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Posts Tagged ‘Maddie Georges’

Serene yet fiery, a team player always

Posted in Girls Basketball, Hall o' Fame, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on February 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges, the best at what she does. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Maddie Georges always sets others up for success.

Across her four-year run as a varsity high school athlete, the Coupeville senior has always put team first.

Part of it is the positions she plays — setter in volleyball and point guard in basketball.

But Georges rises above the constraints of her role, putting her own distinctive spin on each play, each game, each season.

Like others from her generation, she didn’t get her full time on the floor, as a worldwide pandemic carved away games and practice time.

Instead of focusing on what could have been, though, or complaining about also having to fight through injuries, Georges seized every moment she was given.

An All-State volleyball player and an All-League basketball star, she proved to be one of the best to ever wear a Wolf uniform.

Facing off with high-powered La Conner, Georges won this tip battle. (Jackie Saia photo)

On the volleyball court Georges flicked passes left, right, forward, and over her shoulder, mixing up her set-ups to keep the defense always on edge.

What she didn’t do was confuse her own teammates, as she almost always placed her big hitters into position to spray kills, slicin’ ‘n dicin’ hapless rivals.

Coupeville’s primary stumbling block the past couple of seasons has been La Conner, which has collected four straight 2B state titles.

Few teams have toppled the Braves, but, led by Georges, the Wolves came as close as any Northwest 2B/1B League program.

Regardless of the score or opponent, Coupeville’s primary setter never conceded a point, keeping the offense flowing while also racking up great gobs o’ service aces, and even a few kills when the moment dictated.

Georges put a bow on her high school volleyball career by joining Wolf teammate Alita Blouin at the All-State event after her senior season, following in the footsteps of older brother Alex Evans, an All-State baseball player back in the day.

Sharing All-State honors with Alita Blouin. (Suzan Georges photo)

On the basketball court Georges was a cold-blooded assassin, capable of drilling three-balls from all angles, while also a master at crashing to the hoop for hard-earned buckets.

She finished her hardwood run as the #24 scorer in CHS girls’ hoops history, rattling the rim for 407 points.

And yet, if Georges was a bit greedier, she could have been much higher on the list, which launched in 1974.

It’s to her credit that she never simply accepted life as a gunner, however.

Put in charge of Coupeville’s offensive attack, Georges was a largely pass-first player, always looking to get others involved and keep the defense guessing.

A strong passer, a deceptively talented rebounder, and a master at drawing offensive charges after scrambling back into position, she played the complete game, making her team far better for it.

Everyone enjoys hearing the ball splash through the net, but the smart player, the complete player, knows when to rain down shots, and when to sacrifice for the growth of the team.

Georges, always, was the smart player.

Putting a cap on a stellar prep hoops career. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

As she wraps up her high school days, putting a final stamp on academic life this spring, Georges should be in the mix when the school tallies its Athlete of the Year votes from coaches.

Before then, though, let’s take a moment to give her a different honor.

With no spring sports on her schedule, now is a perfect time to welcome the selfless one to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

After this, when you slide past the Legends tab at the top of the blog, that’s where you’ll find Georges, fulfilling a destiny I foretold years ago.

A mere young gun, but already a hardwood killer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

From her days as a precocious young star to her time as a seasoned vet, she has been at the forefront of Coupeville athletics seemingly since her arrival in the world as a baby already rockin’ legendary red hair.

Georges was a softball sensation during her little league days, and could have been a tennis ace, if she had ever given in to my pleas.

But that’s neither here nor there.

Celebrate Maddie for what she chose to accomplish, and how she chose to reach those goals.

Serene on the outside, even when rolling massive side eye at her fan section from time to time, but fiery on the inside, with a burning passion which few can match, she is a great example to young athletes coming up behind her.

Play for the name on the front of the jersey and walk away at the end knowing you truly gave everything you had.

Every school, every town, every team needs a Maddie Georges, but you don’t always get what you deserve.

We did, as Coupeville hit the jackpot with her.

She’s something special, both as an athlete and a young woman, and I hope she knows what a positive impact she made.

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Fab Five and friends scrappy to the end

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on February 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Gwen Gustafson pushes the ball up court. (Bailey Thule photo)

One game short.

The Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad put up a strong fight Wednesday, especially in the final minutes, but couldn’t get past La Conner, falling a win shy of advancing to the state tournament.

The Wolves close their season at 10-11 after absorbing a 59-35 loss on their home floor in the bi-district title game.

La Conner, the Northwest 2B/1B League regular season champ, is 19-4 and will find out its next opponent Sunday, when state brackets are revealed.

CHS was playing its third straight loser-out game, having knocked off Friday Harbor in a tiebreaker for District 1’s #2 playoff seed, before upsetting District 2’s top team, Auburn Adventist Academy, in their playoff opener.

Facing off with the Braves, who wheel out a big three consisting of 6-foot-2 Makayla Herrera, 6-0 Ellie Marble, and 5-10 Josie Harper, the Wolves had no chance to match their foes in height, but they more than stood up to La Conner in terms of scrappiness.

Coupeville fell behind 8-0, thanks to back-to-back three-balls from the bombs-away Braves, but closed the first quarter on a mini-run.

Gwen Gustafson got the Wolves on the board with a pullup jumper, while fellow senior Maddie Georges rippled the net after Mia Farris popped a gorgeous pass over the heads of two defenders while airborne.

With all five players up on their toes and scrapping, Coupeville hung tough, and kept the margin to single-digits for much of the first half.

Georges twice scrambled back, planted herself, and drew offensive charging fouls on incoming Braves, while Carolyn Lhamon, Lyla Stuurmans, and Katie Marti threw haymakers in the paint while fighting for rebounds.

Coupeville’s bench enjoys the moment. (Bailey Thule photo)

But La Conner is a solid squad which has earned its rep, and the visitors stretched the lead out to 28-12 by the half.

Especially painful was the final five seconds, as the Braves netted a free throw, then promptly stole the inbounds pass and turned it into a buzzer-beating jumper.

The third quarter was the difference, and the only stretch where the Wolves just couldn’t get much to work.

Georges led off the second half by slicing under two defenders for a bucket, then came back around to notch a pair of free throws and a layup off of a sweet inside cut.

Unfortunately for Coupeville, the Braves busted out 20 points in response in the third frame, running the margin up to 48-18 heading into the fourth.

In typical La Conner fashion, it still elected to leave two of its big three on the floor until the game’s final buzzer rang.

Meanwhile, Marble — who has missed several games with a lingering back injury — was left to scrap in the crush under the basket until the four-minute mark of the final frame.

To which Coupeville’s Fab Five seniors, most of whom have played together since grade school, said, “Fine. Bring it.”

And promptly outscored the Braves front-liners 17-11 to put a cap on the game, the season, and their prep careers.

Coupeville’s Fab Five seniors — (l to r) Maddie Georges, Alita Blouin, Carolyn Lhamon, Gustafson, and Ryanne Knoblich, nab a final pic with coach Megan Richter. (Helene Lhamon photo)

Georges snapped the nets on the final pair of three-balls she shot as a Wolf, while Alita Blouin crashed hard to the hoop and Ryanne Knoblich stood tall in the paint, the trio combining to score all of Coupeville’s points down the stretch.

The Wolves also bit hard on defense, forcing La Conner to commit its only shot clock violation of the night with under 80 seconds to play.

With two of the big three still handling the ball.

So, there’s that.

The game’s final minutes were a testament to all that Georges, Lhamon, Knoblich, Blouin, and Gustafson have brought to the program, and a prompt to the five sophomores and one junior who fill out the current Wolf roster.

Never stop fighting. Ever.

In their final appearance on the CHS hardwood, Georges and Blouin led their team with 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Knoblich (5), Gustafson (2), Farris (2), and Marti (1) also scored.

Despite losing games to a pandemic and injuries, Georges and Blouin both finish as two of the more-explosive offensive performers in program history.

Mad Dog, who admirably devoted herself to often being a pass-first point guard intent on setting up other’s scoring opportunities, finishes with 407 career points.

The four-year varsity vet slips past Ashley Manker (404) and exits as the #24 all-time scorer for a program launched in 1974.

