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Posts Tagged ‘Orcas Island’

Glover dazzles in narrow loss

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on April 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Camden Glover struck out 12 while pitching Tuesday and drove in both of Coupeville’s runs at the plate. (David Somes photo)

You can win the stat battle and still lose the game.

That cruel twist of fate was reinforced for the Coupeville High School baseball squad Tuesday, as the Wolves racked up more hits and less errors than visiting Orcas Island but still fell 4-2.

Despite a stellar effort on both the mound and at the plate from Camden Glover, one bad inning stung CHS as it dropped the first of two games with the Vikings.

Now 5-4 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 6-9 overall, the Wolves get a chance at revenge Thursday, when they island-hop for the rematch.

Tuesday’s tilt, played under grey skies on the cool, breezy prairie, started in favor of Coupeville.

Steve Hilborn’s squad put together two of their four hits in the bottom of the first, with Landon Roberts and Carson Grove collecting back-to-back base knocks to kick things off.

Glover followed by crunching a sac fly to center field to plate Roberts and give the hometown nine the early advantage.

It didn’t hold up long, however.

Orcas only scored in one inning, but the Vikings did damage in the top of the second, plating all four of its runs.

A series of walks loaded the bases, only to have the Wolves cut down the lead runner on a play at the plate, firing up the local fans.

Then Orcas catcher Calder Jones struck, lashing a two-run double to left — one of only two hits the Vikings eked out against Glover.

Two more runs came around thanks to a couple of errors, before Coupeville slammed the door shut once again.

Glover was virtually lights out across the final five innings, racking up 12 strikeouts in the game, but the Wolf offense struggled to get back in the game.

CHS stranded its next three runners, before finally getting a run back in the bottom of the fifth.

Grove poked a two-out single, then zipped home when Glover crushed an RBI double, but the Wolves ran themselves out of the inning when a would-be steal came up empty.

One last chance came in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to Orcas and its hands of stone.

The Vikings botched grounders by Leo Rodriguez and Glover to bring the potential winning run to the plate but escaped thanks to a pressure-packed final strikeout.

Jesus Madrigal (22) and Landon Roberts (6) will be honored on Senior Night May 8. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville now hits the road for three straight, traveling to Orcas (May 1), South Whidbey (May 3), and Mount Vernon Christian (May 6), before wrapping the regular season at home May 8 against MVC.

 

Tuesday stats:

Coop Cooper — Two walks
Camden Glover — One double
Carson Grove — Two singles
Landon Roberts — One single

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Wolf girls reach the end of the hardwood road

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Katie Marti knocked down 15 points in her high school finale. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The final day of the season was an unusual one for the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team.

The Wolves tipped off their District 1/2 playoff game with visiting Orcas Island at 1:45 PM Thursday — while most of their classmates were still in school.

Then, CHS senior Lyla Stuurmans, among the most-polite players to ever wear the red and black, was handed her first-ever technical foul by a 102-year-old ref who blurted out “That girl needs to be quiet!!”

Someone needed a nap and probably an early-bird special, and it wasn’t the teenager…

Meanwhile, another ref called for a timeout when the Orcas coach instructed her team to play a “five-out” offense, then ignored the same coach screaming “Timeout! Timeout!” from right behind him.

Oh, and yes, there was a game played, a back-and-forth affair in which Orcas pulled away late to capture a 51-38 victory.

The loss, coming in Coupeville’s fourth playoff clash, leaves the Wolves final record at 10-12, while the Vikings will play Saturday in a winner-to-state, loser-out game.

The two teams split their regular season meetings, and showdown #3 opened as a barnburner.

Playing as the visitor on their own court (as the lower-seeded team) the Wolves closed the first quarter with a 6-0 run to slice the deficit to 13-12.

Coupeville went to the bench riding an emotional high after mad bomber Teagan Calkins splashed home a three-ball right before the buzzer, and the rapidly-filling gym was abuzz.

The game stayed super-close, with Calkins and Haylee Armstrong netting additional treys from behind the arc, and Orcas clinging to a 22-20 lead late in the second quarter.

That was when the Vikings went on a brief, but very-effective 5-0 run sparked by the technical foul call after the ref got upset with how Stuurmans handed him the basketball.

It was a strange call, both because nothing shady seemed to be happening when the official got cranky, and for whom the tech was called on.

