Tuning up for post-season play, the Coupeville girls basketball team finished off the Cascade Conference season with a 45-35 win at Lakewood Friday.
Now the Wolves take on the Wolverines of Friday Harbor in a loser-out district tournament game at Coupeville Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 5:30 p.m.
Coupeville edged visiting Friday Harbor 41-37 in a nonleague game Dec. 22. Coach Blake Severns, who watched the Wolverines play Saturday, said, “They are a much improved team. If we play like we did the last time, we will lose.”
Friday Harbor dropped its first league game then rattled off 11 straight Northwest 1A/2B League wins to capture the conference crown. It finished the regular season with a 15-5 record.
If Coupeville defeats Friday Harbor, it will move to the double-elimination portion of the district tournament and to a game at Lynden Christian Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. The Wolves will have to win one of two games from that point to qualify for the tri-district tournament.
Nooksack Valley plays Meridian in the other loser-out game; the winner will play King’s.
Coupeville, with its win over winless Lakewood, ended the league season with a 6-8 record and a fifth-place finish. The Wolves are 11-9 for the year.
Severns said, “They (Lakewood) did some things differently and it caught us off guard.”
One of those differences was a half-court trap, the first the Wolves have faced this season.
The trap created several turnovers and the Cougars jumped to an 8-2 lead. After the Wolves adjusted, they got back into the game. Lakewood still lead 12-9 at the end of the first quarter, but Coupeville lead 24-21 at the half and pulled away in the third quarter. From there the Wolves led by 10 to 12 the rest of the way and the Cougars never threatened.
Severns said he took the opportunity to try some different player combinations and to give some of his younger players some varsity playing time.
Megan Smith scored a game-high 12 points to pace the Coupeville offense. Ashley Manker added seven; Courtney Arnold and Marie Hesselgrave six each; Katie Smith, Cassidi Rosenkrance and Kendra O’Keefe four apiece; and Taya Boonstra two.
