First-year varsity head coach Megan Smith has Coupeville playing with grit and hustle. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
They never backed down.
Facing off with the heavyweight of the Northwest 2B/1B League Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls basketball team put up a strong fight against visiting La Conner.
The final score — a 69-13 loss — was lopsided, yes, as the Braves improved to 9-0 overall, 5-0 in conference action.
Just as almost every game La Conner has played this season has been.
But the Wolves, who sit in third-place in the seven-team NWL, were still fighting for loose balls and rebounds until the waning moments.
Now 3-2 in league play, 4-3 overall, Coupeville will try and take that same attitude into a big game Thursday against visiting Friday Harbor.
The Wolves, who are a half-game off of 1B Mount Vernon Christian (3-1, 7-2) in the overall standings, need to finish in the top two of the three NWL 2B schools to make the playoffs.
La Conner may be tough to catch, but Coupeville could stretch its advantage on Friday Harbor (1-3, 1-6) with a victory Thursday.
The matchup against the Braves, who earlier whacked MVC by almost the same score (66-13), was going to be a tough one.
Led by senior Sarah Cook (24) and junior Ellie Marble (19), who combined for almost two-thirds of its points, La Conner relentlessly attacked on defense, then made pinpoint passes and precision cuts on offense.
Coupeville got on the board fairly early, with Carolyn Lhamon knocking down a running layup to cut the early margin to 6-2, but that would be the only first-half field goal for the Wolves.
Free throws from Audrianna Shaw and Izzy Wells provided the only other points before the halftime break, and La Conner triggered a running clock early in the third quarter when it breached the 40-point lead.
Maddie Georges did rifle home a three-ball midway through the third quarter, while fab frosh Lyla Stuurmans rippled the net on a late-game jumper.
The final points of the night came on Coupeville’s best offensive play, as senior Abby Mulholland ripped a rebound loose, then took the ball back up strongly.
Kissing the ball off the glass for a bucket, she earned three points the hard way, also draining an ensuing free throw as dad/PA announcer Moose Moran exulted in his daughter’s stellar play.
Georges and Mulholland paced Coupeville with three points apiece, while Lhamon (2), Stuurmans (2), Izzy Wells (2), and Shaw (1) rounded out the scoring attack.
Savina Wells, Alita Blouin, Ja’Kenya Hoskins, and Gwen Gustafson also saw floor time for the Wolves, with Blouin bringing considerable heat on the defensive end of the floor.
Coupeville Sports 