The Coupeville High School girls basketball team’s season ran out of steam when it ran out of players in a 50-44 overtime loss to 10th-ranked Seattle Christian in the District 3 1A tournament Wednesday, Feb. 18.

The loss eliminated the Wolves from the playoffs; Coupeville finished the season with a 15-7 record and its first league title since 2002.

Three Wolves — all starters — fouled out against Seattle Christian (16-6).

Julia Myers and Hailey Hammer were disqualified in the fourth quarter and Makana Stone exited in the overtime.

Myers and Stone were in foul trouble early, each picking up her third foul in the second quarter and going to the bench with six minutes left in the half. Hammer joined them four minutes later.

“We just didn’t have enough firepower to overcome our three post players out of the game,” coach David King said.

Seattle Christian will play Bellevue Christian Saturday for second place and the final berth into the regional tournament. Cascade Christian won the district title.

All three schools are from the Nisqually League. The three Olympic League representatives failed to win a game in the tournament.

Although the Wolves were hampered with foul trouble, they gave Seattle Christian a fight.

“We played our best game all season,” King said, adding it was a “heart-breaker.”

It was the Wolves’ finest effort, in part, because of the play of their reserves, according to King.

“I looked down the bench and every player was ready to contribute,” he said. “We rotated Monica (Vidoni), Wynter (Thorne), Mia (Littlejohn), McKenzie (Bailey) and Kailey (Kellner). The great thing is they held their own.”

The Wolves opened the game with a full-court press and received immediate results, racing to a 15-5 lead behind eight points from Stone.

In foul trouble, Coupeville pulled out of the press in the second quarter, and the Warriors cut the lead to three. However, thanks to strong bench play, the Wolves surged again and led 25-16 at the break.

The second half belonged to Seattle Christian’s Alex Ellis. She scored 19 of her game-high 25 points after halftime, including 11 in the third quarter when the Warriors piled up 19 points.

Ellis drained a long three-ball (one of five she hit in the game) at the third-period buzzer to give the Warriors their first lead, 35-33.

The game was tied at 40 with just over a minute remaining in regulation, but neither team could convert.

Ellis scored six points in overtime, and Coupeville, down three players, couldn’t respond.

Stone finished an outstanding season with yet another strong all-around game. The junior registered 21 points, 21 rebounds (eight on offense), six steals and two blocks.

Madeline Strasburg added five points, four assists and two blocks.

Kacie Kiel scored six points, Hammer four, and Myers, Littlejohn, Vidoni and Thorne two each.

Coupeville was whistled for 22 fouls, eight more than the Warriors.

Seattle Christian hit 15 of 26 free throws. The Wolves shot only 11, making six.

After a shaky performance in the district opener, Coupeville bounced back to play its “best game,” King said. “They… could walk off the court with no regrets.”

King called the game “the most fun I’ve had in three years in coaching.”

The fast start, the play of the reserves, the adversity caused by foul trouble, the players’ ability to stick to the game plan despite losing the lead and the strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter all added to the excitement of the game, he said.

“The only thing missing was getting the win.”