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Posts Tagged ‘Northwest League’

Playoff push hits top gear

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Wolves (l to r) Sydney Van Dyke, Capri Anter, and Lexis Drake stay entertained on the bench. (Jackie Saia photo)

We’re headed to the finish line, and everything is at stake.

There are just under two weeks left in the regular season for Northwest 2B/1B League basketball teams, and the battle for playoff positioning is at full tilt.

The week ahead is a busy one for Coupeville, with the Wolves heading over to Mount Vernon Christian Tuesday, before hosting La Conner Friday on Senior Night.

After that, there’s just a matchup Feb. 6 at Friday Harbor before any potential postseason rumbles.

To make those playoffs?

Ignore 1B schools Darrington and Concrete in this equation, and Coupeville needs a top four finish among the five 2B schools.

Which means if the playoffs started today, the Wolf boys would be in, and the CHS girls out.

But, as noted before, there’s still two weeks of games left, so hope burns eternal for Scout Smith’s squad.

Where things sit through Jan. 25:

 

Northwest League boys’ basketball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 6-0 12-4
Orcas Island 6-1 11-5
Darrington 4-3 10-6
Friday Harbor 3-3 3-13
Coupeville 3-4 6-9
Concrete 1-5 4-13
La Conner 0-7 0-16

 

Northwest League girls’ basketball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 6-0 13-2
La Conner 6-1 11-5
Concrete 4-2 12-4
Orcas Island 4-3 9-7
Friday Harbor 2-4 6-10
Coupeville 1-6 4-11
Darrington 0-7 4-10

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Wolves, Vikings battle to final shot

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong comes bearing gifts. (Jackie Saia photo)

Tantalizingly close.

A missed free throw here, a miracle buzzer-beating three-ball there, and the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team narrowly missed out on what would have been a crowd-pleasing upset victory Friday night.

Instead, it was visiting Orcas Island which got to celebrate, as the Vikings found just enough magic at the right moments to claim a 37-35 victory.

The loss, which came despite some inspired play from the Wolves, drops CHS to 1-6 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-11 overall.

Coupeville slips a game-and-a-half behind Friday Harbor (2-4) in the hunt for the final playoff berth for 2B schools in the NWL, but there is still time to change things.

Friday Harbor has four games remaining on its schedule, while the Wolves have three — with the regular-season finale Feb. 6 a showdown between the teams.

Scout Smith’s squad fought back from an early deficit Friday and seemed to have the Vikings on the ropes several times.

Down 7-0 barely a minute into the game, the Wolves pulled back to within 11-6 by the end of the first quarter, with the biggest bucket a Haylee Armstrong three-ball coming off of a steal.

That seemed to spark Coupeville, which held Orcas scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second frame, pulling out to a 14-11 advantage.

Tenley Stuurmans keyed the surge, dishing the ball to Kennedy O’Neill for a layup, before circling around outside to net a silky three-ball set up by a pass from Adeline Maynes.

Orcas proved to be tough to put down for good, however, as the visitors converted back-to-back offensive rebound putbacks to force a 15-15 tie at the half.

The third quarter was a tense affair, with both teams holding the lead, and neither squad able to land a true knockout punch.

Teagan Calkins opened the frame by burying a three-ball from deep on the right side of the floor, but Orcas stung late by banking in a nearly impossible trey literally at the buzzer to pull ahead 26-24.

With the gym getting progressively louder, every play in the fourth quarter seemed to carry considerable weight, and the Wolves rose to the moment.

Down 30-24, Coupeville put together a 10-0 surge that saw four different hometown heroes score.

A free throw from Calkins started things off, with Danica Strong hitting a dagger of a jumper on a play kept alive by Arianna Cunningham outwrestling a foe for an offensive rebound.

From there, a Calkins jumper, a Cunningham layup under great duress, and a high, arcing three-ball off the fingertips of Armstrong helped build a 34-30 lead and potentially set the stage for a celebration.

Which came, but at the wrong end of the floor.

With its back to the wall, Orcas came up big time, closing the game on a 7-1 run, while Coupeville’s final offensive chance came up just short, the ball squirting away during a final-second melee.

While the loss stings, the closeness of the battle once again demonstrates that the win/loss record is a bit deceptive for a feisty Wolf squad which fears no opponent.