Blouin’s visits to the doctor held to her just 23 high school hoops games — two as a junior before a busted ankle, and 21 this season — but she became the first Wolf girl to drop 200+ points in a season since Makana Stone erupted for 427 back in 2015-2016.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Alita Blouin – 204
Maddie Georges – 154
Ryanne Knoblich – 102
Lyla Stuurmans – 71
Gwen Gustafson – 67
Katie Marti – 47
Carolyn Lhamon – 32
Mia Farris – 27
Madison McMillan – 6
Jada Heaton – 2
Skylar Parker – 2

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Wolf girls grab playoff ticket

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges slashes to the hoop. (Bailey Thule photo)

Deja vu, but with a better ending.

For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team frittered away a fourth-quarter lead against Friday Harbor, but this time, when the buzzer rang, the Wolves were on top.

Forcing a turnover on the game’s final play, CHS escaped with a 26-25 win in a tiebreaker game played on a neutral court in La Conner, punching their ticket to the bi-district playoffs.

Coupeville, now 9-10, opens the four-team single-elimination tourney Monday, Feb. 13, hosting Auburn Adventist Academy — which it beat in the regular season — at 5:15 PM.

La Conner faces Northwest Christian (Lacey) in the nightcap at 7:00, with the winners returning to the CHS gym Wednesday, Feb. 15 to play for the tourney title and a trip to state.

Saturday’s game, which featured two groggy teams tipping off at high noon after wrapping their Friday showdown about 6:00 PM, was life or death.

Coupeville and Friday Harbor split their two-game season series, thanks to the Wolverines rallying from 14 down in the fourth and winning in overtime on their home floor.

Since both teams were swept by La Conner, Saturday’s rumble was for the #2 playoff seed from District 1.

Gone was the rabid crowd of Friday night, gone were a three-pack of refs who called a LOT of fouls, and yet Saturday’s game played out uncannily similar.

Coupeville once again never trailed from opening tip well into the fourth quarter, though with both squads rimming out a series of shots, the scoring was much lower in the rematch.

Instead of a 14-point advantage, the Wolves were up by nine this time, after Maddie Georges sank a three-ball from the right side while under heavy pressure.

And once again, Friday Harbor, a scrappy team with no quit, started chip-chip-chippin’ away at the lead down the stretch.

Wolverine junior McKenna Clark rattled home eight of her team-high 10 points in the waning moments, including hitting six consecutive pressure-packed free throws.

But a pair of charity shots from Coupeville senior Alita Blouin — the Wolves only points in the game’s final six minutes-plus — were epic.

“The Assassin,” staring daggers through any fool unlucky enough to foul her, barely rippled the net as both shots went down, providing the Wolves with their final margin.

To get to the win, Coupeville had to survive a goosebump-inducing final 40 seconds, however.

Katie Marti (left) and Mia Farris contemplate the defensive destruction they’re about to unleash. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

First, the Wolf defense forced a turnover.

Then they held on to the ball with iron grips, not allowing for any drops, wayward passes, or deflections as Friday Harbor frantically fouled three times, trying to stop the clock.

The third, and final foul, pushed the Wolves into 1-and-1 territory, and while the ensuing free throw wouldn’t stay in the bucket, Coupeville played the final six seconds to perfection.

The missed free throw was batted skyward, draining precious time.

Finally able to snatch the madly bouncing ball, a Wolverine shot towards the right side of the floor, only to dribble on the line as three Coupeville players trapped her in the backcourt.

The buzzer sang its song just as the ref on that side made the call, and CHS coach Megan Richter could collapse on the bench with a smile on her face.

“These girls are stressing me out and I’m exhausted,” she said with a big laugh.

“They played their hearts out today and left it all on the floor. They fight until the end, and I couldn’t be more proud of them!”

The Wolves marinate in their win, while looking forward towards the playoffs. (Bennett Richter photo)

While the game ended in a burst of adrenaline and intensity, it began sort of slowly.

Both teams looked tired in the early moments, and Friday Harbor didn’t score until nearly eight minutes into the game.

Not that Coupeville was lighting up the scoreboard all that much.

Georges dropped in a pair of buckets while on the move, and Ryanne Knoblich sank a free-throw, but the Wolves were only up 5-2 at the first break.

