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Posts Tagged ‘Lakewood’

Wolves storm back, remain undefeated

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on March 6, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges (with ball) tossed in seven of her 14 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday, as Coupeville’s 8th graders rallied to remain undefeated. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Three games, three very different results.

Hitting the road for the second time in as many days, the Coupeville Middle School girls basketball teams traveled to Lakewood Wednesday, returning home with a big win, a narrow loss, and a not-so-narrow defeat.

How the afternoon played out:

 

8th grade varsity:

The most-successful Wolf squad of them all continued its unbeaten season, rallying late to knock off their hosts 35-29.

Saved by a 14-5 tear in the fourth quarter, with Maddie Georges tossing in half of Coupeville’s points, the Wolves kept their record pristine at 6-0.

In the early going, the situation, if not dire, was still not what CMS coach Alex Evans might have hoped for when he sent his players on the floor.

Down 15-10 after a furious first quarter in which five different Wolves scored, Coupeville needed a bit of a spark.

And they found it by clamping down on defense, limiting Lakewood, a large middle school which funnels athletes to a 2A high school, to just 14 points over the final three quarters.

It still took the Wolves some time to retake the lead, however, as their own second-quarter offense was limited to a pair of free throws, one each from Georges and Carolyn Lhamon.

Trailing 19-12 at the half, CMS kept the defensive lock-down in place, cutting the lead down to three after a 9-5 run in the third fueled by four points apiece from Georges and Gwen Gustafson.

With Coupeville’s inside bangers, Lhamon and Nezi Keiper, held relatively in check, it was the Wolf guards who led the comeback and eventual win.

Georges knocked down seven of her team-high 14 in the fourth frame, while Alita Blouin tossed in five of her eight points at the same time.

Gustafson chipped in with a season-high seven, while Lhamon added four points, and Ryanne Knoblich banked home a bucket to round out the scoring.

Coupeville’s guards were feeling it from distance, with Gustafson, Blouin, and Georges all ruffling the net for a three-ball.

Hayley Fiedler, Jordyn Rogers, Jill Prince, and Keiper rounded out the roster for a team which is three games from wrapping up a perfect season.

 

7th grade varsity:

Both teams only had three players score, but with one of Lakewood’s trio going off for 21 points, the host team strolled to a 37-17 win.

The loss drops the Wolves to 2-5 on the season.

Lakewood jumped on Coupeville early, building a 13-3 lead after one quarter, then stretching the margin out to 26-9 at the half, and 35-10 headed into the fourth.

The Wolves put together their best run during the final frame, outscoring their foes 7-2 behind five points from Lauren Marrs.

Scoring seven of her team-high 12 from the free-throw stripe, Marrs was the one constant for CMS, which also got three points from Brionna Blouin and two from Desi Ramirez.

Allison Nastali, Erica McGrath, Skylar Parker, Ava Mitten, Kaitlyn Leavell, Reese Wilkinson, Jackie Contreras, and Kayla Arnold also saw floor time for Megan Smith’s squad.

 

8th grade JV:

The two-quarter tussle was fairly close, but with Coupeville unable to hit a single field goal in 14 minutes of action, it’s probably not a surprise the Wolves fell 9-4.

The loss drops the JV to 2-5 on the season.

All of Coupeville’s scoring came at the free throw line, with three different players netting charity shots.

Adrian Burrows, daughter of Wolf legend Jaime Rasmussen, who hit some of the biggest free throws in CHS girls basketball history, made like mom and drained both of her attempts.

Jill Prince and Jordyn Rogers added a single free shot each, but Lakewood countered with three field goals and a timely three-ball in the second quarter.

Claire Mayne, Melanie Navarro, Abigail Ramirez, Jesse McMahon, Mercedes Kalwies-Anderson, Jessenia Camarena, Karyme Castro, Trinity McGee, and Cristina McGrath also played for CMS.

 

Rest of the season:

Coupeville returns home for two games, hosting Lakewood Mar. 12 and Sultan Mar. 14, before closing the season Mar. 19 at Granite Falls.

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Young Wolves learn under fire!!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 27, 2018| 2 Comments »

Ryan Blouin was one of five Coupeville Middle School varsity 7th graders to score Tuesday against Lakewood. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Only have to play them once this season, so that’s nice.

Returning from a 12-day break the Coupeville Middle School boys basketball squads ran into a buzz-saw Tuesday while facing off with much-bigger Lakewood.

Three losses in as many games against a middle school which supports a large 2A high school was rough, but educational.

 

7th grade varsity:

There were two large bright spots in a 44-24 loss.

First, Logan Downes continued to scorch the net, popping for a team-high 14 points.

And secondly, and maybe more importantly, the Wolves showed grit, rebounding from a rough first half to dominate play in the third quarter.

While a 12-3 run in which four CMS players scored wasn’t enough to fully erase a 22-point deficit, it showed Coupeville won’t stop fighting.

Zane Oldenstadt added four points to back Downes, who is averaging 14.2 a night, while Ryan Blouin, Cole White and Nick Guay added a bucket apiece.