Armstrong led Coupeville with 11 points, while Calkins banked in 10 and Stuurmans rattled the rim for six. Maynes, Cunningham, Strong, and O’Neill all chipped in with a bucket as all seven Wolves who played Friday scored.

With her performance, Armstrong, a junior, cracks the 250-point club, becoming the 48th CHS girl to do so between 1974-2026.

With 258 points and counting, she sits #46 all-time and second among active players, with Calkins, a senior, currently at #28 with 370 points.

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History made, upset denied

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Chase Anderson moved from #13 to #10 on the CHS boys’ basketball career scoring chart Friday. (Julie Wheat photo)

They almost shook everything up.

Squaring off with Northwest 2B/1B League heavyweight Orcas Island Friday, the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball squad overcame a substantial foul disparity and a second-quarter defensive letdown to push the Vikings to their limit.

But it wasn’t to be, as the visitors held on late to claim a 64-54 win and stay alive in the battle for a conference crown.

The loss drops Coupeville to 3-4 in league play, 6-9 overall, while Orcas gets to 6-1 in NWL action.

Brad Sherman’s squad heads to Mount Vernon Christian this coming Tuesday to face off with the league’s top team, before hosting last place La Conner Friday on Senior Night.

Friday’s fracas started with a brief road bump, as Orcas hit a pair of three-balls en route to claiming an early 10-2 lead.

After that it was Coupeville’s turn to get torrid behind the arc, as Chase Anderson drilled a pair of treys and Camden Glover splashed home another one across a two-minute span.

Closing the quarter on a 14-4 run, the Wolves claimed their first lead of the night at 16-14 thanks to some precision free throw shooting from Riley Lawless.

The CHS big man scored before actually playing a single second, as he replaced Anderson, who got crunched in the face while driving hard to the hoop.

With his teammate getting looked at in the locker room, then returning with an ice pack, Lawless inherited Anderson’s free throws.

He hit one, then promptly yanked down a rebound on the next play and earned two more charity shots of his own, both of which he drained.

Anderson returned to the lineup to start the second frame, and the Wolves ripped off three straight buckets to cap a 14-0 run and open a 22-14 lead.

The baskets came fast and furious, with Malachi Somes and Davin Houston banging home layups off of passes from Anderson and Carson Grove, respectively, before Anderson took a steal coast-to-coast.

But as suddenly as the offense began to flow, it stopped.

Taking advantage of a steady stream of foul calls on the Wolves, Orcas hit free throw after free throw and slow-crawled its way to its own 16-0 spurt, reclaiming the lead at 30-22.

The bleakness finally stopped as Anderson banked in a bucket a half-tick before the halftime buzzer, and the teams played a back-and-forth brawl in the third.

Glover and Anderson connected on three-balls on consecutive trips down the floor, but Coupeville could never quite regain the advantage.

From seven points down, the Wolves got back to within 41-38 by the end of the period, thanks to a jumper from Liam Blas and two more free throws from Lawless, but that was as close as CHS could get.

Blas rippled the nets on his own three-ball early in the fourth quarter, but Orcas responded with a 9-0 run to push the lead out to 52-41.

Down the stretch, the Wolves hung tough, cutting the deficit to 58-54 with under a minute to play, only to see the Vikings refuse to buckle.

Overall, Coupeville won the side battles, hitting seven treys to three by Orcas, while also shooting a higher percentage at the free throw line (9-12 vs. 16-23 for the Vikings).

Anderson led all scorers with 24 points, while Glover (11), Blas (5), Somes (5), Lawless (5), Grove (2), and Houston (2) also tallied points and Easton Green and Aiden O’Neill rounded out the rotation.

It was a historical night for Anderson, as he jumped from #13 to #10 on the CHS boys’ basketball career scoring chart for a program in its 109th season.

With 871 points and counting, he slid past Bill Jarrell (855), Arik Garthwaite (867), and Denny Clark (869), with the last of that trio having been a top 10 career scorer since 1964.

Heading into Tuesday’s tilt at MVC, Anderson is three points behind the #9 all-time scorer — his coach, Brad Sherman.

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Loss to Lions lengthens playoff odds

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Tenley Stuurmans (left) and Arianna Cunningham head up court. (Jackie Saia photo)

The Wolves have four games left to make their move.

After falling at Concrete Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team sits on the outside looking in when it comes to potential playoff berths.

