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“They aim to please!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged 1A Olympic League, Amy King, Basketball, CHS Wolves, Klahowya, Sarah Wright on January 29, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Nicole Lester had five rebounds and a blocked shot Saturday, as the Wolf JV rolled to its third straight win. (John Fisken photo)

Not so fast, Eagles.

Klahowya might have been feeling pretty good, having pushed the Coupeville High School JV girls basketball squad to the final seconds in a two-point loss Tuesday, but Saturday was a far different story.

Riding a 13-point, seven-rebound performance from Sarah Wright, the Wolf young guns were in destroy mode this time around, pasting their visitors 42-24.

The win, Coupeville’s third straight and sixth in their last seven, lifts CHS to 5-0 in Olympic League play, 9-3 overall.

Of course, give the young Wolves forfeits for the three times Chimacum and Port Townsend have failed to provide a JV team this season and it’s more like 8-0, 12-3.

After struggling at times earlier in the week, the Wolves played to their full potential this time around.

“Well, we didn’t make any friends from Klahowya today,” said an amused coach Amy King. “I asked the JV to not make it a close two-point game and they aim to please.”

The Wolves mixed things up on defense, starting in a man-to-man look, then snapping into a 1-2-2 press.

“We decided to go a little different to start,” King said. “The lesson early on is that Maya (Toomey-Stout) is the quickest player on the court.

“When she plays you on defense, you don’t get to shoot.”

When they had the ball on offense, the Wolves mixed things up, with Toomey-Stout, Ashlie Shank and Avalon Renninger all chipping in with points in the early going.

As soon as Klahowya went to focus on one CHS player, another rose up and stung them.

Brittany Powers exploded off of the bench, banging home a long bucket, then topping that the next time down the floor with an even-longer three-ball.

Not to be outdone, Toomey-Stout promptly drilled her own trey and the rout was on.

King kept things interesting, shifting her defense into a 2-3 zone, then a 3-2, confounding the Eagles.

When Klahowya tried to counter with its own zone look, the Wolves promptly broke it, with Ema Smith spearheading things and triggering Coupeville’s offense.

“I was proud of the way the girls fought,” King said. “They found a way to get shots up. When one or two of us struggled, someone else was there to pick them up.”

Wright paced the Wolves, pounding away down low for her 13, while Toomey-Stout tickled the twines for eight and Powers was money with seven.

Renninger (6), Shank (5) and Scout Smith (3) rounded out the attack, with Ema Smith and Shank both hauling down six rebounds apiece.

Nicole Lester collected five caroms and emphatically rejected an Eagle shot.

Emma Mathusek (three steals, two rebounds), Maddy Hilkey (two steals) and Tia Wurzrainer (two rebounds) all chipped in, as well.

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“Sweet way to go into the new year!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Orcas Island, rout, Sarah Wright on December 31, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Wolf JV players listen to coach Amy King plan out strategy during a timeout Friday afternoon. (David King photo)

Win. Survive. Move on.

After spending many a season bunkered down in gyms, dealing with sick or missing athletes, Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball coach Amy King knows the drill.

“Winter time really is a tough time for sports with the holidays, family vacations and sickness,” she said. “Over the winter break, I think we had 4-5 JV girls at practice every day.”

King managed to scrape together nine mostly functioning players Friday, though, and the Wolves, coming off of a nine-day gap between games, savaged host Orcas 39-13.

The non-conference victory sends the Wolf young guns into 2017 boasting a 5-2 record.

Defense was the key for Coupeville, as it used a season-high 19 blocks to thoroughly frustrate the Vikings.

“It took a short time to get our offense going; shots went up and just didn’t fall,” King said. “But we took care of business on the defensive end and got in their heads a little bit.”

Sarah Wright and Ema Smith dominated on the glass, allowing the Wolves to put the game away in the second quarter.

Holding a narrow 6-4 lead after one quarter, CHS pounded away in the second, romping to a 17-7 advantage.

“The second quarter just unleashed all things great,” King said. “Buckets were pouring out of the girls from all sides.”

