Ryan Griggs, seen here in an earlier game, pumped in a season-high 15 Monday at Mount Baker. (John Fisken photo)
They are still the only 1A Olympic League boys’ basketball team to have a win this season.
So, there’s that positive.
Now 1-4 on the season after falling 78-40 in a non-conference game at Mount Baker Monday, Coupeville can still say they have tasted victory.
That’s a result which has eluded Klahowya (0-3), Port Townsend (0-2) and Chimacum (0-2) thus far.
It’s a small consolation maybe, but it is a consolation.
Hoping to match up strongly Monday, the Wolves ran into a huge height differential — Mt. Baker has a six-foot-ten center who scored 22 and snatched 17 boards — and failed to get off to a quick start for the first time this season.
Unlike in previous games where CHS has had a problem with being unable to keep their hot first quarters alive, this time they were already in a big hole right from the start.
Trailing 21-9 after one, it didn’t get much better from there.
“We missed so many layups and jump shots; not a good game for the Wolves,” said Coupeville coach Anthony Smith. “I’m glad we have a few days to practice and watch some film and take care of some things.”
The Wolves return to action Friday, when they host Klahowya in their first league game.
When they do, they’ll hope to get repeat performances from their big guys, who played as well as possible while spending much of the night staring up at their foes.
“Ryan Griggs played really hard for 15 points and nine boards,” Smith said. “And Matt Shank stepped up and played tough on the big guy.”
Shank and Wiley Hesselgrave backed up Griggs with five points apiece, while Dalton Martin (4), Aaron Curtin (4), Joel Walstad (3), Risen Johnson (2), Gabe Wynn (1) and Aaron Trumbull (1) rounded out the offensive attack.
JV almost pulls off a miracle:
Down by 18 in the first half, the Wolf young guns stormed back in the late stages of the games, cutting the lead all the way down to three with under three to play.
Unfortunately they couldn’t keep it up and Baker hit back-to-back threes to thwart the run, then played the foul game and salted away a 56-43 win at the charity stripe.
“We are learning on the job,” said Wolf JV coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh. “Now we have three days to get better. And we will.”
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