Lauren Grove, seen here in an earlier game, outscored Port Townsend 14-10 Friday night. (John Fisken photo)
They were a bit nervous. Didn’t need to be.
Only able to use top scorer Kailey Kellner for a half, so she’d be able to swing up to varsity and fill in for an ill teammate, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team scored three seconds into the game Friday and never looked back.
Kyla Briscoe beat two Port Townsend players to the ball, snatched the opening tip and spun around, driving in for a game-opening layup to set things off.
From there, the rout was on, with Lauren Grove overcoming a bout of motion sickness brought on by a rough ferry ride to pour in 14, outscoring the host Redhawks by herself in a 43-10 victory.
The third straight win for the young Wolves — tying the JV boys for the longest streak this season — it brought their record to 9-5 overall, 4-0 in Olympic League play.
And to think normally unflappable coach Amy King had a few concerns going into the start of play.
“Knowing Port Townsend had their taller girl this time around had me a little nervous,” King said, adding the Kellner and Grove situations to her early concerns. “That nervousness quickly got calmed.”
Sparked by Briscoe’s bucket, Coupeville attacked with great intensity, rolling out to a 22-2 lead at the half.
“Everyone did their part in anticipating passes, and played our usual tough, tough defense,” King said. “Lauren Grove had many key steals in the first half, sprinting down the court to score.
“When Port Townsend tried to dribble or pass away from Grove, they ran into Lauren Rose, who matched Grove in the intensity and determination to take the ball on a trip to our end of the court.”
The Wolves held the Redhawks completely scoreless in the second quarter and surrendered just four points through the first three quarters.
Only a few desperation shots near the end of the game allowed Port Townsend to finally crack double digits.
“Allison (Wenzel), Brisa (Herrera), Tiffany (Briscoe) and Skyler (Lawrence) worked hard disrupting their offense,” King said. “The only shots they got without harassment were outside of the three-point line.
“In the fourth, two players threw up shots just trying to get points on the board and hit one each,” she added. “The posts made sure no shots went up in the key.”
With the game well in hand, the Wolves used the latter stages of the game as a competitive scrimmage.
“In the fourth we called off steals and worked on our plays,” King said. “No shots until the shot clock hit 10 seconds left.
“We drew up a play for Brisa, executed perfectly and she hit a swish. Very exciting!,” she added. “The girls played great. It was the perfect way to end the week.”
After shaking off the after-effects of the choppy water, Grove was money all game long, compiling 14 points, nine rebounds and five steals to pace the Wolf attack.
Kellner (seven points, four rebounds and three steals), Lawrence (six points, five rebounds), Kyla Briscoe (six points, three rebounds, two steals) and Rose (six points, six steals) were hot on her heels.
Herrera (two points, six rebounds), Wenzel (two points, four rebounds, two steals) and Tiffany Briscoe (three rebounds, two steals) all chipped in with big-time contributions, as all eight Wolves on the roster captured their moment in the spotlight.
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