Lindsey Roberts, here passing out of trouble in an earlier game, had a team-high 11 points and four boards Thursday in Sequim. (John Fisken photo)
Almost every path to success has a few bumps along the way.
For the high-flying Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team, nothing has been able to stop them from adding wins to the ledger the past seven weeks.
Not illness, or injury, or a schedule that had them playing a school-record eight consecutive road games at one point.
10 straight wins, 47 days without a loss.
Until Thursday, when the offense dried up spectacularly in the second half and the Wolves watched host Sequim steal away a non-conference game from out of their clutches.
Up 12-8 at the break on their 2A rivals — who they scorched Monday on Whidbey — Coupeville got hammered 17-4 in the third quarter and fell 31-19.
The loss, the first for the Wolves since way back on Dec. 16 against powerhouse Bellevue Christian, puts CHS at 14-4 heading into their regular season finale Saturday.
Coupeville hosts Port Townsend for Senior Night (3:30 JV/5:00 varsity) and is looking to wrap up a third consecutive 9-0 season in 1A Olympic League play.
Thursday’s game played out, at least in the early going, much like Monday’s match-up — low-scoring and with Coupeville on top.
With Sequim controlling the pace of the game, keeping things sluggish while the Wolves wanted to get out and run, CHS still built a 9-6 lead after one quarter.
Mia Littlejohn opened the scoring with a three-ball, followed by a bucket from little sister Kalia and two from Lindsey Roberts, but the pace of the game was already draining, even with a lead.
“Tonight wasn’t our night. We knew what Sequim wanted to do offensively and that it would be another battle like Monday’s game,” CHS coach David King said. “Even though we scored nine in the quarter it was a struggle on both ends of the court.”
The second quarter “felt like we were watching paint dry,” as the two teams combined for a grand total of five points.
Roberts knocked down her third three-ball of the season to stake the Wolves to a 12-8 lead at the break, but few of the Coupeville players were thrilled with their early performance.
“At halftime, the players weren’t happy with our play,” King said. “We felt like we could turn it up defensively and get our offense going. But Sequim and our play said differently.”
Monday it was Coupeville who took charge in the third and on into the fourth with a brutally efficient defensive stand.
Thursday, it was Sequim senior Adrienne Haggerty, who used her six-foot frame to control play in the paint, then popped outside to drain three-balls as well.
She had just four points at the break, but went off for 12 in the third quarter, five more than Coupeville would score as a team in the entire second half.
While Coupeville has been known for staging late-game rallies this season, the spark wasn’t there on this night.
“In the past we found another gear and made comebacks. There was no late game heroics or a push to get us within striking distance,” King said. “The effort was there, but what the mind was telling the players didn’t translate to the court.
“We played tired, didn’t have our best defensive game,” he added. “And our offense didn’t show up. We did get some open shots throughout the game. Nothing seemed to fall.”
Roberts paced the Wolves with 11 points and four rebounds, while Mia Littlejohn (3), Lauren Grove (2), Kalia Littlejohn (2) and Sarah Wright (1) rounded out the scoring.
Kailey Kellner hauled in four boards, Mikayla Elfrank had two steals and the Wolves got strong supporting play from Allison Wenzel, Tiffany Briscoe, Lauren Rose and Ema Smith.
While he would have preferred to keep the winning streak alive, King has a great appreciation for how this team has rallied around each other and adopted a true “refuse to lose” attitude.
“Despite the loss, I’m pleased with the attitudes of the players. They aren’t happy with the loss and know we still have things to correct,” he said. “Me, who is ultra-competitive and hates to lose, I’ve had to explain that it’s OK to enjoy and win even if we didn’t play up to our own expectations.
“After some games this year the players aren’t happy with our play. How often does one hear that! That is a winning culture and players who expect great things from themselves and the team.”
Now, the focus switches to Saturday, when the Wolves will honor Kellner, Briscoe, Grove and Skyler Lawrence, before setting out to emphatically stretch the league’s longest active winning streak, in any sport, to 27-0.
“Tomorrow is another day. All is not lost. It’s one loss and we prepare for Port Townsend,” King said. “I’m expecting a spirited practice tomorrow and we will be better for it.”
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