Maya Toomey-Stout singed the nets with a long three-ball, while Ashlie Shank, Maddy Hilkey, Avalon Renninger, Scout Smith and Ema Smith all chipped in with points during the explosion.

“The quarter was so exciting,” King said. “All of the girls fought for the ball, anticipating passes, grabbing rebounds and fast breaking like crazy down the floor.”

Coupeville’s defense was especially unrelenting in the second half, when the Wolves held Orcas to just a single bucket over the final 16 minutes of play.

King came away impressed with her entire team, heaping extra praise on a few standouts.

“Scout was impressive today. Point guarding and feeding her teammates, but in the second half she found herself with steals and drives too,” King said. “Maya ran the floor all night and whoever she guarded didn’t have a chance.

“She along with her teammates are finding their confidence and it is so awesome to see. I love seeing the excitement of the game in this group. Sweet way to go into the new year!”

Wright paced the Wolves with 10 points, while Toomey-Stout rattled home seven.

Scout Smith (6), Hilkey (4), Shank (4), Ema Smith (4), Nicole Lester (2) and a very ill Renninger (2) rounded out the scoring attack.

Ema Smith snatched a game-high 12 rebounds, while Shank, Wright and Scout Smith had seven boards apiece. Tia Wurzrainer and Lester each hauled down six.

The stats were eye-popping up and down the chart, with Scout Smith pilfering four steals and rejecting seven shots. Wright swatted an additional six shots herself.

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Lights! Camera! Action!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Hair, John Fisken photos, Kailey Kellner, Sarah Wright on November 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Wolves (back to front) Mia Littlejohn, Lindsey Roberts and Kailey Kellner share a laugh during pre-game hair braiding time. (John Fisken photos)

Mouse is in the house! Lauren Rose leads the charge.

Sarah Wright can already taste the first bucket of the season.

Frosh phenom Scout Smith scans the horizon, looking for an open teammate.

That moment when your hair refuses to cooperate anymore.

Kalia “Killer” Littlejohn — she slices, she dices, she can’t be caught.

Three Cubs are no match for one riled-up Wolf, as Kellner (42) locks in on a wayward rebound.

Young gun Tia Wurzrainer, already protecting the ball like a seasoned veteran.

Cue the close-ups.

High school basketball tipped off Saturday, as the Coupeville High School girls’ hoops squads played in the Sedro-Woolley Jamboree.

Making the trip in addition to the Wolf players, coaches and fans was fast-clicking paparazzi John Fisken, who delivers us the glossy pics found above.

To see more (purchases fund college scholarships for CHS student/athletes), pop over to:

http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/20162017-Coupeville-BB/CHS-GBB-/20161126-at-Sedro-Jamboree/

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Droppin’ buckets, snappin’ pics!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, fall ball, John Fisken photos, Sarah Wright, Van City on October 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Sarah Wright looks for some room to rumble during a fall ball game Sunday. (John Fisken photos)

Tiffany Briscoe clamps down on defense.

It’s up, it’s good for sweet-shooting Ema Smith.

Mikayla Elfrank, AKA “Dead-Eye.”

Avalon Renninger waits for a teammate to break free before triggering the play.

Kailey Kellner revs up to deliver some of that old-fashioned slice ‘n dice she does so well.

Being away from the court didn’t slow down the Wolves.

Bouncing back after a three-week break, the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball fall ball squad earned a split Sunday against strong competition.

Playing at Skagit Valley College, the Wolves drove over Van City (heh heh) in their opening game, then fell to undefeated Meridian in the nightcap.

While it lost to the Trojans, Coupeville rallied nicely in the second half, playing virtually even after the break.

Seven of nine Wolves scored, led by Mikayla Elfrank and Mia Littlejohn, who dropped in four points apiece.

Kailey Kellner and Lindsey Roberts both knocked down a three-point bomb, while Roberts (5) and Elfrank (4) paced CHS on the boards.

Game #1, by contrast, was domination nation for the Wolves, as they easily outpaced a team which came into play Sunday matching them at 2-2 in fall ball.

