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Posts Tagged ‘Northwest League’

Rough night, better days ahead

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, Cole White, Mount Vernon Christian, Nick Guay, Northwest League on January 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Cole White rained down jumpers Friday night. (Andrew Williams photo)

A bump in the road.

Friday night’s loss at Mount Vernon Christian stings, but it’s not fatal for the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team.

Facing a Hurricane team which seemed unable to miss all night, the Wolves fell 73-53, snapping a four-game winning streak.

For the moment, the loss drops Coupeville to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 9-6 overall.

But the silver lining is MVC is a 1B school, and the Wolves rep a 2B program.

So, while the Hurricanes earned a split in the team’s two-game series, this is the last time the squads will play this season.

Coupeville, which won the first time the schools squared off, still controls its own playoff destiny, as only its games against fellow 2B rivals La Conner and Friday Harbor decide who makes it to the postseason.

With one matchup against the Braves, and two against the Wolverines still ahead on the schedule, the Wolves head to Concrete Tuesday to face a 3-11 Lions team.

For CHS coach Brad Sherman and his team, basketball offers the reprieve of not having to wait long for the next game.

A day off Sunday, a day of practice Monday, and then back to the hardwood.

Coupeville didn’t play all that badly against MVC, matching them with five three-balls and getting big performances from its role players.

Problem is, the Hurricanes just had one of those nights when everything they threw up in the air seemed to catch the rim just right.

Once the Wolves were trailing, they would slice a bit here, a bit there, only to see MVC deliver yet another dagger in front of its home fans.

With Cole White popping for a quick five points in the early going, Coupeville led 11-9 heading towards the first break.

Then the Hurricane(s) hit and hit hard.

Using a 6-0 run to claim a 15-11 lead at the first break, MVC stretched its advantage out to 36-24 by halftime.

The Hurricanes clamped down on Coupeville’s leading scorers, Logan Downes and Alex Murdy, but the Wolves got help from the bench.

Nick Guay tossed in three buckets during the second quarter, while Zane Oldenstadt, normally a defense-first big man, connected on back-to-back jumpers to give CHS a fighting chance.

Zane Oldenstadt (far right) played strongly on both ends of the floor against Mount Vernon Christian. (Delanie Lewis photo)

Coupeville got the lead down to seven at 45-38 late in the third quarter on a White pullup jumper, but the ‘Canes responded immediately.

Same thing in the final frame, as the Wolves cut a 12-point deficit to eight, only to have MVC go on an 8-0 run.

Another late Hurricane surge, this one 9-0, made the final score seem like more of a blowout than the game really was.

White paced the Wolves with a varsity career-high 15-point performance, while Guay tossed in 13, and Downes added 12.

Alex Murdy (7), Oldenstadt (4), and Dominic Coffman (2) also scored, with Jonathan Valenzuela, William Davidson, Chase Anderson, and Ryan Blouin seeing floor time.

Liam Millenaar led MVC with 23 points, with Billy DeJong knocking down 18 in support.

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Wolves weather Hurricanes rainin’ down pain

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Carolyn Lhamon, CHS Wolves, girls basketball, Mount Vernon Christian, Northwest League on January 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges fights for a loose ball. (Karen Carlson photo)

First, some good news.

The Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team was back at nearly full-strength Friday, with senior Carolyn Lhamon back in the lineup after missing a chunk of games while tending to a foot injury.

The Wolves most-imposing presence in the paint, she could be a big help down the stretch, as CHS chases a playoff berth.

Now, the bad news.

While Lhamon played strongly in limited minutes, there’s not much she, or any of her teammates could do to slow down host Mount Vernon Christian.

Playing on Senior Night and unveiling their state title banner from last season, the Hurricanes buried eight three-balls en route to a 62-17 win over the visiting Wolves.

The loss drops Coupeville to 1-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-8 overall.

The game caps a brutal stretch of three-straight road games against championship contenders, coming on the heels of contests against MVC’s fellow state powers, Neah Bay and La Conner.

