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Posts Tagged ‘Teagan Calkins’

She’s a destroyer of worlds!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Having likely thrown her from on high, Teagan Calkins bounces an unlucky foe off the hardwood. (Jackie Saia photo)

Call her “The Chiropractor,” cause Teagan Calkins is rearranging spines out here.

The Coupeville High School sophomore seems like a gentle soul in the real world, but put her in the heat of athletic battle, and she becomes a wild beast.

And we’re lovin’ it, as these reactions (clearly not taken out of context) demonstrate.

“Mama mia! That’s a spicy meatball!” (Jackie Saia photo)

“Dang, she’s like a young me.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“She’s gonna do it a second time. Just wait.” (Jackie Saia photo)

“I felt that down in my tender vittles…” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Here, you’re going to need this more than I do.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Did I just see a dead body??” (CHS Yearbook Staff photo)

“Tea-gan! TEA-gan!! TEA-GAN!!! One queen to rule us all!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“And I’ll do it again.” (CHS Yearbook Staff photo)

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Down a star, Wolves win with team ball

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“Your bench is short tonight, mom? Put me in! I’ll burn those nets down!!” (Photo courtesy Megan Richter)

Teamwork makes the dream work, especially when you’re missing a star.

With two-way warrior Mia Farris riding the bench while recovering from a nasty fall in a game this weekend, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad spread the love Tuesday night.

Six different Wolves scored multiple times, and a second-half surge carried Megan Richter’s squad to a convincing 45-24 win over visiting Concrete.

The victory lifts CHS to 2-4 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 6-10 overall.

It also propels the Wolves from the cellar up to fourth place in the seven-team NWL, with the final days of the regular season fast approaching.

Tuesday’s win was a team effort from start to finish.

Nine players saw the floor, and the three who didn’t score still had a solid impact, with Kayla Arnold and Reese Wilkinson snaring rebounds and tougher-than-she-looks Brynn Parker holding up well under stress while handling the ball.

Brynn Parker slices ‘n dices the defense. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville came out firing, with Lyla Stuurmans banking home the game’s first shot, before Katie Marti sank a three-ball from the top after being set up by a rebound and kickout pass from Wolf sparkplug Jada Heaton.

The visitors made their one stand of the night in the first, briefly creeping ahead 8-7 on a three-ball at the tail end of the quarter, but then CHS went to work.

The aforementioned Heaton was spectacular in the second frame, getting her hands on seemingly every loose ball and interjecting herself into nearly every play.

While she still showed off her enormous heart by stopping in the middle of a fight for a loose ball to check on a Lion who bounced off the hardwood, she was also a cold-blooded killer when needed.

Peppering Concrete with buckets, Heaton knocked down the shot of the game when she put back a rebound a half tick before the shot clock buzzed, then merrily cartwheeled down the floor, slapping hands left and right as she went.

Junior Jada Heaton (12) is the glue that holds the Wolves together. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Still, Concrete hung tough, trailing just 17-13 at the half, with a little help from the world’s thinnest-skinned ref.

His operating style? Spending almost as much time lecturing Coupeville’s coaches for imaginary conversations as he did calling fouls on the Wolves with no time left on the clock.

Ignoring the zesty zebra, the Wolves seized control of the game in the third quarter, however.

Madison McMillan dominated in the paint, Skylar Parker slashed the Lion defense to ribbons, and Teagan Calkins was everywhere and nowhere at once, an assassin making the kill, then vanishing before the victim knew they were dead.

CHS exited the third quarter up 28-17 and it would have been more, only to have a ref try to interject themselves back in the game by waving off a Calkins shot at the buzzer.

Not that it mattered, because even when the officials fouled out Heaton early in the fourth quarter — to the wails of her robust fan club — there was no slowing down the Wolves.

Whipping the ball around the arc, and up and down the floor, Coupeville triggered multiple buckets on precise passes, as everyone got in on the point explosion.

The Wolves closed the game on a 17-3 surge, with five of the last eight baskets directly set up by an assist.

Calkins popped for a game-high 13 points to pace CHS, with Marti banking in nine, and Stuurmans and McMillan both rippling the nets for seven.

Heaton had five, before the refs knifed her in the back, while Skylar Parker added four, making for very balanced books.

With the win in hand, the Wolf girls are off until Saturday, when they travel to Puyallup to face Chief Leschi in a non-conference tilt.

After that comes home matchups with Friday Harbor and Orting, and a road trip to La Conner to wrap the regular season.

