Savina Wells became the first 8th grade girl to score in a CHS varsity basketball game Thursday, and ended the night as her team’s top scorer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
No fans, but plenty of history.
Savina Wells, playing alongside big sis Izzy, achieved at least three things Thursday no Coupeville 8th grade girl has ever done on a basketball court.
Playing a key role as the Wolf hoops squad fell 41-38 to visiting Orcas Island in an empty-gym thriller, the younger Wells became the 231st Wolf girl to score in a CHS varsity basketball game since the program launched in 1974.
More importantly in terms of history, she became the first to do so while still in middle school, in a game in which she both started and led her team in scoring with eight points.
Which already puts Savina Wells, active middle schooler, in an eight-way tie for #190 on the CHS girls varsity career scoring chart.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, as chart topper Brianne King — with 1,549 career points — is still feeling pretty comfortable atop her perch tonight.
In between the history, Thursday’s rumble with Orcas Island, which was played with no fans per a request from the visitors, was a back-and-forth affair in which Coupeville’s young players almost pulled off a great win.
Of the nine Wolves to see the floor, four were sophomores, four were juniors, and Savina Wells … well, you heard.
Coupeville was missing two of its veterans, with juniors Anya Leavell and Ja’Kenya Hoskins sidelined, but it got big efforts from everyone in uniform.
“We’re very young, but have great potential,” said Wolf coach Scott Fox. “We’ll have some growing pains and we’re learning as we go. A few breaks here and there and we get the win today.
“I’m very proud of the kid’s effort,” he added. “Izzy was a monster on the boards, and Audri (Shaw) and Maddie (Georges) got our defense really going.”
Trailing by seven headed into the fourth quarter, the Wolves put some snap into their game, and came within one semi-questionable call of having a chance to win the game at the buzzer.
Georges drilled a three-ball to open the quarter, off of a rebound and feed from fellow sophomore Gwen Gustafson, only to see Orcas respond with back-to-back buckets.
Shrugging it off, the Wolves closed with a 10-3 run in which five different players scored for Coupeville.
Savina Wells got it started, taking the ball off a press break and swooping to the hoop for a running layup.
Big sis Izzy slapped home a second-chance bucket off of an offensive rebound, followed by a sweet lil’ jumper in traffic from Kylie Van Velkinburgh, and suddenly Orcas was sweating.
Shaw bolted up the middle, sucked the defense to her, then sliced around a defender and scooped the ball high off the glass, while Carolyn Lhamon, who was a two-way warrior all day, stepped up and drilled the bottom out of the net.
Orcas had answers, though, and a pull-up jumper with 30 ticks to play kept them up one.
Coming hard on defense, all five Wolves crashing, arms flying every which way, Coupeville got the break it needed, then had it yanked away.
The ball popped loose in the middle of a mad scrum, with Izzy Wells gaining control.
But, as she did, a pile of players plowed into her body, causing her to lurch maybe a half of a step.
Instead of calling a foul, or letting the play run its natural course, the refs of the day opted to call a traveling violation on Coupeville.
Which would have elicited some howls of protest if there were fans in the stands.
I considered throwing my notebook at the nearest ref, but am trying to pick on refs less these days and opted not to.
But I thought about it.
Back on the floor, the possibly (I said possibly!) unfair exchange of possession allowed Orcas to dribble away a few seconds before drawing a foul.
Two free throws later — always easier to shoot when the visiting team isn’t facing a wall of sound from hyped-up local fans — CHS needed a three-ball to force overtime, and had to start on its own end-line with just two seconds left.
If the Wolves had hit that shot, this story would have long ago gone in a different direction. Which it didn’t.
But take nothing away from Coupeville, which may be 0-2, but is primed for future success.
The Wolves showed they can dominate, closing the second quarter on a 13-3 run to take a 19-14 lead into the halftime break.
That streak featured six different CHS players tallying a point or better, with Savina Wells leading the way with a pair of impressive buckets.
On the first, she took the ball, rolled hard to her left and her defender crumbled as she blew by her.
On the second, reacting like a free safety, Wells suddenly shot forward, picked off a pass in mid-air, then beat the pack to the hoop at the other end, softly kissing the ball off the glass for an elegant bucket.
The other Wolf young guns were clickin’ as well, with Gustafson slicing ‘n dicing her defender on a quick move in the paint, while Georges savagely stole a ball, then flipped a note-perfect pass to a streaking Shaw for a layup.
The third quarter was a bit rough for Coupeville, but the Wolves did have one stellar play, on which a Georges pass hit Lhamon’s fingertips, and was redirected to Izzy Wells for a bucket.
Seven of the nine Wolves to play scored, with Savina Wells (8), Lhamon (7), Georges (7), Shaw (6), and Izzy Wells (6) leading the way.
With her performance against Orcas, Georges moves within four points of becoming the 101st Wolf girl to join the 100-point scoring club.
Van Velkinburgh and Gustafson rounded out the scoring attack, with a bucket apiece, Ryanne Knoblich and Morgan Stevens played scrappy defense, and 8th grader Lyla Stuurmans rocked the joint while cheering on her teammates.
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