For the first time since the late 1950s the Coupeville and Oak Harbor boys basketball teams squared off for a regular season game and Monday’s non-league matchup was a good one.

In front of the largest crowd of the season at the Oak Harbor gymnasium, Coupeville, playing Jack to Oak Harbor’s Giant, surprised the fans by taking a 23-13 lead after the first quarter of play.

The Wildcats rallied in the second quarter scoring 18 points, but were still down by seven points, 38-31, at halftime.

Oak Harbor got a lot of things figured out on offense and defense in the third quarter, holding the Wolves to just two points while putting up 22, but then had to stave off a fourth quarter Coupeville rally to come away with a 66-63 victory.

“We kind of learned in the third quarter what big-time basketball is about and we responded really well,” Coupeville coach Randy King said. “I was really proud of our guys. If the game was a little longer, maybe we could have gotten it.”

What started out as a fun, all-island game between a Class 4A team and a Class 1A team and a break from competition in the WesCo North and Cascade Leagues, got serious in a hurry.

In the first eight minutes, the Wildcats knocked down three 3-point baskets, but the Wolves answered with a pair of treys of their own.

At one point, Coupeville held a 21-10 advantage before Eric McCardle nailed the first of his downtown bombs with 29 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Oak Harbor went on a 9-0 run to open the second period and trim the lead to 23-22, but was never able to take the lead as three baskets by Brian Miller, two by Casey Larson and two more from Kramer O’Keefe brought Coupeville back to a 10-point lead, 33-23, with 2:11 left in the quarter.

“We got off to a great start in the first half and then they kind of snuck up on us with their half-court trap,” O’Keefe said. “We made some bad turnovers in the third quarter and that’s what cost us the game. We shot the ball a lot better tonight and we had some guys come in off the bench and play really well. Zepher Loesch hit some threes and we came back at the end and made it a game.”

O’Keefe and Miller tied for team-high scoring honors with 13 points each.

Trailing 38-31 at the break, the Wildcats caught fire in the third period, holding Coupeville scoreless after Miller hit a bucket at the 6:43 mark.

Rodrick Rumble and James Leach scored eight points each for Oak Harbor in the period as the Wildcats took a 53-40 lead into the final eight minutes of the game.

Leach hit for a game-high 16 points and Rumble had 12.

“That was a pretty good game,” Oak Harbor senior Dallas Heidt said. “They were a lot better than we thought they’d be and I give them a lot of credit. They played hard and hit a lot of shots. Coach yelled at us at halftime and we came out and made a pretty good run. That helped a lot.”

Heidt scored 12 points, but twisted an ankle early in the third quarter and didn’t play much for the remainder of the game.

Coupeville got on a roll in the final eight minutes behind Loesch’s eight points and five more from Quinten Farmer and O’Keefe, outscoring Oak Harbor 23-13, but simply ran out of time.

“That was a fun game and our third win in a row,” Oak Harbor coach Mike Washington said. “We are now at .500, 6-6 in the league and 8-8 overall, and still have a chance at the playoffs. I was a little concerned before the game because Marshall Lobbestael, our starting point guard, was sick and unable to play. Eric McCardle really stepped up and played well for us directing the team. Coupeville has a good, well coached basketball team and I would like to do this every year because it brings out a lot of fans.”

McCardle was the fourth Wildcat player in double figures with 14 points.

Oak Harbor hosts Lake Stevens in a key WesCo North game at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and Coupeville hosts Cedarcrest in a Cascade League game at 7 p.m. Saturday.