While Coupeville hits the bus one more time to kick off next week, that trip will to be to Concrete Tuesday, to face a 1-12 Lion team.

Not the same thing, you would assume.

Facing off with MVC, the Wolves did stay scrappy in the first quarter, just like the first time these two squads played.

Lyla Stuurmans hit a driving layup, off a feed from Maddie Georges, to knot the game at 2-2, and the Wolves were still within 8-3 in the final moments of the first quarter.

Unfortunately for Megan Richter’s team, that was where the Hurricanes began to assert their dominance, both in the paint and from behind the arc.

MVC closed the opening frame with a three-ball, then broke the game open with a 15-0 surge in the second quarter, a run which featured one layup after another.

Georges popped a three-ball to stop the bleeding for a moment, with Lhamon rolling through the paint shortly after for a layup of her own, but the game slipped away fast.

The Hurricanes closed the half with a 12-2 tear, raining down four three-balls in a row, the final one beating the buzzer by .00001 of a second.

MVC kept its magic alive in the third, again nailing a buzzer-beating trey, this one pushing the lead out to 40 points and setting off a running clock across the final eight minutes.

Coupeville played aggressively on defense to the end, with Stuurmans collecting a block, but was only able to score on back-to-back possessions once in the game.

Ryanne Knoblich paced the Wolves with a team-high six points, with Georges (5), Stuurmans (3), Lhamon (2), and Gwen Gustafson (1) also scoring.

Alita Blouin, Mia Farris, Katie Marti, Jada Heaton, and Skylar Parker also saw floor time for CHS, with Marti bouncing off said floor 9,271 times while doing her best to slow down Mount Vernon’s imposing post players.

Katie Marti eyeballs the defense. (Delanie Lewis photo)

In a side note, Georges, a senior point guard, passed one of Coupeville’s coaches on the all-time scoring chart Friday night.

Now sitting with 321 points, she nudges past Wolf assistant Mia Littlejohn (317), and is tied with Marie Grasser at #34 all-time for a program launched in 1974.

For you youngsters out there, Marie Grasser — the first true CHS girls’ basketball star — is known as Mrs. Bagby these days, the same Mrs. Bagby who you used to see every day in the school office.

The more you know.

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Tough loss, plenty of grit

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged CHS Wolves, girls basketball, La Conner, Mia Farris, Northwest League on January 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Ryanne Knoblich (front) and Mia Farris put up a good fight Wednesday at La Conner. (Karen Carlson photo)

Look, it wasn’t the best of nights.

Playing the middle game in a run of three straight road bouts against state title contenders, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad got roughed up a bit Wednesday at La Conner.

The score, which came out in favor of the host Braves to a 72-16 tune, stings.

The loss drops Coupeville to 1-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-7 overall, heading into a Friday trip to Mount Vernon Christian to face the defending 1B state champs.

Tack on a lopsided loss to Neah Bay in their most-recent appearance on the hardwood, and the Wolves are in endurance mode, pushing through with an eye on the schedule getting a little more balanced after they get through this week.

And yet, while CHS, playing without its best rebounder in injured Carolyn Lhamon, struggled to mute La Conner’s advantage in the paint, there were bright spots.

None bigger than a play late in the game from Lyla Stuurmans.

Back on the floor after missing the Neah Bay game, the springy sophomore pulled off a move which captured the Wolves gritty spirit even in the face of adversity.

Coupeville trailed by 55, there were less than three minutes to play, and La Conner had yet another breakaway rolling.

Instead, Stuurmans, still fighting, just like the other four Wolves on the floor, sprinted the length of the floor, slid in front of an oncoming Brave at the last moment, planted herself, and absorbed a bruising blow.

Selling it to the refs while bouncing off the floor with a grimace, the defensive dynamo got the call, the ref emphatically signaling an offensive charge on La Conner.

It wasn’t a play to win a game.

It wasn’t a play that could change much of anything by itself.

But it’s the kind of play every coach worth their salt wants to see a young player make.

Ignore the clock, ignore the score, and execute selflessly.