William Davidson, Mikey Robinett and Quinten Pilgrim also saw floor time for the Wolves, who sit at 2-3 at the halfway point of the season.

 

8th grade varsity:

A polished Lakewood squad rumbled to a one-sided 59-19 win, dropping Coupeville to 1-4 on the season.

Dominic Coffman rampaged for a team-high five points for the Wolves, while Mitchell Hall (4), Alex Wasik (3), Kevin Partida (3), Ty Hamilton (2) and Levi Pulliam (2) all put their names in the scoring column.

Jesse Wooten and Josh Upchurch rounded out the CMS players to hit the court.

 

7th grade JV:

A rough first quarter in which they were outscored 15-2 turned into an 18-5 loss for Coupeville in the two-quarter game.

Robinett paced the Wolves with three points, while Timothy Nitta knocked down a bucket in support.

Pilgrim, Andrew Williams, Chris Villarreal, Alex Clark and Justin Wilkinson rounded out the CMS roster on the afternoon.

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Tons o’ volleyball (most of which I saw)!!

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Taygin Jump, here firing up a serve, was a rock Thursday for the Coupeville Middle School 8th grade varsity volleyball squad. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It might still be going on.

Thursday’s middle school volleyball rumble between Coupeville and visiting Lakewood featured four matches, one stunning reversal, and a running time of well over three hours.

It was so long, I can’t honestly say I was there for the entire thing, as a Booster Club meeting plucked me from the gym midway through the day’s third match.

At which point things had already been unfolding for two-and-a-half hours, all backed by the screams of 10,000 hyped-up middle school girls trapped in one small gym.

So, here’s what I know:

I had to ankle for the exit midway through the 7th grade varsity, which Coupeville eventually lost 25-10, 25-6, 25-14.

I also completely missed the 7th grade JV, which apparently put up a spirited battle in a narrow 25-18, 25-15 defeat.

Before I bailed on the 7th graders, Jill Prince and Melanie Navarro (both 8th graders helping fill out a thin roster) delivered strong plays to send a jolt through the Wolf fans.

Navarro popped a nice shot in between two Lakewood players, triggering a return shot into the net, while Prince thumped the afternoon’s most distinctive spike.

And, with that, we’re on to the 8th grade.

 

JV:

One close set, one not so close set, in a 25-20, 25-7 loss to a school which funnels its players on to a fairly large 2A high school.

Maya Lucero and Ryanne Knoblich smoked impressive aces while on serve, while Prince, who was making her season debut, pulled off a play which doubled as a great recovery and a winner, all in one.

Going low to stab at a quickly-dropping serve, Prince caught the ball with the tips of her fingers and spun it back across the net while sliding to one knee.

Not only did the ball arc back across the barrier, it then flung itself to the floor between a pair of surprised Lakewood players and skipped merrily away before a rally could break out.

Ultimately the visitors were just too on-point with their own serving for the Wolves to get much going, but Lucero did put together a quality run at the line in a one-woman effort to balance things out.

 

Varsity:

Talk about a plot twist.

If you saw only the first set, you wouldn’t have believed the score of the second set. And vice versa.

Little went right for the Wolves in the opening frame, as Lakewood, lashing one laser serve after another, roared out to a 16-0 lead en route to a 25-3 win.

Heck, toss out a Lucy Tenore tip, in which she froze a rival and dumped the ball right in front of her for a winner, and we can just say nothing went right.

And then everything changed in a snap.

Powered by (high-jumping) Taygin Jump, who went on a crusade of dropping in winners with quick flicks over her shoulder, Coupeville found its mojo and roared back to win the second set 25-19.

While the Wolves couldn’t pull the match out, falling 25-18 in a tightly-contested final set, the turn-around was remarkable.

Once they got going, the CMS spikers served strongly, chased down balls they had no business getting to, and got quite efficient at smacking winners.

And it came from everyone on the floor.

Alita Blouin, who ran off four straight aces on her serve midway through the second set, also had a superb dig in which she popped the ball back into play while sprawled on the floor.

Her teammates — Gwen Gustafson, Hayley Fiedler, Maddie Georges, Vivian Farris, Jump and Tenore — all chipped in with hustle plays, before Fiedler closed out set #2 with a wicked serve.

The final set was all-out war, with Georges and Tenore firing off an assortment of dazzling serves, while Jump was a young woman in constant motion.

Locking down the right side of the floor, she continually thwarted Lakewood, using a variety of moves to drop winning shots, each one hitting like a dagger.

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Shake it off, move on!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on May 4, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Freshman Mollie Bailey had two hits Friday against 2A Lakewood. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“We stepped out of our weight class tonight and we learned some valuable lessons.”

Coupeville High School softball coach Kevin McGranahan was philosophical after watching his squad get clubbed 20-5 Friday by visiting Lakewood.

While the non-conference loss to a large 2A school drops the Wolves to 11-5 on the season, it could actually benefit Coupeville in the long run.

