scoring effort.

Chelsi Stevens and Adeline Maynes also saw floor time for the Wolves, providing scrappy defense.

 

Level 2:

South Whidbey bounced back from being blanked in the first quarter to pull out the win, with the game-deciding bucket falling through the net with mere ticks left on the clock.

In a game where scoring was at a premium, Coupeville led 2-0 at the first break thanks to an Ava Lucero bucket, and 3-2 at the half after Lina Shelly slipped a free-throw through the net.

The Wolves put up four points in the third quarter, with Kennedy O’Neill and Ari Cunningham both scoring, and carried a 7-4 advantage into the final frame.

Cunningham notched another bucket in the fourth, but South Whidbey managed to pull out the victory on the game’s final play.

Win or lose, first-year Coupeville hoops coaches Richter and Mia Littlejohn came away satisfied with the growth and effort of their players.

“It was a very intense final couple of minutes,” Richter said. “They played so incredibly hard.”

Izzy Bowder, Melanie Wolfe, Taylor Marrs, Amaiya Curry, Lillie Ketterling, and Isa De Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge also saw action in the finale.

While South Whidbey only has two teams, Coupeville’s numbers were booming this season, with the Wolves fielding three squads most days.

All three CMS units enjoyed the taste of victory, heralding a bright future for Wolf girls’ basketball.

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Maddie Georges kick-starts the offense. (Karen Carlson photo)

She made the Wolves go.

Senior point guard Maddie Georges was the primary ballhandler, and a deadly shooter, for the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad.

Also an aggressive, smart defensive player who led the Wolves in drawing offensive charges on rival players, her play drew the attention of Northwest 2B/1B League coaches.

That culminated in a final honor for Georges, who was named as a Second-Team All-Conference player when voting was announced Thursday.

She was the lone Coupeville girl honored, as state tourney heavyweights Mount Vernon Christian (3rd place in 1B) and La Conner (4th in 2B) dominated.

MVC hoops guru Jeff Droog was tabbed as Coach of the Year, while La Conner senior Josie Harper, who knocked down a hair under 19 points a night, earned MVP status.

Concrete and Darrington shared the Team Sportsmanship Award.

 

First-Team All-League:

Allie Heino – Junior – Mount Vernon Christian
Makayla Herrera – Senior – La Conner
Ellie Marble – Senior – La Conner
Caitlin VanderKooy – Senior – Mount Vernon Christian
Hannah VanHofwegen – Senior – Mount Vernon Christian

 

Second-Team All-League:

Ava Ashcroft – Sophomore – Orcas Island
Mia Blackmon – Senior – Friday Harbor
Maddie Georges – Senior – Coupeville
Ruthie Rozema – Sophomore – Mount Vernon Christian
Claire Wright – Sophomore – Darrington

 

Honorable Mention:

Shaniquah Casey – Freshman – La Conner
McKenna Clark – Junior – Friday Harbor
Hayley Daniels – Junior – Concrete
Sofia Mahony-Jauregui – Freshman – Orcas Island

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Willow Leedy-Bonifas rattled the rims for a season-high 20 points Thursday afternoon. (Alysabeth Leedy photo)

Three games, a tough foe, one win, and several breakout individual performances.

Thursday’s home middle school basketball clash between Coupeville and visiting Sultan had something for everyone, it seems.

How the day played out, while I was far away chasing chickens while my sister hugs penguins in Antarctica for her 50th birthday.

 

Level 1:

Wolf stars Tenley Stuurmans and Haylee Armstrong blistered the net, but a powerhouse Turks squad pulled away in the second half to notch a 42-24 victory.

Sultan jumped out to a 10-4 lead by the first break, before nudging its lead to 19-12 at the half.

After the break, the visitors continued to pad their lead, using 11-7 and 12-5 runs across the final two quarters to set the final score.

Stuurmans delivered her best shooting performance of the season, rattling the rims for a team-high 12 points while dropping a three-ball and netting three free throws, while Armstrong backed her up with eight points.