Do it down 55 with under three to play, and you’re likely to make the same play in the heat of a much-closer game at crunch time.

It’s a building block, and one Stuurmans, her teammates, and her coaches, can look at and say, with pride, “This is how we play, every play.”

La Conner’s top players are seniors, the Coupeville varsity is giving plenty of floor time to a strong group of sophomores, and the Wolf JV beat the Braves JV Wednesday night.

Things can change, life comes at you fast, and sometimes stepping in front of an oncoming semi-truck on the hardwood is the key to starting a renaissance.

Stuurmans’ fellow sophomores also had their moments against the Braves.

Mia Farris led Coupeville in scoring, knocking down three buckets under duress to account for six points, while Katie Marti scrapped in the paint, relentlessly chasing rebounds and rolling through the paint for a bucket of her own.

Madison McMillan and Jada Heaton, along with junior Skylar Parker, all saw floor time late in the game, as well, showing no fear — always a good sign.

Coupeville’s seniors didn’t back down, either, with Alita Blouin splashing in five points in support of Farris, while Ryanne Knoblich (2) and Gwen Gustafson (1) also scored.

Wolf seniors Alita Blouin (left) and Maddie Georges contemplate roughing up the refs. (Karen Carlson photo)

Point guard Maddie Georges, playing on the birthday of older brother Alex Evans, put up a spirited fight, zipping passes left and right and knocking down the best shot of the game.

Unfortunately, the refs, being sticklers for upholding the rules, declined to count the bucket.

Racing up court in a bid to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter Georges drilled the bottom of the net out on a shot released from just inside the halfcourt line.

The ball arced high, kissed the glass, and flipped through the net.

But the shot clearly left Georges fingers after the buzzer sounded, so there wasn’t much point in arguing about the ref waving the three points off the scoreboard.

Still, it was a pretty, pretty shot, something even the officials seemed to acknowledge.

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Wolves ready to make a move

Posted in Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Darrington, Northwest League, standings on January 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Carolyn Lhamon looks for a little help. (Helen Strelow photo)

It’s not totally a make-or-break week, but it’s close.

There’s still plenty of games left to play, but the days ahead are important to both Coupeville High School varsity basketball teams as they try and make a statement in conference play.

First up is a trip to La Conner Wednesday, followed by a second bus journey Friday to Mount Vernon Christian.

For the Wolves, that pits them against the current top two teams in the Northwest 2B/1B League standings.

While both contests are important, the La Conner matchups have an extra layer of intrigue, as Coupeville’s playoff seeding is driven by how they perform against the other two 2B schools — Friday Harbor and La Conner.

Two of three 2B teams advance to the bi-district tourney, where the boys will be joined by Auburn Adventist Academy and Northwest Christian from District 2.

The girl’s postseason rumble is a three-team event, with Auburn Adventist rounding out the field, with both tourneys hosted by Coupeville — whether the Wolves are playing or not.

There are two tickets to state for District 1/2 boys’ teams this season, and one for the girls.

As we look ahead to rivalry week, and beyond, where everyone currently sits in the standings:

Northwest League boys basketball:

School	League	Overall
MV Christian	3-0	10-5
La Conner	1-0	6-6
Orcas Island	2-1	10-6
Coupeville	1-1	8-5
Concrete	1-3	3-9
Friday Harbor	0-1	1-9
Darrington	0-2	3-8

Northwest League girls basketball:

School	League	Overall
MV Christian	3-0	13-2
La Conner	1-0	9-3
Orcas Island	2-1	4-8
Coupeville	1-1	5-6
Darrington	1-1	7-3
Friday Harbor	0-1	1-7
Concrete	0-4	1-10

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Everyone plays, (almost) everyone scores, everyone wins

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, Darrington, Dominic Coffman, Northwest League on January 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Hunter Bronec, fan favorite, hard at work. (Chloe Marzocca photo)

It started as a low rumble, then became a roar.

“I love you, Hunter!!” echoed off the walls of the Coupeville High School gym, as Wolf JV players hooted and hollered as swing player Hunter Bronec prepared to check into Friday night’s varsity hoops game.