As CHS preps for the district tourney, getting the chance to face off with dynamic, successful teams like Lakewood (which is 13-4) will harden them for the job ahead.

“We played a good team that is offensively sound,” McGranahan said. “We didn’t play our best defense, but, in our defense, they did hit the ball hard.

“They were a good team and we may have lost even if we played error-free, but, if you give a good team a few cracks they will exploit it,” he added. “The bright spot, and it is what I hope the team takes away from this game, is how we kept trying to battle back.”

Trailing 10-0 headed to the bottom of the third, Coupeville rallied to score four in the frame, then came back to get a final run in the fifth.

Both successes were set up by strong play from freshmen like Chelsea Prescott, Mollie Bailey and Coral Caveness, which bodes extremely well for the future.

“A lopsided loss like this hurts,” McGranahan admitted. “But I hope we can bounce back and realize that this loss, though it hurts, will make us a better team for districts.”

Coupeville has two more regular-season games to go, at home May 9 against 2A Sequim and on the road May 11 at 2A Port Angeles.

After that, the Olympic League champs head to Lacey May 18-19 for the West Central District 3 tourney, from which two of four teams advance to state.

While the Wolves couldn’t keep up with the booming bats of Lakewood Friday, the Wolves did chip away for nine hits.

Bailey (1B, 2B) led the way, while Scout Smith also whacked a double.

Caveness, Lauren Rose, Katrina McGranahan, Chelsea Prescott, Veronica Crownover and Hope Lodell added singles.

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And away we go!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Mikayla Elfrank was a ball-hawk Saturday as Coupeville kicked off its season at a jamboree. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Freshman Kylie Chernikoff made her debut, helping the Wolf JV take wins against two much-bigger schools.

Get the jitters out and get ready for the games that count.

That was the goal for the Coupeville High School girls basketball squads Saturday, as they kicked off a new season with an appearance at a jamboree in Sedro-Woolley.

Facing off with 2A Lakewood and 3A Oak Harbor in mini-games, the 1A Wolves, who were playing without full rosters, earned a split.

The CHS varsity fell 9-6 to Lakewood and 18-14 to Oak Harbor, while the Wolf JV romped to 15-3 and 9-4 wins against the same schools.

Now, it’s on to a busy first week of real play, starting with a road game Monday at Bellingham.

Coupeville hosts Blaine Wednesday and Mount Vernon Christian Friday, before facing an Australian traveling team next Saturday, Dec. 2, in a game at South Whidbey High School.

With several players missing, the Wolves had short benches for the jamboree. The varsity played with just one sub, sending bodies to the JV to help fill out that roster.

Varsity:

Coupeville opened against a very physical Lakewood squad and fell behind quickly, trailing 6-1 in the early going.

“This was a rough and tumble game,” said CHS coach David King. “We came out timid and very nervous on offense.”

After words of wisdom from their leader, the Wolves rallied to tie the game, but couldn’t quite get over the top.

Returning to the court to face its Island rivals, Coupeville was more aggressive and benefited from Mikayla Elfrank, who “was a ball-hawk and made off with four steals that led to fast break opportunities.”

“We played a much better offensive game. Ran our plays and got some good open looks,” King said. “Defensively, we just seemed a step slow. Allowed too many baseline drives and allowing players to get to the basket with very little resistance.

“Defense is our staple and tonight we just didn’t bring it,” he added. “Something to learn from and continue to practice and improve on.”

Coupeville hung with Oak Harbor until the very end, but free-throw shooting was the difference in the end. The Wildcats drained six of eight from the charity stripe, while the Wolves were a tad cold, hitting just two of six.

Elfrank, Kyla Briscoe, Sarah Wright, Lindsey Roberts and Allison Wenzel played in both games, while Kalia Littlejohn and Scout Smith each slid down to JV for one game to help their younger counterparts.

While he always prefers wins, King came away pleased with a lot of what he saw his team do against big school competition.

“Overall, a good start to our season and getting into game situations is what tonight was all about,” he said.

JV:

With a variety of players dealing with early-season dings (a knee injury, a bone chip in a hand, a sore quad muscle, wisdom teeth removal) and two key players off on family adventures, the young guns were a work in progress.

And yet, with Littlejohn and Smith providing sparks against Lakewood and Oak Harbor, respectively, Amy King’s team still ran their foes off the floor with relative ease.

“Kalia helped us out. With her guidance, we were able to get some confidence in setting up and running our plays, as well as stepping up our defense,” King said. “Then Scout stepped in where Kalia left off and the rest of the team sparked in their play.”

Tia Wurzrainer “made some great passes in both games,” piling up assists, rebounds and steals, while frosh phenom Genna Wright “came alive in the second game, ripping rebounds, taking shots and getting steals.”

Nicole Lester, Mollie Bailey and two first-time players, Kylie Chernikoff and Julia Garcia Onoro, rounded out Coupeville’s roster.

“I was very proud of those who played today,” King said. “I think they all got better and hopefully have a little more confidence in themselves and each other before going into our game on Monday.”

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