The offense picked up a bit in the second frame, with Georges draining a three-ball and a pull-up jumper, but Friday Harbor closed on a 6-0 run to knot things at 12-12 headed into the half.

During the break, Wolf senior Carolyn Lhamon worked on her shot with her coaches, and it paid immediate dividends.

She snatched an offensive rebound and slapped it back up and in, then came around to pull off a three-point play the hard way on a power move in the paint.

Toss in a superb bit of teamwork, with Lyla Stuurmans slipping an inbound pass through the defense to set up a Katie Marti layup, and the Wolves were up 21-15 entering the fourth quarter.

Richter gave floor time to eight of her 11 players, with five of them scoring.

Georges, who had 13 on Friday, came back around to notch a game-high 14 Saturday.

Now with 384 points and counting, the slick-shooting Wolf point guard is up to #26 on the all-time CHS girls’ hoops scoring chart.

Friday, Georges slipped past Whitney Clark (359), while Saturday she hopped Katie Smith (374), younger sister of current Coupeville JV coach Kassie O’Neil.

Lhamon banked in five points to back her teammate, while Knoblich (3), Blouin (2), and Marti (2) also scored.

Stuurmans, Gwen Gustafson, and Mia Farris rounded out the players on the floor, while Skylar Parker, Jada Heaton, and Madison McMillan made some serious noise from their perch on the bench.

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Wolf girls keep eyes on playoff prize

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges rumbles in the paint. (Morgan White photo)

The mission is simple.

Hit the road this Friday, Island-hop from Whidbey to Friday Harbor, and win the regular-season finale.

Do that, and the Coupeville High School girls’ varsity basketball team is playoff-bound, with the bi-district tourney on their home floor.

However, if the hosts win Friday, the Wolves and Wolverines will immediately turn around and play a tiebreaker game Saturday at a neutral location.

Whichever team comes out on top in the battle for the #2 playoff seed from District 1, it will face District 2’s Auburn Adventist Academy in a loser-out game Feb. 13.

La Conner, the D-1 #1, plays D-2 #2 Northwest Christian (Lacey) in the nightcap of a playoff doubleheader.

The winners Feb. 13 face-off Feb. 15 for the bi-district title and a berth to the state tourney.

The Braves clinched District 1’s top seed thanks to a 48-22 win over Coupeville Tuesday night, hitting 10 three-balls to ease past the feisty Wolves.

The loss drops CHS to 8-9 heading into its regular-season finale.

Playing on Senior Night Tuesday, the Wolves honored the Fab Five — Maddie Georges, Carolyn Lhamon, Gwen Gustafson, Alita Blouin, and Ryanne Knoblich, and were stung by a slow start.

La Conner hit a trio of three-balls in the first quarter, building a 15-2 lead by the first break, and that put Coupeville in catch-up mode the rest of the night.

Knoblich came dangerously close to getting some of those points back, dropping her own three-ball at the buzzer, but the ball departed her fingertips after the buzzer clanged, forcing the refs to wave off the still-splendid shot.

After that, the rims turned fairly unforgiving, with La Conner using mini 6-3 and 9-3 runs across the second and third quarter, respectively, to push its lead out to 30-8.

All of the Braves points in those frames came via three-balls, and the one which stung the most was the one which found the bottom of the net with just a half-second left in the first half.

But, after struggling to score against the Northwest 2B/1B League leaders in the game’s first 24 minutes, the Wolves found their shooting touch late, banking home 14 fourth-quarter points.

It started with Blouin swooping to the hoop for a three-point play the hard way — flipping a shot up with her left hand while being hammered about the neck and shoulders.

Knoblich ended things with a pullup jumper in the paint, and in between those two buckets, Georges put on a sweet shooting display.

The fiery Wolf point guard slashed to the basket for a pair of buckets, hit a short jumper off an inbounds pass, and banked home a three-ball off the glass while staring daggers at her would-be defender.

The late-game rush gave Georges a team-high 13 points on the night and bumped her two slots up on the Wolf girls career scoring chart.

With 357 points and counting, she passes big-timers Tracy Taylor (350) and Amy Mouw (353) and sits #28 all-time for a program launched back in 1974.

