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Posts Tagged ‘Mount Baker’

Some sweet, some sour

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2024| 1 Comment »

Coupeville’s seniors flex into a new season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Monday night was the Neapolitan ice cream of basketball games for the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team.

By that I mean the Wolves non-conference rumble with visiting Mount Baker was divided into three distinctive sections, all with their own flavors.

Except, unlike said ice cream, which is pretty much nirvana thanks to a mix of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, the hardwood showdown between the Wolves and Mountaineers was sour, then sweet, then sour.

End result?

A 69-47 Coupeville loss which wasn’t really as lopsided as the score may read and yet was only really close for a matter of minutes.

Having lost nine seniors to graduation from last year’s Bi-District champs, the Wolf squad which debuted Monday is most definitely not the same one which made it to the 2024 state tourney.

Only three Wolves — Hunter Bronec, Chase Anderson, and Hurlee Bronec — return from that unit, while Baker has a team that is largely in place from a year ago.

And it showed in the early going, as the visitors jumped out to a back-breaking 15-0 lead.

Anderson and Hurlee Bronec finally broke the scoreless streak with back-to-back buckets, but Baker led 19-4 heading into the second period and seemed in control.

And that’s when we begin the sweetest portion of this dessert discussion, as the Wolves came out like a different team after the break.

With a big boost of energy from high-flying Jack Porter, and a gorgeous long-range three ball from big man Camden Glover, Coupeville went on a rampage.

Steadily chipping away at Baker’s lead, the Wolves got the deficit down to just 27-24 by halftime and did it with a well-crafted, explosive play.

Landon Roberts went on a ramble under the hoop, drew the defense to himself, then flicked a precision pass to Anderson, who was lurking out behind the three-point arc.

Catching and shooting the ball in one smooth motion, the Wolf junior capped the half and brought the assembled fans to their feet, awash in hope.

That hope lived large through most of the third quarter, as well.

Coupeville made it all the way back, claiming its first lead at 34-33 with just under four minutes to play in the frame, the go-ahead bucket splashing home off of the fingertips of a sky-walking Roberts.

Unfortunately, that would be the Wolves one, and only lead, of the night.

Baker regained the advantage, but CHS kept it close, and was still down just three with under a minute to go in the frame, before Baker rippled the net on six consecutive free throws.

In a bit of an oddity, those were actually the first charity shots the Mountaineers had taken in the game, and they would finish a perfect 7-7 at the line.

Coupeville, by contrast, went 15-30 on free throws and couldn’t capitalize, even with the visitors picking up two technical fouls along the way.

Trailing 47-39 after three, the Wolves cut it down to 50-43 on a strong bucket in the paint from Hunter Bronec.

But then the bottom fell out. The tale turned sour. The ice cream curdled. Or whatever metaphor you prefer.

Using a 19-4 run to end the game, Baker made the final score a bit deceptive, but also awfully decisive.

The new-look Wolves got scoring from six players, with three of those players recording their first varsity points.

Anderson topped Coupeville with 14 while Jack Porter knocked down 12 to lead the way.

Roberts (7), Hurlee Bronec (7), Hunter Bronec (4), and Glover (3) kept scorekeeper June Mazdra busy, while Carson Field, Johnny Porter, Malachi Somes, and Easton Green also hit the floor.

The Wolves get two chances to bounce back this week, with a road trip to South Whidbey Friday, Dec. 6, followed by a home game Saturday against Clallam Bay.

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Baker’s Brazilian bomber strafes Wolves

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s seniors are ready for a final run. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sometimes you run head-first into a hardwood killer and can’t do all that much about it.

That was the reality for the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad Monday, as it fell 53-34 to visiting Mount Baker in the season opener.

The Wolves were scrappy, the Wolves were animated, the Wolves were committed.

But the Wolves didn’t have 6-foot-2 sophomore Rebeca Soares anchoring its lineup, and Coupeville could do little to contain a young woman who played for Brazil in the 2023 edition of the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship.

Back in the USA, the latest link in a remarkable family tree of basketball excellence lived up to her predecessors.

And those predecessors include older sisters Stephanie and Jessica, who led Mount Baker to a state hoops title in 2017 — upsetting undefeated Cashmere and Hailey Van Lith.

As well as mom Susan, who pumped in 27 points a game across two trips to state in the mid-’80s, and Grandpa Art, who played center on a state-title winning team at Baker back in 1958.

Coupeville, which suits up no one taller than 5-foot-10, hung tough with the rampaging Soares and company for a while, though.

