Senior captain Breeanna Messner will lead her squad into enemy territory Tuesday night. (John Fisken photos)
Morgan Payne and the Wolf boys need a win to stay alive in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Playoff destiny is on the line.
And yes, the entire season won’t be decided by one game. But that one game will play a huge role.
When Coupeville High School rolls into Langley tonight for a basketball doubleheader against South Whidbey (5:00/6:45), the games will carry huge importance, even beyond the fact it’s rivalry night, Wolf vs. Falcon.
With two of the three 1A schools in the Cascade Conference getting playoff berths — and King’s having clinched the top slot on both the boys and girls side of the standings — the Island rivals are fighting for postseason hopes.
The Wolf girls (6-8 overall, 3-6 in Cascade Conference play) hold a two-game lead over South Whidbey (2-12, 1-8) with five league games left to play.
Coupeville won the first game this year between the two teams, triumphing 42-27 in its home gym.
That game was punctuated by a spectacular play to end the third quarter, when Wolf guard Madeline Strasburg went Maddie Big Time on everyone, stealing the ball and banking home a running three-point bomb at the buzzer.
On the boys side, South Whidbey (3-12, 2-7) holds a game-and-a-half edge over the Wolves (3-12, 1-9). The Falcons have five to play, while the Wolves have four more conference games.
When the two squads met in late December, Coupeville jumped out to a 13-3 lead, but had an epically bad third quarter and fell 67-53.
Both teams were missing a key player that night, as Wolf senior Gavin O’Keefe and Falcon senior Nick French were sidelined by injuries.
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