Lexis Drake and Tamsin Ward rounded out the Wolf attack, each banking in a bucket, with Adeline Maynes, Capri Anter, Sydney Van Dyke, Chelsi Stevens, and Rhylin Price also seeing floor time for CMS.

 

Level 2:

A defensive-minded game went to Sultan, which held Coupeville scoreless in both the second and fourth quarters en route to a 20-6 win.

The Wolves returned the favor, blanking the Turks in the third frame, but couldn’t generate enough offense to get back into the game.

Ari Cunningham, Melanie Wolfe, and Isa De Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge scored a bucket apiece for CMS, with Kennedy O’Neill, Izzy Bowder, Lina Shelly, Lillie Ketterling, Amaiya Curry, Taylor Marrs, and Ava Lucero bringing the heat on the defensive end of the floor.

 

Level 3:

You can’t stop her, you can’t control her, and you can’t beat her.

CMS 7th grader Willow Leedy-Bonifas went bonkers, knocking down a season-high 20 points, outscoring Sultan by herself and sparking the Wolves to a 25-13 win.

The younger sibling of former Coupeville athletic aces Ivy and Lily Leedy scored in three of four quarters, highlighted by an eight-point run in the second frame, when the Wolves cracked the game open with a 12-0 surge.

Allie Powers and Amelia Crowder both swished a bucket, while Sophia Batterman slipped a free throw through the net to cap Coupeville’s scoring effort.

Emma Cushman, KeeArya Brown, and Sage Stavros rounded out the active roster, with every player contributing to the crowd-pleasing win.

 

What’s next:

Coupeville closes its season with a pair of rumbles next week.

The Wolves hit the road Tuesday, Mar. 7 to travel to Lakewood for contests which were bumped from this week, then host South Whidbey in the season finale Thursday, Mar. 9.

Tip-off is 3:15 PM.

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Maddie Georges, the best at what she does. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Maddie Georges always sets others up for success.

Across her four-year run as a varsity high school athlete, the Coupeville senior has always put team first.

Part of it is the positions she plays — setter in volleyball and point guard in basketball.

But Georges rises above the constraints of her role, putting her own distinctive spin on each play, each game, each season.

Like others from her generation, she didn’t get her full time on the floor, as a worldwide pandemic carved away games and practice time.

Instead of focusing on what could have been, though, or complaining about also having to fight through injuries, Georges seized every moment she was given.

An All-State volleyball player and an All-League basketball star, she proved to be one of the best to ever wear a Wolf uniform.

Facing off with high-powered La Conner, Georges won this tip battle. (Jackie Saia photo)

On the volleyball court Georges flicked passes left, right, forward, and over her shoulder, mixing up her set-ups to keep the defense always on edge.

What she didn’t do was confuse her own teammates, as she almost always placed her big hitters into position to spray kills, slicin’ ‘n dicin’ hapless rivals.

Coupeville’s primary stumbling block the past couple of seasons has been La Conner, which has collected four straight 2B state titles.

Few teams have toppled the Braves, but, led by Georges, the Wolves came as close as any Northwest 2B/1B League program.

Regardless of the score or opponent, Coupeville’s primary setter never conceded a point, keeping the offense flowing while also racking up great gobs o’ service aces, and even a few kills when the moment dictated.

Georges put a bow on her high school volleyball career by joining Wolf teammate Alita Blouin at the All-State event after her senior season, following in the footsteps of older brother Alex Evans, an All-State baseball player back in the day.

Sharing All-State honors with Alita Blouin. (Suzan Georges photo)

On the basketball court Georges was a cold-blooded assassin, capable of drilling three-balls from all angles, while also a master at crashing to the hoop for hard-earned buckets.

She finished her hardwood run as the #24 scorer in CHS girls’ hoops history, rattling the rim for 407 points.

And yet, if Georges was a bit greedier, she could have been much higher on the list, which launched in 1974.

It’s to her credit that she never simply accepted life as a gunner, however.

Put in charge of Coupeville’s offensive attack, Georges was a largely pass-first player, always looking to get others involved and keep the defense guessing.