Look, there are a couple of Wolves who were born to get feisty with the refs — you know who they are, I know who they are — but the elder Stuurmans sister would have had at least 10,000-1 odds if we were playing “Guess Who Gets a Tech Tonight?”

The only girl in CHS hoops history to play five varsity seasons, Lyla will be remembered for being one of the most serene athletes I have ever covered, and this goes down as one of the most indefensible calls I have witnessed.

Coupeville kept its composure, however, pulling back to within 27-22 at the half, and staying within 34-29 with a few ticks left on the clock in the third.

But give Orcas credit.

The Vikings are a solid squad, and they made their move late, scoring the final bucket of the third, before opening the fourth with a 9-2 surge.

That stretched the deficit to 45-31, largest of the afternoon, and proved to be insurmountable for the always-scrappy Wolves.

CHS scored its final seven points of the season at the free throw line, crashing hard to the hoop, drawing fouls, and trying to stop the clock from running out.

It wasn’t to be, however, as the Vikings held on and brought an end to the high school hoops careers of Wolf seniors Jada Heaton, Madison McMillan, Lyla Stuurmans, Katie Marti, and Mia Farris.

Wolf seniors (l to r) Lyla Stuurmans, Madison McMillan, Mia Farris, Jada Heaton, and Marti.

Marti went out scrapping to the end, racking up a team-high 15 points.

She exits with 332 points, which puts her #32 on the program’s career scoring chart, which covers 1974-2025.

Calkins, who led the team in scoring as a junior, popped for 10, while Armstrong (7), Farris (3), Tenley Stuurmans (2), and Lyla Stuurmans (1) also scored.

Heaton, McMillan, and Danica Strong also saw floor time in the finale, with future stars Capri Anter, Adeline Maynes, and Sydney Van Dyke cheering from the bench.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Teagan Calkins – 183
Katie Marti – 124
Mia Farris – 112
Haylee Armstrong – 77
Danica Strong – 75
Madison McMillan – 66
Lyla Stuurmans – 65
Tenley Stuurmans – 63
Jada Heaton – 35
Capri Anter – 6

Fab frosh Tenley Stuurmans will be a key returning player next season.

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Wolves chomp, Vikings retreat

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on February 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Camden Glover owns the paint. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No late game angina this time around.

After pulling out five-point wins twice against Orcas Island this season, the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team decided to be much more emphatic Tuesday night.

So, defending their home court in style, the Wolves used a second-half surge to blow open a tense affair, claiming a 57-40 win.

The victory, coming in a loser-out District 1/2 playoff bout, lifts CHS to 9-13 and keeps alive the dream of returning to the state tourney.

Brad Sherman’s squad needs two more wins to get back to the big dance, with the first of those coming Thursday at home against Auburn Adventist Academy.

That game is set to tip at 3:30 PM, after the Wolf girls host Orcas Island at 1:45.

Knock off their private school foes and Coupeville’s boys return to their home floor Saturday to face either La Conner or Mount Vernon Christian with a ticket to state up for grabs.

While they need three wins in five days, the Wolves focused fully on taking the first step without looking too far ahead.

As expected, the third matchup with the Vikings started as a donnybrook, then got intense from there.

The teams traded buckets in the first quarter, with Hunter Bronec knocking down a huge three-ball and Chase Anderson cartwheeling to the hoop for a layup to stake CHS to an 11-10 lead at the break.

The second quarter opened with a bang, as Malachi Somes went coast-to-coast, dropping his shoulder and staggering his defender as he slapped home a crowd-pleasing bucket.

Malachi Somes comes delivering presents. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Neither team could pull away, exchanging one-point leads, until the Battlin’ Bronec Brothers delivered a little razzle and some dazzle to cap the half.

Hurlee Bronec netted a free throw to forge an 18-18 tie, before twin terror Hunter Bronec buried another three-ball right before the halftime buzzer.

Up 21-18 coming out of halftime, the Wolves pushed the lead to 27-22, then hit their one and only dry spell of the second half.

Orcas crashed hard to the hoop on back-to-back plays, drawing fouls and converting buckets, and a 9-2 surge gave the visitors their last lead of the night.

While the Vikings might have felt some positive vibes in the air with a 31-29 advantage, all that vanished as Coupeville took control.

Hurlee Bronec twirled through the paint for a pair of pretty buckets, packaged around a sweet three-ball from the left side by Camden Glover, and things had changed.

