Coach Geoff Kappes kept telling his team it was just a matter of time before the Wolves would break into the Cascade League win column.

Heading into Thursday’s matchup against Lakewood, Coupeville was 0-4 in league games and the girls were beginning to get a little frustrated. But all that came to an end when a combination of strong team defense for the entire game and a 20-point fourth quarter which carried the Wolf pack to a 54-46 victory.

“It feels good to break in and it won’t be the last,” Kappes said. “We controlled the basketball and controlled the tempo a little bit. I think it really comes down to the defensive effort of the whole basketball team.”

Junior Shawna West voiced what had to have been on the minds of all the Coupeville players prior to the game.

“At the end of every one of our games that we would lose our coaches were always telling us it was coming and eventually we would win, and everything was coming together. I finally told them I was sick of it,” she said. “I was sick of waiting for everything to come together and I want to win, and we got it tonight. I was really happy at the end of the game.”

The first quarter was hotly contested from the opening tip and neither team was able to build a lead of more than two points.

With 12 seconds remaining in the period, Alyssa Kelley hit a basket to give Coupeville a 12-11 lead after the first eight minutes of action.

Lakewood went on an 8-0 run to open the second period and take a 19-12 lead, but the Wolves battled back. Kayla Lawson scored five points, one a three-point goal, and West added a hoop and a pair of free throws to shave the lead to two points, 26-24 at halftime.

“We had a couple of girls assigned to defend their big-time scorers and they did a good job,” Kappes said.

Defending Lakewood’s formidable Aly Stewart, Wolf Chelsea Rosenkrance held her to just seven points, all of which came from the free throw line.

“That is 12 points below her season average,” Kappes said. “Their other big scorer, Anna Work, had 16 points, but I thought everyone on our team played tough ‘D’ and didn’t let up.”

In the third quarter, a three-point bomb by Anna Myhr and a pair of Megan Smith baskets gave Coupeville a 34-33 lead heading into the final period.

With 6:21 remaining in the game, Smith hit a three-point basket and a West hoop at the 4:21 mark gave the Wolves their largest lead of the game, 41-36.

At times things got a little rough under the boards, but West shrugged off all the pushing and shoving with a smile. “That’s girls basketball,” she said.

The Cougars pulled together with a 6-0 run and when Jeneca Hoidal scored with 2:30 left, Lakewood had reclaimed the lead 42-41.

After that, it was Myhr’s turn to shine.

The sophomore guard scored seven of Coupeville’s next 11 points, including her second three-point goal of the game, and that put the Wolves in front to stay, 47-44.

“I’m so happy I’m speechless right now,” Myhr said after the game.

Myhr led the Wolves in scoring with 12 points.

Smith said the team knows now they have the ability to win games against opponents in the Cascade League.

“We have South Whidbey and Sultan coming up and we can beat both those teams,” she said. “We lost to them before, but we know we can play with anybody in this league and win some more games.”

Smith was the second player in double figures with 11 points.

Coupeville’s next home game will be against South Whidbey on Friday, Jan. 26. The varsity tips off at 7 p.m.

Coupeville 54, Lakewood 46

Lakewood 11 15 7 13 — 56

Coupeville 12 12 10 20 — 54

Lakewood (46) — Work 6 4-7 16, Hesselman 5 1-5 11, Steinborn 2 1-2 5, Hoidal 1 0-0 2, Shafer 0 0-0 0, Stewart 0 7-9 7, Dvorak 1 0-0 2, Butler 0 1-4 1, Hulslander 0 0-0 0, Lund 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 14-27 46.

Coupeville (54) — Myhr 3 4-6 12, Smith 5 0-0 11, Rosenkrance 2 0-5 4, West 3 3-6 9, Kelley 1 0-0 2, Manker 2 0-0 4, Kay. Lawson 2 0-0 6, Kas. Lawson 1 5-6 6. Totals 19 12-23 54.

Three-point goals — Lakewood 0; Coupeville 4 (Myhr 2, Kay. Lawson, Smith).