Jack Porter banked in a team-high 15 points in the playoff finale. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
It was worth the price of admission.
At least for those who don’t get in free thanks to a press pass…
With both teams fighting for their season Thursday, Coupeville and Auburn Adventist Academy went to the wire in a loser-out District 1/2 playoff tilt.
And by the narrowest of margins, the big-city boys escaped with a 64-61 win, ending any chances of the Wolves getting back to the state tourney for the third time in four seasons.
The loss drops Coupeville’s final record to 9-14, while Auburn will return to the CHS gym Saturday for a winner-to-state, loser-out game.
How close was Thursday’s rumble?
Coupeville appeared to have tied the game at 62-62 with seconds to play, only to have Chase Anderson’s three-ball waved off by the refs, who ruled the Wolves had called a timeout before the ball left the junior gunner’s fingertips.
Still in possession of the ball, but with the deficit moved back to 62-59, CHS got a gut-check mid-range jumper from senior Landon Roberts, then had to scramble to foul.
Landon Roberts final jumper as a Wolf hit nothing but net. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The Wolves only had two team fouls at that point, needed three whistles to force Auburn to the line, setting up a game of cat and mouse.
Coupeville eventually got to foul #5, but the visitors took the clock down from 13 seconds to 2.8 ticks during the course of the three inbounds plays.
Ignoring the Navy jet-like noise coming from the stands, as hysterically screaming young Wolf fans did their best to hit early puberty as a collective group, Auburn netted both charity shots.
That left the Wolves needing a miracle at the buzzer to force overtime, and they came tantalizingly close, only to have the ball slide wide of paydirt.
The ferocious finale capped a game that could have gone either way.
Auburn put up big offensive numbers in the first and third quarters, but Coupeville controlled the pace of play in the second and fourth to keep things interesting.
Jack Porter and Roberts combined to rattle the rims for 11 points in the opening frame, though Auburn clung to a 20-15 lead at the break.
The Wolves ramped up their defense in the second quarter, however, holding the visitors to just nine points — the fewest scored by either team in any frame.
The Battlin’ Bronec Brothers — Hunter (1) and Hurlee (2) — combined to score 511 points during their varsity hoops careers. (Jackie Saia photo)
The Battlin’ Bronec Brothers carved up their opponents, with Hunter draining a big-time three-ball with hands in his grill, while Hurlee twice twisted past defenders to stake CHS to a lead.
The second time he did so came with a single second left on the first-half clock, pushing the Wolves ahead 30-29 as the squads headed to the locker room.
Back in action in the third, the teams took turns throwing down runs.
Auburn opened the second half with eight straight points, before the Wolves responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game back up at 37-37.
A three-ball from Anderson kick-started things, before Hurlee Bronec collected four points off of a play-and-a-half.
The senior big man netted a free throw, and while his second attempt at the line skidded off the rim, he snatched the miss and went right back up, converting a put-back while being hammered about the head.
A hop and a skip to his step as he celebrated with his twin followed, then a successful free throw and another fist pump.
Auburn is a dangerous team, though, with shooters who can stick the three-ball and slashers who can dance through the paint, and it responded, closing the quarter on a 15-7 surge.
Another quick score, off of a lob over the defense, opened the fourth and pushed Auburn’s lead to double digits for the first time at 54-44, but Coupeville jabbed right back.
Two Anderson free throws, then buckets in the paint from Jack Porter and Hurlee Bronec cut the lead to four and set up an intense final six minutes in which neither team could convert back-to-back baskets.
Auburn’s sweet spot was a three-point lead until those final seconds described above, ending the high school hoops run for seven CHS seniors.
Hurlee Bronec, Roberts, Johnny Porter, Hunter Bronec, Carson Field, Jack Porter, and Zander Pulliam all graduate with the class of 2025.
In the finale, Jack Porter went for a team-high 15 points, with Anderson and Hurlee Bronec each tallying 14.
Hunter Bronec (8), Roberts (7), and Camden Glover (3) rounded out the attack, with Malachi Somes playing aggressive defense.
Final season scoring stats:
Chase Anderson – 339
Hurlee Bronec – 251
Jack Porter – 180
Hunter Bronec – 136
Camden Glover – 115
Landon Roberts – 88
Johnny Porter – 34
Malachi Somes – 22
Davin Houston – 3
Carson Field – 2
Easton Green – 2
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