Fab frosh Kennedy O’Neill is a wild child when it comes to cleaning the boards. (Jackie Saia photo)
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
So, that sound you heard Wednesday morning coming from Bellingham? Not a single tree crashing to the Earth, but an entire forest going down.
Proving grit and talent outweighs size, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team clobbered Federal Way 43-39 to close out the three-day, 16-team Trojan Storm Classic hosted by Meridian.
The win puts a cap on 2025 for the Wolves and gets Scout Smith’s squad to 2-6 on the season.
It came in a game which featured a 2B school which is listed with 192.50 students in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association classifications and a 3A institution with 1,219.38 students on its books.
Wednesday’s tourney finale, which tipped off at the crack o’ dawn (or 8:00 AM…) capped a strong run for the young Wolves.
Coupeville opened the holiday tourney with a very competitive loss to 1A Blaine, then lost a one-point thriller to 1A South Whidbey before thrashing their big city rivals.
Federal Way pushed the intensity of the game, but the Wolves remained calm and composed in the spotlight, something their coach was pleased to witness.
“The girls did an excellent job keeping their cool and playing tough against a very physical and aggressive opponent,” Smith said.
“I am very proud of the way that we kept our head against an opponent that did their best to rile us up.”
The Wolves clamp down on defense. (Jackie Saia photo)
Wolf gunners Haylee Armstrong and Tenley Stuurmans combined to deliver nine points to the rim in the first quarter, as CHS built an 11-7 lead heading into the initial break.
The second quarter was a 9-9 stalemate, with Wolf senior Teagan Calkins popping for seven, before Coupeville ever so slightly stretched the lead out to 30-25 through three frames.
The fourth was a wild one, with the teams combining for 27 points, but the Wolves had an answer for everything Federal Way threw its way.
Armstrong went off for 11 of her game-high 18 points over the final eight minutes, including splashing home a trio of three-balls under pressure.
Also, Danica Strong tickled the twines, hitting both of her late-game free throws, while Federal Way rimmed out five of its six opportunities at the stripe in the final frame.
For the game, the Wolves were 7-16 on charity shots, while their foes stumbled to a 3-14 performance.
Coupeville also won the three-ball contest 6-4, with Armstrong netting four while Calkins and Strong each rippled the net once from long range.
Add in a strong defensive performance, and you have a happy coach.
“We carried on from the positives yesterday,” Smith said. “We rebounded well and played aggressive defense.
“I love the way that we moved the ball and managed the clock well at the end of the game.”
Lexis Drake looks for an opening in the defense. (Julie Wheat photo)
The Wolves get two days off for New Year’s, before kicking off the 2026 portion of the schedule with a road trip Saturday to Morton-White Pass for a non-conference fracas.
After that, CHS will plunge back into the heart of Northwest 2B/1B League play.
As she headed home Wednesday, Smith did so with a skip to her step.
“Overall, a very beneficial tournament for us and our development,” she said. “Lots of positives to take away and use going into the second half of the season.”
Eight Wolves saw the floor in the tourney finale, with six scoring.
Armstrong’s 18 led the way, shooting her up to #70 on the CHS girls’ career scoring chart, while Calkins (9), Strong (7), Stuurmans (4), Adeline Maynes (4), and Lexis Drake (1) also tallied points.
Kennedy O’Neill and Ari Cunningham provided lights-out defense to aid the cause.
Two Wolves hit personal milestones in the win, as well.
Calkins pushed her career varsity scoring total to 302 points, becoming the 38th Wolf girl to crack that club since 1974.
Meanwhile the sweet-shooting Strong (104) is the 116th CHS female player, and second in her family after mom Danette Beckley, to reach triple-digits.
Read Full Post »