A strong passer, a deceptively talented rebounder, and a master at drawing offensive charges after scrambling back into position, she played the complete game, making her team far better for it.

Everyone enjoys hearing the ball splash through the net, but the smart player, the complete player, knows when to rain down shots, and when to sacrifice for the growth of the team.

Georges, always, was the smart player.

Putting a cap on a stellar prep hoops career. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

As she wraps up her high school days, putting a final stamp on academic life this spring, Georges should be in the mix when the school tallies its Athlete of the Year votes from coaches.

Before then, though, let’s take a moment to give her a different honor.

With no spring sports on her schedule, now is a perfect time to welcome the selfless one to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

After this, when you slide past the Legends tab at the top of the blog, that’s where you’ll find Georges, fulfilling a destiny I foretold years ago.

A mere young gun, but already a hardwood killer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

From her days as a precocious young star to her time as a seasoned vet, she has been at the forefront of Coupeville athletics seemingly since her arrival in the world as a baby already rockin’ legendary red hair.

Georges was a softball sensation during her little league days, and could have been a tennis ace, if she had ever given in to my pleas.

But that’s neither here nor there.

Celebrate Maddie for what she chose to accomplish, and how she chose to reach those goals.

Serene on the outside, even when rolling massive side eye at her fan section from time to time, but fiery on the inside, with a burning passion which few can match, she is a great example to young athletes coming up behind her.

Play for the name on the front of the jersey and walk away at the end knowing you truly gave everything you had.

Every school, every town, every team needs a Maddie Georges, but you don’t always get what you deserve.

We did, as Coupeville hit the jackpot with her.

She’s something special, both as an athlete and a young woman, and I hope she knows what a positive impact she made.

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You get an “A” for defensive effort. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s still raining.

A day after a substantial amount of chunky hail peppered parts of Whidbey Island, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads dropped numerous buckets from above on visiting Granite Falls.

With 14 different Wolves scoring in their home gym Monday afternoon, CMS won a game and came within a basket of forcing overtime in another.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

Coupeville’s top squad built an early lead, but couldn’t hang on late, and was nipped 23-21 in a nip-and-tuck battle.

Five different Wolves kissed the ball off the backboard in the second quarter, sending CMS into the halftime break up 14-8.

Unfortunately for local fans, the visitors clamped down on the defensive side of the ball in the second half, cutting their deficit to 17-14 after three quarters, before pulling away for the narrow win.

8th grade ace Haylee Armstrong paced the Wolves with a team-high eight points, with Capri Anter chipping in with four.

Sydney Van Dyke (2), Rhylin Price (2), Tamsin Ward (2), Adeline Maynes (2), and Tenley Stuurmans (1) also scored, with Lexis Drake rounding out the active roster.

 

Level 2:

The Wolves bolted out to a quick lead, then held on for the victory in a defensive-minded rumble.

Holding Granite scoreless in the second quarter, Coupeville pushed a 4-2 lead at the first break out to a 10-2 advantage at the half, with the two teams combining for just 10 points in the second half.

Ari Cunningham had the hot hand for the Wolves, banking in six points, with Lillie Ketterling (4), Lina Shelly (2), and Melanie Wolfe (2) also tallying points for CMS.

Kennedy O’Neill, Izzy Bowder, Taylor Marrs, Amaiya Curry, and Isa De Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge all saw floor time as well.

 

Level 3:

You got me.

The Wolves lost 28-12, but it’s tricky to know more.

My sister is in Antarctica for two weeks (seriously), so I’m holding down the farm — and three nephews, two dogs, a cat, 75,612 chickens, and assorted wayward coyotes — and unable to attend any of the home games in person.

Monday’s book?

Willow Leedy-Bonifas is visible, pulling off the Beyonce-style one-name thing, but everyone else appears to have joined the Witness Relocation Program and I have no list of players matching names with jersey #’s, so…

 

What’s next:

Coupeville has a busy week, traveling to Lakewood Tuesday, before hosting Sultan Thursday. Tipoff is 3:15 PM.

The season wraps the following week, with a final home royal rumble Thursday, Mar. 9 against South Whidbey.

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