The Wolves listen as coach Scout Smith (far left) talks strategy. (Michelle Armstrong photo)
They play just like their coach.
And that’s a good thing. A very good thing.
Handing former Wolf hoops supernova Scout Smith her first win as a high school head coach Friday, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team decimated host South Whidbey in every facet of the game.
Whether it was Haylee Armstrong terrorizing the Falcon ballhandlers, or Ava Lucero strolling up court to drain a Caitlin Clark-style three-ball from well behind the line, the Wolves were poetry in motion on the hardwood.
The result?
A 40-15 romp which evens Coupeville’s early season record at 1-1 heading into a road trip Monday to the end of the Earth (otherwise known as Forks).
For Smith, among the most cerebral of players in her heyday, the first win as a coach was sweet.
“It was a great team win where we executed our plays and systems very well,” she said. “Everybody contributed and did their role.”
Armstrong, a buzzsaw on both ends of the floor who lives to collect knee burns, fired it up Gary Payton-style on defense.
“Haylee had a great game defensively,” Smith said.
“She was a menace for South Whidbey guards to deal with, causing turnovers, steals, and chaos for their offense.”
Once they had possession of the ball, the Wolves quickly sent the orb crashing through the net, with seven different players scoring.
Lucero topped CHS with 10 — “She had a great night shooting,” Smith said — while Armstrong and Adeline Maynes netted nine apiece.
Ari Cunningham (5), Lexis Drake (3), Chelsi Stevens (2), and Sydney Van Dyke (2) rounded out the multi-pronged offensive attack, with Marin Winger, Capri Anter, Jeann Nitta, Amelia Crowder, and Willow Leedy-Bonifas also seeing floor time.
Coupeville Sports 