Logan Downes pumped in 27 Wednesday, including all 15 of his team’s fourth-quarter points. (Morgan White photo)
So, this is what it’s like to play at home.
After opening the season with four of five games on the road, the Coupeville Middle School boys basketball squads kicked off the second half of the season Wednesday in their own gym.
Facing off with rough-and-ready King’s, the Wolves nabbed a win, while pushing hard for a second one but coming up just short.
How the afternoon played out:
Level 1:
Spurred on by the red-hot shooting of Logan Downes, who went off for a season-high 27, the Wolves put a scare into the visiting Knights before falling 49-33.
The loss drops Coupeville’s top squad to 1-4 on the season.
The Wolves split up their scoring load in the first quarter, with Downes, Ryan Blouin, and Zane Oldenstadt each scoring a bucket.
After that, it was the “Logan Gets Buckets” show, as the CMS 8th grader scored 25 of his team’s final 27 points, including all 15 they tallied in the fourth quarter.
The only time a teammate put the ball in the bucket over the final three-fourths of the game was when Cole White knocked down a third-quarter jumper.
Downes has had a hot hand all season, leading all CMS scorers with 95 points across the first six games, a whisper below 16 a night.
While they didn’t score, the trio of Landon Roberts, William Davidson, and Nick Guay provided key support on the defensive end of the floor for the Wolves.
Level 2:
Coupeville’s most-successful team continues to roll.
Putting the game away with solid runs in the second and third quarter, the Wolves cruised to a 31-15 win, improving their record to 4-1-1.
The game was close for seven minutes, as CMS clung to a 4-2 lead coming out of the first break.
After that, Timothy Nitta got going, and he carried his team on his back.
Popping for five points in the second and another seven in the third, the sharp-shooting Wolf guard spurred Coupeville to 11-5 and 10-4 surges, keeping King’s at bay.
Nitta finished with a game-high 16, hitting from all angles (six free throws, two regular buckets, and a pair of three-balls), while Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim knocked down six points in support.
Mikey Robinett (4), Nathan Ginnings (3), and Hunter Bronec (2) also scored, with Jack Porter, Hurlee Bronec, and Johnny Porter seeing floor time.
Level 3:
A cold-shooting third quarter kept Coupeville’s young guns win-less.
Toss out that frame and it was a one-point affair, but a 10-2 deficit coming out of the halftime break sealed the deal in a 22-15 loss which drops the Wolves to 0-5.
“Team three fought hard, but couldn’t quite make enough shots fall,” said Wolf coach Greg White.
JP Edoukou paced CMS with four points, Justin Jansen (3), Carson Fields (2), Chris Villarreal (2), Harlan Mouw (2), and Jordan Bradford (2) also scored, and Jesus Madrigal rounded out the active roster.
