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Posts Tagged ‘girls basketball’

Wolves feisty to the final buzzer

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

Katie Marti brings the heat on both ends of the floor. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There’s nothing to fear here.

Staring down the best team in the Northwest 2B/1B League Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team held its own for two-and-a-half quarters.

And while visiting Mount Vernon Christian eventually pulled away for a 44-21 win, the Wolves can look ahead to a rematch in 10 days knowing they can make life difficult for the Hurricanes.

With the win, MVC, the defending 1B state champs, gets to 12-2 on the season, while Coupeville slips to 4-5.

But, while the game was between NWL rivals, it is considered a non-conference game and doesn’t count in the league standings.

The rematch, set to go down Jan. 20 in Mount Vernon?

That one counts in the chase for a conference crown.

The Hurricanes, who already beat 2B power La Conner earlier this season — also in a “non-conference” game between league foes — are a rock-solid team, full of fairly unflappable players with high basketball IQ’s.

But, for a bit Tuesday, those players were clanking most of their shots, thanks to some scrappy Wolf defense and a couple of rims which refused to play fair with the visitors.

Coupeville scored first, on a Gwen Gustafson jumper from the side, and closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run to claim an 8-7 advantage at the first break.

Rampaging sophomore Katie Marti, crackin’ heads and takin’ names, tallied four points for the Wolves in the opening frame, including slapping home a layup off of a nice feed from Lyla Stuurmans.

Netting a pair of free throws to cap the opening frame, Christie Messner’s wild child sent a tremor through the Mount Vernon fans, a huge smile gracing her face as she and her Wolf teammates exited the floor.

Toss in a slashing runner off the fingertips of Stuurmans to open the second quarter, and Megan Richter’s CHS squad was looking good.

That early bucket would be Coupeville’s only points in the frame, however, as the two teams got down ‘n dirty in a defensive-minded struggle.

MVC pulled ahead 13-10 at the half, with the Wolves still within 16-13 three minutes into the third period.

Marti hauled in a long pass from Stuurmans, turning it into a breakaway bucket, Ryanne Knoblich tickled the twines on a free throw, and Mia Farris rejected a Hurricane shot to keep things hopping.

But while the Hurricanes were out of sorts, they weren’t out of weapons, and eventually they wore down a Wolf team playing without a key starter in the injured Carolyn Lhamon.

Bucket by bucket, MVC started to pull away, putting together a 21-2 surge which stretched from the mid-point of the third quarter until late in the final frame.

Stuurmans, converting a steal into a mad dash down court for a layup, was the only Wolf to make the net pop during the downturn.

Coupeville, which never stopped fighting on defense, finally hit the bottom of the net late in the game, with Alita Blouin splashing home a three-ball and Maddie Georges sinking a runner, but it was too late to turn the tide.

Marti paced the Wolves with six points, while Stuurmans rattled the rims for five.

Her first bucket of the night sent the Wolf sophomore to a personal milestone, as she cracked the 100-point club.

Now sitting with 104 career points and counting, Stuurmans is the 106th Wolf girl to reach triple digits for a program which began back in 1974.

Blouin (3), Knoblich (3), Georges (2), and Gustafson (2) also scored for the Wolves, with Blouin, who has 98 career points, right on the cusp of joining Stuurmans and Co.

Farris and Madison McMillan also saw floor time for Coupeville, which returns to action Friday, when it hosts Darrington in a league clash.

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No quit, forever scrappy

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

Teagan Calkins, ready to rumble. (Jackie Saia photo)

They got stronger as the night progressed.

Facing off with visiting Mount Vernon Christian Tuesday, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad played the Hurricanes virtually even in the second half.

Unfortunately for the Wolves, a slow start doomed them in a 31-16 loss.

The defeat, which snaps a two-game win streak for Kassie O’Neil’s squad, drops them to 4-4 on the season.

Coupeville only converted one field goal in the first half and that stung, as it fell behind 9-1 after one quarter of play, and 19-5 at the half.

Things got better after the break however, with Kierra Thayer tossing in five points in the third frame and the Wolves only being edged 12-11 across the game’s final 16 minutes.

Thayer finished with a team-high seven points, while Liza Zustiak (2), Skylar Parker (2), Reese Wilkinson (2), Carlota Marcos-Cabrillo (1), Madison McMillan (1), and Kayla Arnold (1) also scored.

Brynn Parker, Teagan Calkins, Jada Heaton, Bryley Gilbert, Kassidy Upchurch, and Desi Ramirez-Vasquez also saw floor time for the Wolves, as O’Neil juggled a 13-woman roster.

Coupeville’s JV girls go their own way in their next outing, heading up to Oak Harbor High School Friday night.

