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Posts Tagged ‘SWISH’

7th grade (PHotos courtesy Pat Kelley)

   7th graders (l to r) Michael Laska, Daniel Olson, Sage Downes, Jake Mitten, Matthew Kelley, Alex Jimenez and Dakota Eck. (Photos courtesy Pat Kelley)

6th grade

   The young guns are Daniel Barajas (34), Connor Barton (13), Logan Martin (31), Logan Downes (12), Hawthorne Wolf (arms crossed) and Caleb Meyer.

They’re uniting their forces.

While they have talent, a lack of bodies is making Coupeville’s 6th and 7th grade boys’ SWISH squads unite for regular season play.

That will give the squad, which is coached by Pat Kelley, with an assist from Ben “The Brain” Olson, 13 players — with seven 7th graders, five 6th graders and CMS 4th grader Logan “The Prodigy” Downes on the roster.

The hope is the two squads will compete in the playoffs as separate groups, but, for now, they are Team Unity.

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Wolves

The proud Wolves pose with their trophy. (Mimi Johnson photos)

Gunslingers in braids.

Gunslingers in braids.

And the awards keep on rainin’ down.

A couple of hours after Coupeville’s 6th grade SWISH girls’ basketball squad captured second place in their postseason tourney Saturday, the 5th grade Wolves duplicated their feat.

The younger squad, coached by Lark Gustafson and Scott Hay, bounced the Bulldog Ballers 25-22 in their opening game, then were nipped 19-16 in the title game to the Burlington-Edison Hotshots.

In the championship Stella Johnson was on fire, raining down a team-high eight points.

Alita Blouin, Caroline Lhamon, Dakota Thomas and Gwen Gustafson also scored for Coupeville.

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Abby Mulholland gets ready to break some ankles in a game earlier this season. (John Fisken photos)

   Abby Mulholland gets ready to break some ankles in a game earlier this season. (John Fisken photos)

The future.

The future.

The next wave is coming and it’s hungry for success.

Capping their season strongly Saturday, the Coupeville 6th grade SWISH girls’ basketball squad split a pair of games, claiming second in their postseason tourney.

The Wolves, who went 10-4 this season under the tutelage of head coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh and assistant Trent Diamanti, opened play in Sedro-Woolley by drilling Stanwood 33-14.

They then returned to the court in the early afternoon for the title game and ran into refs who waved off three Coupeville buckets in what turned into a six-point loss to Blaine.

Having traveled down from the border, the almost-Canucks had a miracle day.

Entering the tourney seeded fifth, they shocked top-ranked Mt. Baker by 20 in the first round, then managed to survive (with some help from the guys in black and white) their showdown with the scrappy Wolves.

While Coupeville didn’t get the title they were hoping for, the tight-knit group of girls on this squad — drawn from a far smaller population than their rivals — were brilliant all season long.

“I’m very proud of this group of girls. We played hard all season,” Van Velkinburgh said. “Future looks bright for this group.

“A lot to be excited about,” he added. “I’m glad my daughter gets to play with this group. They are close on and off the court.”

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Isabelle Wells (John Fisken photo)

Isabelle Wells leads the attack in a game earlier this season. (John Fisken photo)

Two wins from a title.

The Coupeville SWISH 6th grade girls’ basketball squad finished the regular season with a flourish Saturday and is now primed for postseason glory.

The Wolves didn’t get caught looking ahead, staying on target by drubbing Sedro-Woolley 16-10 to close out league play.

The victory lifted Coupeville to 9-1 in league play, 9-3 overall.

The squad, which is coached by Dustin Van Velkinburgh, with an assist from Trent Diamanti, now enters the postseason tourney as a #2 seed.

They’ll play at 10 AM next Saturday at Cascade Middle School in Sedro. Win that game and they advance to the title game at 1:30.

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Chelsea Prescott (John Fisken photos)

   Chelsea Prescott flies up-court during an earlier season game. (John Fisken photos)

fun

  The future of Wolf basketball is already well aware of how to star in team photos.

The road warriors continue to roll.

Despite playing their entire season away from Whidbey, Coupeville’s 6th/7th grade SWISH girls’ basketball team is soaring.

The latest accomplishment? A decisive doubleheader win Saturday, in which the Wolves won both games by double digits and improved their season mark to a crisp 7-2.

Coupeville shredded Anacortes 20-4, then thumped on Friday Harbor 16-2.

Both the victories, and the manner in which they were captured, showcase a bright future for the young Wolves.

“They play hard and our defense is smothering,” said coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh.

With Coupeville High School girls hoops on top (both the Wolf varsity and JV went 9-0 in league play last year), and the farm system kicking once again into high-gear, it is reawakening memories of the glory days in the late ’90s-mid 2000’s.

David and Amy King have the high school program humming, Bob Martin and Brett Smedley are setting them up with strong work at the middle school level and Van Velkinburgh and Lark Gustafson (3rd to 5th grade SWISH) are igniting hoops passion at a young age.

Their players want to grow up to be the next Makana Stone, the next Kacie Kiel, and one day hang banners in the CHS gym like that duo and past Wolf greats like Ashley Bagby-Ellsworth, Lexie Black and Brianne King.

And this is how that starts, by filling the pipeline on a regular basis, as the town once did so well.

“Mini factory in the ‘Ville,” Van Velkinburgh said with a pleased sigh. “Reminds me of the days of yesteryear.

“Fun years to come!”

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