Wynter Thorne and her teammates are playing tough defense as they head into the playoffs. (John Fisken photos)
Even with Hailey Hammer missing with an ankle injury, CHS has a host of talented players. Some of them (l to r): Julia Myers, Monica Vidoni, Madeline Strasburg and Amanda Fabrizi.
King’s got the win, but Coupeville made a statement.
Closing out a perfect Cascade Conference season, the host Knights (17-3 overall, 14-0 in league play) dribbled past the Wolves (9-11, 5-9) Saturday in Seattle.
But, despite leaving its best player in the game until the final minute of play in a 61-37 victory, the private school was unable to run her point tally up.
A day after blasting 2A power Cedarcrest for 34, Savanna Hanson was limited to just 10 by the suffocating defense of CHS junior Kacie Kiel.
With back-up from Julia Myers, Kiel more than held her own in a battle against a player who is rarely slowed down.
“Defensively Kacie has been outstanding. She looks forward to the challenge and has really stepped up,” said Wolf coach David King. “The others see this and they are following right behind.”
With the final regular season game bumped up two days from the original schedule — to give teams a small break before districts kick-off Tuesday — the Wolves found themselves in a hostile arena less than 24 hours after an emotional win on Senior Night.
Whether it was the bus trip, nerves, or just general tiredness, Coupeville came out a bit slow, falling behind 6-0, with two of the buckets coming off of turnovers.
While the Wolves clamped down and played strongly after a quick time out, they, like most of King’s opponents this season, had trouble with the Knight’s speed and full-court press.
“The name of the game, minimize the turnovers,” King said. “We did not do a good job most of the game against their press.”
Coupeville had bright spots, with Breeanna Messner making off with a steal, then flying down the court before suddenly pulling up just inside the key and knocking down a jumper over the outstretched arm of a backpedaling defender.
Makana Stone, who paced the Wolves with 10 rebounds, also delivered three blocks, including a knee-buckler she unleashed on Hanson, while Madeline Strasburg snared five boards and dealt out four assists.
The Wolf bench saw plenty of playing time, as King prepares for the postseason, with Monica Vidoni hitting back-to-back buckets on the low block, first from the right side, then the left.
“The last 2-3 games our bench — McKayla (Bailey), Monica, Wynter (Thorne) and Carlie (Rosenkrance) — are providing us good minutes and getting the others much needed rest,” King said. “This has been a big boost for our team, and, if we continue to play as a team, we will be very competitive against anyone we face in the postseason.”
Strasburg pumped in nine to lead Coupeville, while Amanda Fabrizi popped for seven. Stone (6), Messner (5), Vidoni (4), Kiel (2), Myers (2) and Bailey (2) also scored.
The Wolves open the double-elimination eight-team district tourney with a game at Mount Baker. Win or lose, they play again Thursday, Feb. 13, with the game on the court of the higher-seeded team.
The top four teams advance on to tri-districts.
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