The Wolves will be the “home” team and face off with the C-Team from 3A Mount Vernon in a game scheduled to tip-off at 5:40 PM.

Coupeville’s varsity hosts Darrington Friday and travels to Neah Bay Saturday, but neither of those schools has a JV girls’ team.

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Low numbers, lots of fight

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Alita Blouin knocked down a team-high 13 points Friday. (Andrew Williams photo)

Rumble with who you have.

Missing two key starters Friday night, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad pushed visiting Orcas Island to the final moments before falling just short.

While the final score was 37-30 in favor of the Vikings, it was a one-possession game before the visitors closed out the game by netting four free throws in the final seconds.

The loss, coming in the conference opener for Coupeville, drops the Wolves to 4-4 overall, 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play.

CHS coach Megan Richter had a short bench Friday, with injured starters Maddie Georges and Carolyn Lhamon both in street clothes.

Their active teammates more than picked up the slack, however, attacking Orcas on both ends of the floor.

A three-ball from team scoring leader Alita Blouin got the Wolves on the board, before Lyla Stuurmans dropped a pair of haymakers right before the end of the quarter to knot things up at 7-7.

The ever-springy sophomore made off with back-to-back steals at midcourt, snatching the ball up and bolting to the other end, where she slapped home running layups.

Orcas, which had its own issues with a short bench, responded however, using an 8-0 run midway through the second quarter to claim the lead, before Blouin knocked down a pair of three-balls to keep things close.

Trailing 19-15 at the half, Coupeville pulled ahead in the third quarter, but just for a moment.

Wolf sparkplug Katie Marti, muscling her way in between a pair of Vikings, yanked down an offensive rebound and put the ball back up and in to get things started.

Then it was time for Stuurmans to start raining down haymakers again.

She banked a runner off the glass, before making off with yet another steal, this time turning it into a three-point play the hard way after being hammered while getting her shot off.

Draining the free throw, Stuurmans staked Coupeville to a 22-21 lead, only to see Orcas nail a pullup jumper to surge back ahead as the third quarter faded into memory.

The final eight-minute segment was a tense, back-and-forth affair, with Marti and Blouin knocking down hook shots under duress to keep the Wolves close.

Blouin’s bucket sliced the Orcas lead to just 29-28 with about two-and-a-half minutes to play, but would be the final Coupeville field goal of the night.

The Vikings got a huge put-back off of a missed free throw and a beautiful bank shot which barely cleared a defender’s outstretched fingertips to get the lead out to five points, and time ran away from the Wolves.

Ryanne Knoblich netted a pair of free throws at the 1:48 mark to pull Coupeville within 33-30, but the game’s final four points all came courtesy Orcas charity shots.

The Wolves were paced by Blouin, who splashed home a trio of three-balls on her way to 13 points, while Stuurmans (9), Marti (4), Gwen Gustafson (2), and Knoblich (2) also scored.

Mia Farris and Madison McMillan both saw floor time, as well, with McMillan making her varsity debut and immediately going high to snatch a rebound out of the hands of a Viking player.

The Wolves have a busy week ahead, with home games against Mount Vernon Christian (Jan. 10) and Darrington (Jan. 13), plus a road trip to Neah Bay (Jan. 14).

Mia Farris, bringing the heat on both ends of the floor. (Andrew Williams photo)

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Don’t kill ’em, Maddie!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan, destroyer of worlds. (Jackie Saia photo)

Madison McMillan blew the joint up.

Having made her varsity basketball debut earlier in the evening Friday, the Coupeville High School sophomore dominated play in the girls JV game.

Throwing down a season-high 23 points, McMillan outscored visiting Orcas Island by herself, sparking the Wolf young guns to a 52-17 win.

The victory, coming in Coupeville’s league opener, lifts the JV to 4-3 overall, 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play.

While McMillan and company were scorching the nets, they were also clamping down on defense.

After surrendering 10 points in the opening quarter, the Wolves held Orcas to just a single basket in each of the next three quarters.

That allowed CHS to turn an early 17-10 advantage into a solid 31-12 lead at the half, before bumping the margin to 43-15 through three quarters.

McMillan was an equal opportunity warrior, banging home buckets in all four frames.

She opened with a torrid nine-point performance in the first quarter, tacked on six more before halftime, then banked in four apiece in the third and fourth.

“I promise you, Maddie’s only going to hurt them a little bit … maybe.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

McMillan got plenty of help, with nine different Wolves scoring for Kassie O’Neil’s squad.

Carlota Marcos-Cabrillo knocked down eight points, with Teagan Calkins and Kierra Thayer each chipping in with six.