Blouin tossed in six points in support of her running mate, while Knoblich (2) and sophomore Mia Farris (1) rounded out the scoring attack.

Katie Marti, Lyla Stuurmans, Gustafson, Skylar Parker, Jada Heaton, Madison McMillan, and Lhamon also saw floor time for Megan Richter’s squad.

Defensive dynamos Gwen Gustafson (left) and Lyla Stuurmans harass the ballhandler. (Bailey Thule photo)

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Seniors spark Wolf girls to important win

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges rattled the rims Friday for a season-high 16 points. (Karen Carlson photo)

Big moments are made for big stars.

Playing in their next-to-last regular-season home game Friday, Coupeville High School’s seniors combined to score all but four of their team’s points in a 47-27 romp over visiting Friday Harbor.

Hitting six three-balls while playing inspired defense, the Wolves led virtually start to finish while grabbing a win which has huge playoff implications.

The victory lifts Coupeville to 7-8 on the season, but it was whom it came against which matters most.

The Northwest 2B/1B League has three 2B schools, and two earn berths to the bi-district tourney based on how they do against each other in the regular season.

La Conner is 2-0 in the round-robin, Coupeville is 1-1, and Friday Harbor 0-2.

The Braves and Wolverines play again Feb. 3, with Coupeville hosting La Conner Feb. 7, then travelling to Friday Harbor for the regular-season finale Feb. 10.

In between that, CHS has a road game Feb. 2 against non-league foe Auburn Adventist Academy.

Friday’s win give the Wolves a big leg up on Friday Harbor in the scramble for a playoff berth, and Megan Richter’s squad made a statement.

Alita Blouin splashed home a three-ball to open the game, before Coupeville fell behind for the one and only time, trailing 5-3.

That was when senior point guard Maddie Georges stepped up, muttered “give me the dang ball” (I’d like to think…), and flipped the script.

First, she pegged a floor-long pass to Ryanne Knoblich for a game-tying layup, before knocking down back-to-back treys, which each shot coming from a different side of the floor.

In between the game-altering bombs, Georges also made off with a steal, collected a floor burn or two, and delivered withering side-eye to anyone who dared to step into her path.

So, a typical day for the calm, yet fiery one.

Heading into the first break with an 11-5 lead, Georges and her associates kept attacking in the second quarter, with Knoblich knocking down a pair of buckets to kick things off.

One of her baskets was set up by a slick inbounds pass from Lyla Stuurmans, the other came courtesy of Knoblich wrestling a rebound out of the hands of a taller rival.

Coupeville as a team has struggled at the free throw line all season, but on this night, Georges calmly sank four in a row, signaling a positive change.

The lead was up to double-digits by halftime, with the Wolves heading to the locker room with a 23-11 advantage, but CHS was just getting warmed up.

Blouin and Georges hit back-to-back daggers from behind the arc in the third quarter, the second and fourth treys of the night for the Wolf sharpshooters, respectively.

Coupeville’s lead ballooned to 14, was trimmed back to eight for a brief moment, then settled in at a comfortable 35-24 heading into the fourth.

That final frame belonged completely to the Wolves, as they held Friday Harbor to just a single field goal over the game’s final eight minutes.

By contrast, Blouin was on a tear, dropping runners in the paint, while Coupeville also hit four free throws and capped things with a beautiful bank shot from Stuurmans.

Scoring all of her points from either the three-point line or the charity stripe, Georges led the way with a season-high 16, while Blouin was hot on her heels with 15.

Knoblich made it three Wolves with double digits, banking in 10, while Gwen Gustafson capped the senior attack with a bucket.

Sophomores Mia Farris and Stuurmans chipped in with two points apiece, with Carolyn Lhamon and Katie Marti also seeing floor time for the Wolves.

While the playoff-positive win was the big headline, two CHS players achieved personal milestones as well.

Blouin, who has played 17 varsity games, cracked the 150-point club and now sits with 159.

Georges, meanwhile, moves into exclusive company, becoming the #30 scorer in CHS girls’ basketball history for a program started in 1974.

With her performance Friday, she jumps to 343 career points, passing all-timers Taniel Lamb (330), Misty Sellgren (331), Amanda Allmer (331), and Kailey Kellner (339).

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