MOUNTLAKE TERRACE— They sputtered and sputtered, but the Coupeville girls basketball team finally got its motor revved Saturday morning, gaining a 45-32 Tri-District win over Life Christian and a number three seed to the 1A state tournament.

Faced with a 9 a.m. tip-off and a 50 degree Mountlake Terrace High School gymnasium, Coupeville came out cold to start the contest. The Wolves hit just 4-of-22 (18 percent) shot attempts in the first half and turned the ball over 10 times for a 21-17 halftime deficit.

Solid 7-for-10 free throw shooting from CHS and 13 turnovers by Life Christian, however, kept the game close.

“When we weren’t taking care of the ball, they weren’t hurting us on the other end,” CHS head coach Greg Oldham said.

Determined to make a difference in the second half, 6-foot-2 post Lexie Black had an answer offensively for the Wolves. She was held to two points in the first half, but the senior erupted for seven straight to start the third quarter.

“The first half they double-teamed their zone a lot and it was really tough,” Black said. “When two lanky people are guarding you, it’s kind of hard to get your lanky self around them.”

A switch to man-to-man defense in the second half freed Black up under the basket, allowing several open shots.

“It was easier for me to work against one person and their zone wasn’t as strong when they played it in the second half,” she said.

Black’s scoring barrage brought the Wolves to within one point of the Eagles, before sister Brittany Black drained a long two point shot at the 2:59 mark of the third quarter. The basket gave Coupeville a 26-25 lead — its first advantage since late in the first quarter — and they never trailed again.

Jump shots from senior Taniel Lamb and junior Beth Mouw put Coupeville up five at the end of the third and they continued to inch away in the fourth. Key hustle plays from non-starters, Shawna West, Janience Jenkins, and Hayley Ebersole, also factored in to the Wolves’ burst of energy.

“Even if a bench player wasn’t scoring she was coming in and contributing in other ways,” Oldham said.

Lexie Black ended the game-high scorer with 14 points for the Wolves. Lamb added eight, while senior Whitney Clark had seven.

The win moved Coupeville’s overall record to 14-8 and gave them a number three Tri District seed into the state tournament.

More importantly the victory should give the Wolves a little momentum as they head to the Yakima Sundome this week.

“Now we have a game where we played well, we shot the ball well, we played well defensively — it just gives us more confidence,” Oldham said.

Coupeville opens the state tournament against the number two seed from the North Central District, Liberty Bell (18-7).

Getting bumped down to a fourth seed, placed Life Christian against a number-one seed and state champion contender Napavine.

Coupeville 9 8 14 14 — 45

Life Christian 13 8 5 6 — 32

Scoring — Coupeville: L. Black 14, Lamb 8, Clark 7, West 5, Davis 4, B. Black 4, Mouw 3. Life Christian: Barnhart 12, Scott 9, Rhodes 4, C. Johnson 3, Foss 2, Palmquist 2.