Teagan Calkins dropped a free throw through the net to account for the Wolves first point of the season, while Katie Marti drilled the bottom of the net out on a three-ball to end the first quarter.

Down 16-9 heading into the second quarter, the Wolves got a sweet bucket from Calkins, who came up from beneath the rim, twisting through the defense to get her shot off.

And then Baker got brutal, ripping off 14 straight points and 20 of the next 24 to push its lead out to 36-15 at the half.

Coupeville had its moments in the second half but couldn’t get the deficit back into single digits.

The Wolves opened the third on an 8-2 run, with Calkins and Lyla Stuurmans nailing treys, but the Mountaineers responded by scoring the next 11 points to seal the deal.

With Soares sitting much of the fourth quarter, the Wolves had some room to rumble and outscored their rivals 11-4 to end the game on a positive note.

CHS junior Danica Strong, making her debut for the school where mom Danette Beckley pumped in 249 points back in the day, snagged her first buckets while wearing red and black.

A three-ball from the top allowed her to become the 248th CHS girl to score in a varsity game across the past 51 seasons, and she immediately followed with a pretty turnaround jumper in the paint on the very next play.

There were actually two new additions to the all-time scoring chart, as freshman Tenley Stuurmans tickled the twine on a free throw late to join big sis Lyla in the pantheon.

Calkins paced the Wolves with a team-high 13 points, while Marti (8), Strong (5), Mia Farris (4), Lyla Stuurmans (3), and Tenley Stuurmans (1) rounded out the offensive show.

Madison McMillan, Haylee Armstrong, and Jada Heaton also saw floor time for Megan Richter’s squad, which has two games coming up this weekend.

The Wolves travel to South Whidbey Friday, Dec. 6, then host Clallam Bay the next day.

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Young guns get things started

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Carson Grove, seen here last year, scored Monday in his high school basketball debut. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s pretty much a fresh start for the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball program.

With just a few exceptions, the squad which tore up foes last year has moved up as a group to varsity, opening new opportunities for those willing to grab them.

The potential is great, but that also means there will be a learning curve as Wolf coaches Jon Roberts and Craig Anderson shake things out.

So, not surprisingly, Monday’s season opener, a 43-26 loss to visiting Mount Baker in a non-conference clash, had its high moments and low moments.

The positives including the Wolves battling the Mountaineers virtually even in the second half and seeing seven of 11 players score on the night.

Areas where Coupeville needs to do some work include sharpening its aim at the free throw line, after a 2-17 showing at the charity stripe derailed any comeback hopes.

Easton Green paced CHS with eight points, while Malachi Somes, Davin Houston, and Riley Lawless each added four.

Carson Grove, Nathan Coxsey, and Liam Blas rounded out the offensive attack with a bucket apiece, while Jayden Little, Mahkai Myles, Khanor Jump, and Kyle McCrimmon also saw floor time.

The young Wolves get back at it Friday, Dec. 6 when they travel to Langley to square off with arch-rival South Whidbey.

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Maynes, Armstrong torch net on opening night

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s JV hoops stars kicked off a new season Monday night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

First game in the books and another transition made.

Former Coupeville High School hoops star Scout Smith made her debut as a head coach at her alma mater Monday, guiding the Wolf JV girls’ basketball team in its opener against visiting Mount Baker.

And while a young CHS team couldn’t pull out a win, falling 54-31 to a more-veteran squad, there were plenty of positives for the home team.

Coupeville got stronger on the offensive end of the floor as the game went on, upping its point total in each quarter, from three to four to 10 and then finally 14.

That meant the Wolves also won the fourth quarter, with freshman Adeline Maynes tossing in eight of her team-high 13 points to lead the way.

Haylee Armstrong rattled the rims for 10 in support, while also netting her team’s lone three-ball.

Ari Cunningham (3), Ava Lucero (3), and Capri Anter (2) also scored, with Chelsi Stevens, Jeann Nitta, Willow Leedy-Bonifas, Lexis Drake, Amelia Crowder, Marin Winger, and Sydney Van Dyke also seeing floor time.

Smith and her young guns return to the court this Friday, Dec. 6 when they travel down to Langley to face next-door neighbor South Whidbey in another non-conference tilt.

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Frantic finish, welcome win

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Wolf seniors Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim (left) and Cole White are cold-blooded killers on the hardwood. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They keep this up, they’re going to turn their coach’s beard white.

We’re only one game into a new season, and already the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball squad has a thriller and a chiller in the book.

