The Coupeville High School basketball teams, with their tough regular seasons behind them, now get a second chance as the playoffs start Wednesday, Feb. 8.

The Wolves head into the district playoffs, however, with little momentum as both the boys and girls teams closed the regular season by dropping a pair of games.

The Coupeville girls (2-16) begin district by hosting a loser-out game with Nooksack Valley (7-12) at 5 p.m. The winner moves on to tri-district Saturday at 7 p.m. (site and opponent to be determined).

The Coupeville boys (0-18) go to Meridian (6-12) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a loser-out game. The winner faces another loser out match Thursday (site and opponent to be determined) before earning a spot at tri-district Saturday.

The Wolves are hoping of a repeat of last year when they lost a lopsided game to the Trojans to start the regular season and then upset them in the tournament.

Coach Anthony Smith said, “If we can handle their press, we can be in it.”

Last weekend, the girls lost 66-22 at Archbishop Murphy Friday and at home to South Whidbey Saturday.

The boys fell twice at home, 67-38 to ATM Friday and 52-38 to South Whidbey Saturday.

Coupeville girls

First-place Archbishop Murphy (13-1, 15-4) overwhelmed the Wolves early, going up 20-4 and 35-9 at the end of the first two periods. Coupeville managed only two points in the third period and trailed 55-11 before doubling its point total in the final quarter.

Cassidi Rosenkrance scored six points, Taya Boonstra five, Lauren Escalle three, Jai’Lysa Hoskins three, Grace LaPoint two, Haley Marx two and Katie Smith one.

In the loss to South Whidbey, the Wolves scored the game’s first three points and then the Falcons went on a 9-1 run before finishing the quarter up 9-6.

Coupeville recaptured the lead, 14-13, with a minute left in the half but then surrendered a buzzer beater to trail 15-14 at halftime.

The Falcons finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 29-18 lead heading into the final frame, then started the fourth with six straight points to secure the game.

Coupeville boys

“We put a scare into them,” said coach Smith in regard to the loss to Archbishop Murphy. Earlier this year, the Wildcats defeated Coupeville 69-9. After one quarter his time around, ATM led only 12-10.

The Wildcats (8-6, 9-10) got the message and led 36-19 and 56-27 after the next two quarters.

Smith said, “We played stretches of good basketball. Overall, we had really good energy.”

Mitch Pelroy and Taylor Ebersole scored 10 points; Aaron Curtin, Gavin O’Keefe, Carson Risner and Nick Streubel had four; and Drew Chan two.

The Wolves also put a score into South Whidbey (3-10, 6-13) and were within 11 late in the game.

With the help of a press, South Whidbey outscored Coupeville 34-18 in the middle periods to go up 44-24 after the third quarter.

The Wolves went to a man-to-man press late and cut into the Falcons’ cushion.

Coupeville fought through foul trouble all night, losing three to five fouls and finishing he game with only four players.

Pelroy scored 14, O’Keefe and Curtin eight, Ebersole and Risner three, and Streubel two.