Landon Roberts (with ball), Aiden O’Neill, and Coupeville’s JV have won six straight games. (Delanie Lewis photo)
They’re still the hottest team in the land.
Holding off a dangerous Mount Vernon Christian squad Friday, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball team ran away with its sixth-straight win.
Closing the game on a 15-6 tear after surrendering the lead for a hot second midway through the fourth quarter, the Wolves held on for a 58-50 victory to sweep the season series with the Hurricanes.
Hunter Smith’s team of two-way hoops stars are now a crisp 3-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-3 overall.
The only thing that can stop them right now is a school simply declining to play them, which is the case next week, as Concrete shut down its JV team after iffy grades and lingering injuries gutted its roster.
So, while Coupeville’s varsity will play twice in a four-day span, the JV won’t be back in action until Friday Harbor visits Whidbey Island next Friday, Jan. 27.
Until then, the young guns will keep fine-tuning an offense which can kill you from every angle.
Eight Wolves tallied a bucket or more Friday, and they did it in multiple ways.
Down low in the paint, from behind the arc, and even, once in a while, from the free throw line.
Hunter Bronec got things kicked off, burying a three-ball in the game’s first minute, and the two teams battled to an 11-11 stalemate at the first break.
MVC bolted back in front, for a half second, opening the second frame with a three-ball, but there was no bend, and no break, in the Wolves spirit.
An 8-0 run featuring buckets from Hurlee Bronec, Jack Porter, and Chase Anderson broke things open, while Hunter Bronec came back around to splash home another trey late in the half.
Hurlee Bronec crashes to the hoop. (Chloe Marzocca photo)
The Hurricanes are a scrappy bunch, however, and they never let Coupeville fully pull away.
Up 28-23 at the half, the Wolves saw their lead shrink to 38-36 exiting the third quarter, though still felt good about it, since they ended the frame with Johnny Porter snagging a loose ball and bolting to the bucket for a score.
Exchanging buckets back and forth, the two teams circled each other warily in the fourth quarter, with MVC slipping ahead at 44-43.
That was the moment when the Wolves, to a man, stepped up and drilled their rivals.
Camden Glover knocked down back-to-back buckets — one off of a board, the other on a long outlet pass from Aiden O’Neill — before Jack Porter sank a gorgeous jumper from the side.
The final dagger was a three-ball from the just-mentioned Jack Porter, the ball settling through the net with a happy sigh as the Hurricanes could do nothing but wail.
While Coupeville struggled at the line, hitting just 12 of 32 charity shots (MVC was an equally sickly 9-24), the Wolves hit them when it mattered most.
Landon Roberts netted a pair of free throws, with Hunter Bronec and Glover sinking one apiece as CHS scored the game’s final four points at the line.
Glover led an extremely well-balanced scoring attack with 13 points, while Hunter Bronec and Jack Porter each tossed in nine.
Roberts (8), Johnny Porter (8), O’Neill (7), Anderson (2), and Hurlee Bronec (2) also scored, while Malachi Somes brought defensive heat while on the floor.
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