Coupeville closed the third on a 10-0 sprint, staking itself to a 39-31 lead, and didn’t let up as the fourth frame began.

Glover and Hurlee Bronec both pulled off three-point plays the hard way, slicing up the defense to score, followed by converting a free throw, and Orcas ran out of answers.

The Vikings began to clang shot after shot, with the Wolves dominating on the boards, and once Jack Porter flipped home a reverse layup while floating through the air, the game was decided.

Tomorrow’s stars make some noise today. (Deb Sherman photo)

“I believe we will win,” bellowed the next generation of Wolf hoops stars, as they kept the noise and the funk going in the stands, and down on the court their elders backed up their boasts.

Coupeville closed the playoff win with a final 8-3 surge, with six of those points coming at the foul line as the Vikings tried to slow down the crawl of time.

Ultimately it didn’t work, which is why Orcas will start thinking about spring sports Wednesday, while the Wolves will prep for another playoff clash.

Landon Roberts may get knocked down, but he always gets back up. (Coupeville Yearbook Staff photo)

All seven CHS players who hit the floor Tuesday scored, with three netting double-digits.

Hunter Bronec popped for a team-high 15, while Hurlee Bronec banked in 13 and Glover knocked down 10.

Anderson (9), Porter (4), Landon Roberts (4), and Somes (2) rounded out the scoring, with Anderson moving from #40 to #39 on the CHS boys’ career scoring chart, which covers 1917-2025.

The Wolf junior sits with 585 points heading into the matchup with Auburn Adventist Academy, having passed ’50s legend Pat Clark (583) Tuesday night.

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Early tipoff times for Tuesday playoff games

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , on February 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Chase Anderson and Co. are back in action Tuesday night. (Parker Hammons photo)

It’s all about those ferries.

Coupeville High School basketball teams will have a home playoff doubleheader Tuesday, but the start times will be bumped ahead a bit.

With both rivals coming from other islands and needing to get back to their rocks in the water, it’s not a surprise.

So, the Wolf girls will tip with Friday Harbor at 3:15 PM, with the CHS boys squaring off with Orcas Island at 5:00.

Both District 1/2 tourney games are loser-out affairs.

Fall, and your season is done. Win, and the Wolves return to action Thursday, again on their home court.

Madison McMillan (left) and Lyla Stuurmans are ready to rumble. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

The brackets:

 

Girls:

https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4590

 

Boys:

https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4588

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“The team showed immense composure”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville hoops stars Lexis Drake (left) and Haylee Armstrong, living the ferry life. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

Real edge of your seat kind of stuff.

Pulling out a victory on the road Friday in their tightest game of the season, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad brought a warm glow to their coach’s heart.

“I am very proud with how the girls fought through a close game,” Scout Smith said.

“In our first come-from-behind victory and first close game of the season the team showed immense composure and a calm, cool, and collected attitude.”

Roaring back from an early deficit, the young Wolves edged host Orcas Island to earn a nail-biting 36-34 win.

That lifts Coupeville to 4-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-5 overall, with three games left on the JV schedule.

First up is a home clash with Mount Vernon Christian this coming Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Friday’s fracas featured the Wolves using a 13-4 second-quarter surge to turn an early 11-5 deficit into an 18-15 lead at the half.

Freshman Adeline Maynes came up huge during the CHS run, pouring in nine of her team-high 17 points in the second frame.

Coupeville’s leading scorer this season, she has shown a willingness to mix it up below the basket.

“Adie continues to anchor us offensively by attacking the paint, getting to the rim, and rebounding effectively,” Smith said.

Once it was in front, Coupeville held on to the advantage, clinging to a 26-24 advantage through three quarters before the teams played to a 10-10 tie in the fourth.

Smith praised her entire team, while throwing a little extra love to one of her hardest workers.

“Sydney (Van Dyke) did an excellent job, especially late in the game, at shutting down Orcas’ offense.

“She continually broke up passes and created quick transition offense for us.”

“Overall, I am very proud of how the team played and continually deals with new challenges.”

Maynes led the offensive charge with her 17 points, while Ava Lucero and Haylee Armstrong each chipped in with five.

Van Dyke (3), Lexis Drake (3), Capri Anter (2), and Marin Winger (1) all scored, with Jeann Nitta, Chelsi Stevens, and Amelia Crowder also earning floor time.

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