Wolves split weekend games

The third-quarter trend was getting ugly.

In its first three games, the Coupeville girls basketball team had letdowns in the third frame that left the Wolves outscored by a total of 40-20 and with two losses.

So, to no one’s surprise, CHS head coach Greg Oldham felt it was time for a change against Darrington on Friday night.

“We came out with a new press to up the intensity and hopefully give us some more baskets,” he said.

The new plan worked to perfection.

Behind their swarming defense, the Wolves built a huge second-half lead and held on for their second league win in as many games, 46-38.

Coupeville’s aggressive full-court press forced the Loggers into nine turnovers and hurried Darrington into a frigid 0-for-11 shooting performance from the floor in the third quarter.

By the end of the period, the Wolves turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 42-21 advantage.

Not only did the defense come up clutch, but so did the performances of Coupeville’s post players.

“It was good to see that scoring from our post because I believe most teams will try to take that away from us,” Oldham said. “We were going into the teeth of their defense and were still finding a way to score.”

Six-foot-two senior Lexie Black led the Wolves with 12 points and 12 rebounds in three quarters of work, while fellow post Heather Davis contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.

Darrington inched closer in the fourth quarter after Coupeville took its press off and rested its starters for Saturday’s game, but the Loggers never posed a serious threat.

South Whidbey 48, Coupeville 40

Coupeville came up just shy of winning its second game in less than 24 hours, falling 48-40 at South Whidbey Saturday afternoon.

Recovering from a 12-point deficit, the Wolves worked their way to within two, 42-40, with 1:38 to go. A series of turnovers and fouls, however, prevented them from completing the comeback.

“We just made some silly plays there at the end,” Oldham said.

In contrast to Friday’s game, the Wolves had trouble hanging on to the ball, committing a season-high 30 turnovers.

Brittany Black and Taniel Lamb led the CHS in scoring with 10 points apiece, while Falcon star Caitie Newman put in a game-high 19.

The loss was Coupeville’s second against 3A South Whidbey this season, putting the Wolves at 0-3 against non-league opponents.

At 2-0 in the Northwest A/B Coupeville faced off against Shoreline Christian (2-0) for the top spot in the league last night.

Coupeville has its next game at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 18 at home against 2A Blaine.

Darrington 7 11 3 17 — 38

Coupeville 13 15 14 4 — 46

Scoring—Coupeville: L. Black 12, Davis 10, B. Black 9, Jenkins 6, Mouw 5, Clark 2, Lamb 2.

Coupeville 9 12 5 14 — 40

South Whidbey 17 7 14 10 — 46

Scoring—Coupeville: Lamb 10, B. Black 10, Clark 8, L.Black 6, Jenkins 3, Mouw 3.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.