Coupeville sophomore Chelsea Prescott collected seven points, five rebounds and three assists on opening night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
“They played like it was a track meet, when we wanted it to be more like a tractor pull.”
When Coupeville could slow down the game the way coach David King wanted Tuesday night, the Wolf varsity girls basketball squad held its own with visiting Meridian.
But the Trojans, a tall, quick, highly-efficient squad coming off a 20-win season and a trip to the 1A state tourney, ultimately dictated the pace in both team’s season opener, pulling away for a 60-32 non-conference win.
While the score looks a little lopsided, the Wolves, who were missing a key starter and fielding a roster in transition, hung tough through much of the first half.
Senior captain Ema Smith, who didn’t have enough practices in the books to be eligible on opening night, spent the game keeping stats instead of throwing down on the court.
When she returns to action Saturday, she’ll join a young, fairly raw Wolf team.
Freshman Izzy Wells, sophomore Mollie Bailey and junior Tia Wurzrainer played in a varsity hoops game for the first time Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Prescott, Avalon Renninger, Nicole Laxton and Hannah Davidson all moved into much-bigger roles than they had previously played.
With Ema Smith out, that left fellow captains Lindsey Roberts and Scout Smith as the only Wolves on the floor with extensive varsity experience.
And while the veteran duo were front and center all night, Coupeville got immediate contributions from everyone on the roster, something that pleased their coach.
“They didn’t show nerves or jitters, which is nice,” King said. “I’m so pleased with our effort; they don’t back down and give our team and their teammates 100% effort.”
Showing no fear, the Wolves charged right at the heart of the Trojan defense, repeatedly pushing the ball inside as they were hacked by 1,001 hands.
“They took the ball hard to the hole and they didn’t shy away from contact,” King said, with a note of pride in his voice.
Coupeville ultimately shot 28 free throws, making 16 of them, and had more points on charity shots than on field goals until a game-closing put-back on an offensive rebound by Roberts evened the Wolves’ scoring totals.
The first quarter belonged to free throws, and to Prescott, “who kept us in the game in the first half.”
Prescott scored Coupeville’s first five points of the season, capping things with a three-point play the hard way to pull the Wolves within 6-5 with two minutes left in the first quarter.
While CHS never led during the game, it stayed within a bucket of Meridian in the first quarter, with two free throws from Scout Smith cutting the margin to 11-9 headed into the first break.
Moments before those shots, Davidson dropped a beauty of a shot, taking a quick pass from Prescott, then hopping to the side and banking home the ball high off the glass.
Meridian began to pull away in the second quarter, using two runs in which it forced Coupeville to play at a faster speed than it wanted.
That led to some bobbled balls, a few errant passes, and a turnover or three which the Trojans converted into quick buckets.
The first time Meridian started to pull away, the Wolves responded, using a 5-0 surge to cut the margin back down to 21-17 midway through the second quarter.
What would turn out to be Coupeville’s final sustained offensive stand consisted of a Prescott free throw, Laxton ripping a rebound loose and smashing home a bucket and Scout Smith getting artful.
The junior point guard snatched up a ball in the back court, led a merry chase the length of the court, then switched hands at the last second before slapping home a running layup with two Meridian players draped over her back.
And yet, that was one of the few times in which the hack-happy Trojans were NOT whistled for a foul.
While the layup from “Scoutosaurus Rex” brought Wolf fans to the edge of their seats and seemed to signal the night would be a knock-down, drag-out brawl, Meridian had other ideas.
Pushing the gas pedal through the floor, the Trojans used their speed advantage to reel off a 10-0 run over the next 90 seconds or so, shoving the lead into double-digit territory for the first time.
A couple more free throws (what else?) from Roberts and Prescott pulled CHS back within 31-20 at the half, but Meridian used 11-0 and 8-0 surges in the second-half to derail the Wolves.
Prescott, who had a stellar all-around game, zipped a dandy pass to Laxton for a third-quarter bucket, while Roberts banged away inside for six of her team-high eight points in the fourth, but Meridian never flinched.
Which is exactly what you expect from a team crammed full of battle-hardened seniors, most of whom have state tourney experience.
Roberts, who added five rebounds, two steals and a block, passed the first of what should be a seasons-worth of milestones.
Her second point of the night, which came when she drained a first-quarter free throw, made her just the 35th Wolf girls hoops star to reach 300 career points.
Now sitting at 306, she passed Amanda Fabrizi (299) on the all-time scoring list Tuesday, and is coming up fast on Mia Littlejohn (317) and Marie Grasser (321).
Prescott tallied seven points, five rebounds, three assists and a block in support of Roberts, while Scout Smith (5), Laxton (4), Davidson (4) and Renninger (4) also scored.
Coupeville fought hard on the boards, with its eternal Energizer Bunny, Renninger, hauling down a team-high six caroms.
Davidson snagged five rebounds, Laxton collared four and Wurzrainer, transporting her hard-nosed defensive style from the soccer pitch to the hardwood, pilfered two steals.
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