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Wolves feisty to the finish

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Mia Farris set a personal milestone Tuesday night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

What a difference a year makes.

After struggling mightily to contain powerhouse La Conner the last couple seasons, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad came dangerously close to knocking off the visiting Braves Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, a dry spell in the final minutes turned a narrow fourth-quarter lead into a worse than it sounds 46-32 loss.

The reality is that drops Coupeville to 1-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-8 overall and makes its bid for a playoff berth harder.

The Wolves, who are dueling with fellow 2B mates La Conner and Friday Harbor for two postseason slots, are 0-2 in the three-team round robin.

La Conner (3-0, 9-5) is 2-0 in the mini-rumble, while Friday Harbor (1-2, 3-10) sits at 1-1.

Coupeville gets a second crack at Friday Harbor Feb. 2 on Senior Night, then closes the regular season at La Conner Feb. 6.

The Braves and Wolverines have their rematch Feb. 9.

While CHS needs to bounce back strongly to punch a playoff ticket, their play against their two closest rivals provides plenty of hope they can.

The Wolves fell to Friday Harbor by just five points and were up 30-29 in the fourth quarter against La Conner.

The Braves hit back-to-back three-balls to pull ahead 35-30, but Mia Farris hauled in a lob from Lyla Stuurmans and slapped home a layup to get the Wolves within a shot of tying things back up.

That was where the offensive attack withered for Coupeville, however.

Katie Marti, who leads the Wolves in scoring, got body-slammed to the floor during a fight for a loose ball, and the refs forced her to spend crucial time showing Athletic Trainer Jessy Hillier where it hurt.

Which was likely everywhere.

While the rough-and-tumble heart-and-soul of the Wolves returned to the floor, ready to unleash heck on anyone in her way, the incident threw a wrench into Coupeville’s flow.

La Conner, which has a roster full of quick, deadly youngsters who fly around the floor and attack from all angles, took advantage, running out the game on an 11-0 spurt.

Other than the final rally, the game was a nip-and-tuck affair all night.

Four different Wolves scored in the opening quarter, with Teagan Calkins slipping a pair of free throws through the twines to stake CHS to an 8-6 lead at the first break.

Don’t let the smile fool you. Teagan Calkins will break you in half on the hardwood. (Photo by CHS Yearbook Staff)

While Calkins scored last in the period, teammate Madison McMillan offered up the sweetest shot, nailing a jumper off of an inbounds pass, the ball slamming through the bottom of the net like it had been smashed by a hammer.

La Conner swished a trio of three-balls in the second quarter, but Coupeville delivered its own highlight reel-worthy shots to force a 19-19 tie at the break.

Farris drained a pair of silky jumpers, while Marti twirled through the paint like a ballerina run amuck, tossing up an impossibly tough hook shot that bounced just right and plopped through the rim.

Just the way she intended it.

The third quarter was punch and counter punch, with the squads trading the lead, only to come right back to where they started — tied up.

Marti, proving there is no shot she can’t hit, kissed a three-ball off the glass, the ball banking home and hitting paydirt with a happy little sigh to open the frame.

Closing it with conviction, the Wolves got free throws from Calkins and Stuurmans, and the scoreboard twinkled 28-28 as the fourth quarter dawned.

Coupeville’s final lead came at 30-29, when Stuurmans, using every one of her inches, stretched way out to deposit a swooping layup that just barely cleared a defender’s hands.

Six of the seven Wolves to play scored, while freshman Haylee Armstrong flew off the bench to provide a spark while Marti was being tended to after her collision with the hard, cold, unforgiving floor.

Farris and Calkins popped for eight points apiece to pace the attack, with Marti (7), Stuurmans (5), McMillan (2), and Jada Heaton (2) also scoring.

With her burst, Farris moves into the top 100 career scorers in CHS girls’ hoops history.

Heading into a home game Friday against Mount Vernon Christian, the Wolf sophomore is #97 all-time with 119 points and counting.

Farris joins Stuurmans (#71 with 174 points) and Marti (#81 with 159 points) among active players in the top 100.

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Teagan’s gonna terrorize you!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville High School sophomore Teagan Calkins delivered a breakout performance Monday, fueling a big varsity win. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Some people eat chicken soup when they’re sick.

For Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball coach Megan Richter, the best (temporary) cure for her illness is seeing her sophomore sensation play like a wild woman.

Sparked by a breakout performance by Teagan Calkins, the Wolves rallied twice Monday, before burying visiting Auburn Adventist Academy 38-24.