Kassidy Upchurch (2), Reese Wilkinson (2), Liza Zustiak (2), Desi Ramirez-Vasquez (2), and Jada Heaton (1) also scored, while Kayla Arnold brought intensity to her defensive efforts.

It was Upchurch’s first points of the season.

Coupeville returns to action next week, with a home game Tuesday, Jan. 10 against Mount Vernon Christian kicking things off.

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Wolf wrecking crew drops a beat-down

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

“Why yes, Katie. I do think you should go wreck some fools.” (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Call ’em second-half killers.

Breaking open a close game Wednesday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad held visiting Granite Falls scoreless for 10 minutes coming out of the halftime break.

Sparked by that defensive stand, the Wolves turned a six-point lead into a resounding 43-21 win over the Tigers, kicking off the new year in style.

The non-conference victory, coming in Coupeville’s first game in 18 days, lifts it to 4-3 on the season and gives the Wolves momentum heading into their league schedule.

First up is Orcas Island, which visits Whidbey Island Friday, followed by Mount Vernon Christian (Jan. 10) and Darrington (Jan. 13), as CHS opens the new year with four straight home clashes.

The matchup against Granite started a bit slowly, as both teams struggled to find their shooting touch in the early going.

Balls spun back off the rim, took weird bounces, and generally refused to play fair, though Coupeville had a little bit better touch.

Alita Blouin slashed past her defender to slap home a game-opening layup, while Lyla Stuurmans snatched a loose ball off the floor and went coast-to-coast to stake the Wolves to an 8-3 lead at the first break.

“You, Stuurmans. I like the cut of your jib! Go score me some points!!”

Attacking the ballhandler, often smothering them with two defenders madly poking at the ball, the Wolves frustrated Granite, and picked up most of their early offense off of turnovers.

Stuurmans, bobbing and weaving and bedeviling anyone foolish enough to dribble near her, hit a pair of second-quarter jumpers to lead the CHS offense.

The first of those shots was one of the most gorgeous of the season, as the Wolf sophomore spun a rival around, stopped ‘n popped, the ball kicking through the bottom of the net with a happy lil’ sigh.

Maddie Georges delivered a dagger, taking a kick-out from Blouin, and splashing home a three-ball, and Coupeville was content to carry a 17-11 lead into the break.

Maybe because the Wolves could sense what was coming — a 10-minute span of utter domination.

Granite went scoreless in the third quarter, then crawled nearly two minutes into the fourth before finally breaking its drought thanks to a rare free throw.

During that time, Coupeville rang up 15 straight points, stretching the lead all the way out to 32-11 and effectively ending the game.

Five different Wolves dropped buckets during the game-busting tear, while everyone on the floor hit the boards (and the floor) with intensity.

None more so than Gwen Gustafson, who launched herself airborne in pursuit of a ball which was madly skipping away, fully intent on bouncing out the gym door and going for an evening stroll.

Gwen Gustafson comes in like a wrecking ball.

Instead, the scrappy Wolf senior bounced off the hardwood, flung her arms out as she skidded face-first towards the rapidly approaching wall, and somehow, against all the rules of science, pulled off the save of the century.

Her breath gently crossing the endline, but not her body, Gustafson corralled the ball while hugging the floor, flipped it towards Georges, then watched as her teammate zipped a pass into the paint to a trailing Ryanne Knoblich.

Who promptly drained a sizzlin’ lil’ turnaround jumper, plopping the cherry on top of the sundae.

It was the biggest, and buzziest, play of the night, but not the only one which brought a smile to Wolf coach Megan Richter’s face.

A few seconds later, Georges backpedaled, planted, and absorbed the pain, drawing an offensive charging foul on an out-of-control Granite player.

Then there was Stuurmans, turning another steal into another breakaway bucket.

Georges rolling to the hoop for a lil’ runner which allowed her to become just the 36th Wolf girl to crack the 300-point club for a program which started in 1974.

Katie Marti getting nicely intense on defense, while teammate Jada Heaton egged her on with a big smile.

Plenty of prime moments to choose from, as Coupeville coasted in for the win.

Granite did finally find some semblance of a shooting touch late in the fourth, briefly cutting its deficit to 14 points.

The answer?

Blouin three-ball. Georges three-ball. And yet another Blouin three-ball.

Coupeville might have had a frosty night at the free-throw line, netting just 3-20 as a team, but the Wolves made up for it from long, and medium range.

Blouin paced CHS with a game-high 12 points, with Stuurmans banking in 10 and Georges tallying nine.

Knoblich (5), Gustafson (3), Marti (2), and defensive dynamo Mia Farris (2) also scored, as Coupeville spread the offensive load.

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