Good thing is it turned out alright in the end, as the Wolves frittered away a 14-point lead late at Mount Baker Monday but came up with a series of huge gut-check plays in the waning moments to snatch back a 58-52 win.

Now someone go and check on Brad Sherman’s stubble before CHS gets back on the bus Wednesday to go play The Bush School in Seattle.

Monday’s rumble was controlled by Coupeville most of the way, before things got frantic late.

Down by 14 early in the second half, and still trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, Mount Baker went on an 11-0 run to claim the lead at 50-49 with a fraction over three minutes to play.

That gave the Mountaineers their first advantage since way back at 10-9 and could have fractured the Wolves.

Except a team which features nine seniors, several of whom won a league title and went to state as sophomores, seems to be pretty battle-tested and not prone to flinching.

Instead, Coupeville responded with a three-minute master class in being the kind of closers Alec Baldwin loved in Glengarry Glen Ross.

While that’s probably not a movie reference many of the current Wolves will get, we can keep it simple and say it means this — be a killer.

And Sherman’s hoops assassins were.

Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim came off the bench, literally pushed onto the floor by his coach, and immediately hauled down a key rebound in the middle of a scrum.

Cole White, the wiry guard who has a huge Facebook following thanks to mom Morgan’s live broadcasts, made off with a steal and drew a HUGE foul on his foe, nimbly crashing hard to the floor while absorbing pain to get the call on an offensive charge.

And then there was Nick Guay, who hadn’t scored, drilling the bottom of the net out on a three-ball from the left corner to immediately put Coupeville back in front at 52-50.

Mount Baker slid one more layup through the net to knot things up, before the Wolves iced them the rest of the way.

Logan Downes went coast to coast for a swooping layup to stake his squad to a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, before Downes and White closed out the game at the line.

The Mountaineers had two charity shots of their own in the waning seconds but loudly clanged both of them off the rim to the delight of the Wolf fan section, which was much more vocal than the locals.

White opened the game, and the season, with a pullup jumper off a pass from William Davidson, then Downes and running mate Ryan Blouin traded buckets as Coupeville surged to a 20-12 lead at the first break.

Blouin was calm, composed, and a weapon of mass destruction.

He fired up a trio of three-balls in the first quarter, and netted all three, with the net barely rippling as each dagger sank through with a happy little sigh.

For his part, Downes worked his magic at the free throw line, accounting for five of his nine points while everyone else was standing still.

Once he got going, he was hard to stop, raining down 13 of Coupeville’s 15 points in the second quarter as the Wolves stretched their lead to 35-23.

Downes banged home his own trio of treys in the second frame, with the third one giving him exactly 800 career points, tying him with noted three-ball terror Hawthorne Wolfe.

The lone second quarter bucket not to come off of Downes fingertips came from Hunter Bronec, who banked in a layup off of a lob from Downes.

White was already busy on the defensive end, drawing an offensive charge to blunt a Baker fastbreak, while Zane Oldenstadt picked the pocket of a fellow big man for a crucial steal.

Coupeville looked like it would send the game into blowout territory after Davidson, channeling Hakeem Olajuwon for one play, snared a rebound and flipped the ball back up and in to kick off the second half.

Up 37-23, the Wolves were cruising in the yacht, only to hit some unexpected, choppy waters,

Mount Baker popped a pair of three-balls, turned up the heat a bit and closed back within four points late in the third quarter.

Well, actually within two, only to have the officials wave off a field goal due to offensive goaltending.

While the Mountaineers weren’t happy to lose the bucket, they barely complained, knowing and accepting that the botched play was so obvious even a pack of high school refs could see it.

White and Downes closed the third with a pair of free throws apiece, packaged around a steal from Simpson-Pilgrim, to push the lead out to 47-39.

A turnaround jumper from White to open the fourth put the lead back into double-digits, and you know where it goes from there.

Downes finished with a game-high 31 points, eventually passing Wolfe to move into 14th on the CHS boys’ basketball career scoring list.

With 809 and counting, he heads to Seattle just a bucket away from tying ’70s star Corey Cross (811) for 13th, with Hunter Smith (847) and Bill Jarrell (855) next up on the list after that.

White rippled the nets for 11 Monday, with Blouin (9), Guay (3), Davidson (2), and Bronec (2) rounding out the offensive attack.

Oldenstadt, Simpson-Pilgrim, and Hurlee Bronec also saw floor time, with Mikey Robinett, Timothy Nitta and Chase Anderson providing vocal support from the bench.

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