Scout Smith’s squad currently sits at 1-5 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-10 overall, after absorbing a 50-32 loss to the soaring Lions.

That leaves Coupeville a game back of Friday Harbor in the chase for the fourth, and final, postseason slot for 2B teams.

Mount Vernon Christian (5-0, 12-2), La Conner (5-1, 10-5), Orcas Island (3-3, 7-8) and the Wolverines (2-4, 4-11) would currently advance, while 1B schools Concrete (4-1, 12-3) and Darrington (0-6, 4-9) are both guaranteed playoff invitations.

The Wolves can still make their own magic, with games left against Orcas, MVC, La Conner, and Friday Harbor remaining on the regular season schedule.

A win Tuesday would have helped, but Concrete, enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory, proved to be too much.

The Lions hit the floor hot and never cooled off, jumping out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter of play, before pushing the margin to 33-8 at the half.

Coupeville found its shooting touch in the second half, putting together 13-11 and 11-6 runs across the third and fourth, respectively, but time ran out on the Wolves before they could mount a full comeback.

“Concrete was tough competition,” Scout Smith said. “They were active and aggressive on defense and could not miss on their shots.

“We tip our hats to them and put all focus on Orcas on Friday.”

Teagan Calkins and Tenley Stuurmans paced CHS with eight points apiece, while Haylee Armstrong (4), Danica Strong (3), Lexis Drake (3), Arianna Cunningham (2), Sydney Van Dyke (2), and Capri Anter (2) also scored.

Adeline Maynes and Kennedy O’Neill rounded out the rotation as all 10 Wolves saw the floor in the loss, with Calkins ripping down a team-high 15 rebounds and making off with three steals.

Stuurmans pilfered five steals, while she, Armstrong, and Strong each picked up a pair of assists.

With her four points, Armstrong moves into a three-way tie with Mia Farris and Marlys West for 50th place on the Wolf girls’ career scoring chart for a program launched in 1974. The trio all sit with 247 points.

 

No JV game:

Concrete only goes one team deep this season, so Coupeville’s young guns had the night off. They return to action Friday at home against Orcas Island.

Taylor Marrs waits for her moment in the spotlight. (Melanie Wolfe photo)

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Road warriors romp to win

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Camden Glover, unstoppable in the paint. (Jackie Saia photo)

The climb continues.

Sparked by a dominant performance from Camden Glover, the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball squad drilled host Concrete Tuesday night, continuing a recent rise up the standings.

With a 72-32 decimation of the Lions, Brad Sherman’s road warriors get to 3-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 6-8 overall.

Cresting at the right time, the Wolves have won five of their last eight games overall, and their last three against conference rivals.

The win lifts CHS into a three-way tie with Darrington (3-3, 9-6) and Friday Harbor (3-3, 3-13) for third place in the seven-team NWL.

Mount Vernon Christian (5-0, 11-4) and Orcas Island (5-1, 9-5) currently top the standings, with Concrete (1-4, 4-12) and La Conner (0-6, 0-15) bringing up the rear.

Easton Green stops ‘n pops. (Danica Strong photo)

Coupeville has four regular season games left on its schedule, all against league foes, starting with a home game Friday against Orcas Island.

The Wolves will enter play that night coming off a wire-to-wire win in Concrete.

With Glover and Chase Anderson combining to singe the nets for 15 points, CHS broke out to an 18-2 lead through one quarter of play, before steadily adding to the lead.

From 35-16 at the half, the Wolves pushed the advantage to 54-22 through three quarters, before rumbling in for the win.

Glover finished with a varsity career-high 28 points, all coming in the first three quarters, while Anderson banked in 14 in support.

Davin Houston (8), Riley Lawless (6), Malachi Somes (6), Carson Grove (4), Liam Blas (3), Easton Green (2), and Aiden O’Neill (1) all kept the scorebook keeper busy, while Nathan Coxsey rounded out the rotation.

With his 14 points, Anderson moves into a tie with Hunter Smith at #13 all-time on the CHS boys’ basketball scoring chart, which launched 109 seasons ago. The duo each have 847 points.

Up next is Bill Jarrell (855) and Arik Garthwaite (867), with Denny Clark (869) sitting at #10 and Anderson’s coach, one Brad Sherman, currently #9 at 874.

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