Using an aggressive 2-3 zone employed by Wolf round-ball guru Sherry Roberts, Coupeville disrupted Van City’s offense and made off with a ton of steals.

Using the thievery to fuel a fast-break offense, the Wolves rained down layups as they raced out to a 24-5 lead at the half and never looked back.

With the ball zipping around and everyone setting up their teammates, CHS spread the stats around.

All nine players who made the trip snagged at least one board, while seven made off with a steal and five garnered an assist.

Kellner scorched the nets for a game-high 14, while Ema Smith continued to impress with her growth on the court, draining 10 points.

Tiffany Briscoe and Kellner each pulled down six boards, with Elfrank, Smith and Roberts snagging five apiece.

Lauren Grove and Sarah Wright each hauled in three caroms, while Avalon Renninger, the lone CHS freshman playing fall ball regularly, never stopped hustling and scrapping until she got dropped off back at her house.

To see more photos from this game (purchases fund college scholarships for CHS student/athletes) pop over to:

http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/GBB-20161023-Coupeville-Fall-L/

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Back in the groove!!

Posted in Softball, tagged CHS Wolves, Kailey Kellner, rout, Sarah Wright, Softball, two years on April 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Wolf sophomore Mikayla Elfrank had two hits and four stolen bases Friday in a 16-3 win. (John Fisken photos)

Hannah Benway comes out firing.

It was made to order.

The Coupeville High School softball squad has been going through a rough patch of late, so the arrival of Port Townsend in town Friday was the perfect cure for all that ails the Wolves.

Facing a team which hasn’t won since April 28, 2014, Coupeville did its best to win decisively while not making things worse than they had to be, strolling to a 16-3 victory.

The victory lifts CHS to 3-4 in the 1A Olympic League, 8-7 overall.

It also pulls the Wolves back within a game of Klahowya (3-2, 8-6) in the battle for second-place, while clinching a playoff berth.

Defending league champ Chimacum (6-0, 10-4), which nipped Klahowya 6-4 Friday, is sitting pretty right now, needing just one more win, or an Eagles loss, to clinch another title.

While Coupeville can’t win the title this year, a very young squad that is comprised almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores, with just a sprinkling of juniors and not a single senior, has the program’s best record in years.

Facing a RedHawks team that entered play Friday with a 32-game losing streak, the Wolves put the gas pedal down early, then tried to hit the brakes as much as possible and coast home.

While the Wolves stole 14 bases, they piled those up early while building their lead, then switched over to a far more conservative style of play.

Their bats were smoking all game long, though, as they pounded out 10 hits to go with the 12 walks they earned.

Sarah Wright led the way with a three-hit day, while Mikayla Elfrank notched a pair of base knocks.

Lauren Rose, Tamika Nastali, Hope Lodell, Jae LeVine and Kailey Kellner each collected a hit, while Katrina McGranahan turned all three of her walks into runs.

The knockout punches came courtesy of Wright and Kellner, who both thumped triples.

When she wasn’t going ballistic at the plate, Wright, normally Coupeville’s catcher, stepped into the pitcher’s circle and gave McGranahan a day off.

Going the distance, the freshman whiffed 11 RedHawks and scattered the three runs evenly, only surrendering one per inning, with a scoreless second and fifth.

After dropping a quick five-spot in the first inning, Coupeville broke things open for good with seven in the second before tacking on a final four in the fourth.

While he’s always happy to get a win, especially one which moves his squad back over .500, CHS coach Kevin McGranahan primarily looked at Friday’s game as a teaching tool and confidence builder.

“As usual, it was a fight to keep the game reasonable, but we somehow managed to get some new players some valuable experience and also rest Katrina for the stretch run,” he said. “Nicole (Lester) and Hannah (Benway) both started and played valuable live game innings and at-bats.

“The experience will pay off in the future as they are both very excited about their future as Lady Wolves.”

Coupeville closes the regular season with two more league games (May 2 at Chimacum and May 4 at home against Klahowya), then non-conference tilts at Bellevue Christian May 10 and La Conner May 16.

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