A fourth-quarter appearance by the lanky young gun, who hit the floor like a ball of fire unleashed, was the perfect cap to a night on which everything went right for CHS.

Putting 13 players into action, with 10 of them scoring, Wolf coach Brad Sherman crafted a perfectly calibrated team win, shepherding his squad to a 64-25 dismantling of visiting Darrington.

The victory, Coupeville’s fifth in its last six games, lifts it to 1-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-5 overall.

With another game roaring up fast — a road trip Saturday to face non-conference foe Neah Bay — being able to spread out minutes and keep his top guys fresh was exactly Sherman’s hope.

And, like the A-Team before him, the prairie hardwood sage does love it when a plan comes together.

Coupeville jumped on the Loggers quickly, with Logan Downes going off for seven points in about seven seconds.

A layup, off of a dish from Jonathan Valenzuela, a three-ball from the right side, and then a steal and breakaway bucket and the Wolves and their scoring ace were ready to punch the pedal through the metal.

Toss in back-to-back buckets from Valenzuela, with William Davidson and Downes zipping perfect set-up passes to the silky-smooth senior, and Darrington had few answers.

Dominic Coffman, rampaging from one end of the floor to the other and enjoying his best offensive performance of the season, capped the first quarter with another steal and swooping layup.

Powered by 11 points off the fingertips of Downes, the Wolves had a 19-6 lead heading into the first break, and it felt like much more.

Darrington couldn’t generate much offense, and definitely couldn’t slow down Coupeville, which got points from six different players in the second quarter en route to building a 38-14 halftime lead.

The Wolves attacked from all angles, with Alex Murdy and Downes droppin’ three-balls, while Ryan Blouin, Cole White, and Coffman converted steals into points.

Dominic Coffman will devour your soul. (Chloe Marzocca photo)

Fab frosh Chase Anderson turned an offensive rebound into a bucket, snagging an air ball and putting it back up and in a millisecond before a shot clock violation, while White got fancy.

Streaking down court after picking the pocket of a Logger ballhandler, he was headed for a layup, only to find his path blocked at the very last second.

Stopping on a dime, White stepped back and drained a short jumper over the arms of a defender, the ball splashing home as dad Greg nodded in approval from the Wolf bench.

“Just the way I did it back in the day,” was what his expression seemed to say.

To which Sherman arched one eyebrow in the direction of his assistant coach, then went back about his business.

Job #1 was getting quality floor time for everyone on the roster, and he nailed it.

With the Wolf starters sitting out most of the second half, Coffman and Nick Guay picked up the scoring slack, the former jamming the ball down the throats of the defenders, the latter showing off a series of slick inside moves.

When the ball went back outside, Blouin made the Loggers pay, knocking down a pair of second-half treys to help push the lead out to 40.

Before the running clock kicked into play, Murdy also delivered a crowd-pleasing defensive gem.

Darrington had the ball on the break, with a Logger careening into the paint in hopes of netting a rare bucket.

Instead Murdy emphatically stuffed the shot, rising up to rip the ball away while delivering a death stare which made his feelings recognizable to everyone in the gym, from the first row to the top of the bleachers.

“Don’t try that again, son. Just don’t.”

Playing his fewest minutes of the season, Downes paced the Wolves with a game-high 16 points, enough to help him achieve a personal milestone.

With his first quarter three-ball, the junior, who entered play Friday averaging a hair under 25 points a night, became the 50th Wolf boy to score 500 career points for a program launched in 1917.

Downes, who heads to Neah Bay with 512 points and counting, passes Jason Bagby (499) and David Lortz (502), moving from #51 to #49 on the all-time list.

He got plenty of support Friday, with Coffman ringing up a season-high 10 points, while Guay banked in nine and Blouin rippled the nets for eight.

Anderson (6), Murdy (5), White (4), Valenzuela (4), Jermiah Copeland (1), and Zane Oldenstadt (1) also scored for the Wolves, with Bronec, Davidson, and Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim seeing floor time.