The non-conference victory lifts CHS to 5-6 on the season, with a road trip to Orcas Island Friday up next on the schedule.

Coupeville has already beaten the Vikings once this year, but that game didn’t count in the league standings. Second time around, it most certainly does.

The Wolves will roll into that conference showdown carrying a two-game winning streak and with Calkins and Madison McMillan, who had 12 points Monday, coming off of season-best scoring performances.

Richter only went six players deep against Auburn and got strong work from everyone on the floor.

The Eagles were combative, however, jumping out to a 7-1 lead, before holding on to carry a 10-7 lead into the first break.

The wham-bam duo of Mia Farris and Jada Heaton hit the boards hard for Coupeville in the opening frame, helping keep the hometown squad in the game.

Farris put one of her boards right back up for a bucket, while yanking down another, spinning, and feeding Heaton for a quick two points off of another carom.

Auburn nailed a jumper to open the second quarter, then Coupeville claimed its first lead of the night thanks to an 11-0 tear.

McMillan drilled the bottom out of the net on a three-ball, while also making off with a steal she turned into a breakaway bucket, while Calkins shot up the gut, splitting defenders for another key score during the run.

Madison McMillan eyeballs the net before sending it a gift.

A late three-ball, coming on a pullup jumper from an Eagle gunner, cut Coupeville’s lead back to 18-15 at the half, but the Wolves never flinched.

They did give up seven straight points to open the third, falling behind 22-18, but then promptly went into lock-down mode on defense.

Coupeville closed the third on a 9-0 surge, and the game itself on a 20-2 explosion.

Key to the game-clinching rally was a play on which Farris ripped a ball free from a rival, then flicked a pass to McMillan, who rose to the skies and drained her second three-ball of the game.

CHS converted several offensive rebounds into buckets in the game’s waning minutes, with Calkins hitting a jaw-dropping turnaround jumper off of one.

Not content to stop there, the rising star smashed her way through the lane on back-to-back scoring runs, with McMillan setting up both on superb passes.

It was a night to remember for Calkins, who entered play having scored 16 career varsity points, then almost doubled that in one game.

With her and McMillan combining for 25 points, they outscored Auburn by themselves.

But just to make things safe, Marti banked in five, while Farris and Heaton slapped home four points each.

While Lyla Stuurmans didn’t score on this night, “The Franchise” was her usual nimble self on defense, springing around and putting the fear of God into any Eagle even slightly thinking about firing off a shot.

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“They brought heart!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong and the Wolf JV basketball squad earned a big win in their season opener. (Jackie Saia photo)

So, I’ve got good news, and news which will probably keep me awake at night.

The good news first.

Playing with skill and passion, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball squad opened a new season in style Monday, bouncing host Mount Baker 44-41.

Holding off a foe from a bigger school, and on the road, brought a huge smile to the face of Wolf coach Kassie O’Neil.

“We have a lot of things to improve on, but they brought heart, and you could see it!” she said while bouncing in a bus somewhere on the backroads of Washington state.

O’Neil unleashed eight players on the hardwood, and every one of them gave her something back in return.

“Teagan (Calkins) had a ton of fast break lay ins,” O’Neil said. “Capri (Anter) was a beast on rebounding and putting it back up.

“We went out in a press, and it frazzled them.”

Coupeville came out on fire, jumping out to a 10-4 lead after one quarter of play, with Calkins scoring half of that tally.

She got help from Bryley Gilbert and Haylee Armstrong, then the Wolves held on through a brief Mount Baker rally in the second frame to carry an 18-16 lead into the locker room.

And this is where I break out in a cold sweat…

Coupeville lost its scorekeeper at the half, which means I have no way of knowing who scored the 26 points put up by the Wolves across the third and fourth quarters.

For someone addicted to stats, especially scoring stats, I have one word for you … AAAGGGGGOOOONNNNYYYY.

But I shall go on, probably forever haunted. If you catch me sitting in a gym in the future, staring wistfully into the great abyss, now you’ll know why.

But anyway. Back to reality.

From what we do have, Calkins led the Wolves with nine points in the first half, with Gilbert (5), Armstrong (2), and Anter (2) banking in buckets.

Brynn Parker, Dakota Strong, Desi Ramirez-Vasquez, and Lexis Drake also saw floor time for Coupeville.

The Wolf JV girls don’t play their next game until Saturday, Dec. 9, when they travel to the wilds of Sultan for another non-conference game.

Plenty of time for me to stare into the abyss and come to terms with the loss of my precious numbers.

Maybe…

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