It was a step forward, nonetheless.
The Coupeville High School girls basketball team suffered a humbling 61-25 loss to Cashmere in the regional tournament Saturday, Feb. 27, at Wenatchee High School.
While the dark side of the lopsided loss is easy to see, the positive direction the program is heading is also clear.
Each season under the direction of the husband and wife coaching tandem of David and Amy King, the Wolves have climbed a rung on the competitive ladder.
Four season’s ago the Kings inherited a two-win team. The Wolves went 6-16 in their first year, then posted a 10-13 record in 2014.
Last season Coupeville won its first league title in 13 years, going 9-0 in Olympic League play and 15-7 overall.
This season, the Wolves again went unbeaten in conference, added a playoff win, advanced to the regional round of the state tournament for the first time in 10 years and finished with a 16-6 record.
Head coach David King acknowledged the latest step, painful as it may have been.
“Oh, yes — for sure,” he said when asked if it was better to have played at state and lost than to not have played at all.
“Who expected us to be here after the turnover of players we had,” he said.
The Wolves returned only one starter and two letter winners from last year’s team.
The story entering next season will be much different. The Wolves lose only one player to graduation, and, with a veteran squad, the Wolves could take the next progressive step — winning their first state game since 2005.
However, the loss of that one player, Makana Stone, will be significant.
Stone, a four-year starter and Olympic League MVP, scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss to Cashmere. That effort put the finishing touches on a remarkable feat, a double-double in every game this season.
When Stone exited the Cashmere game in the final minute, the Coupeville crowd responded with a standing ovation.
Going into the Cashmere game, Coupeville knew it was facing an uphill climb.
District champions, such as Cashmere, are rewarded by earning slots in the nearest regional tournaments. In this case, 10 miles down the road in Wenatchee. Coupeville, a third-place district team, had to travel nearly 200 miles.
Not surprisingly, the gym was filled with many more orange-shirted fans than those donning Coupeville’s red and black.
The Bulldogs, too, were accustomed to the hype of the state tournament, the size of the crowds and the vastness of the arenas. This is Cashmere’s third consecutive trip to state; the Bulldogs went on to place third in the past two.
It was evident that the Wolves were rattled by big-game jitters, turning the ball over in six of their first seven possessions.
That helped the Bulldogs race to a 12-2 first-quarter lead.
For the game, Cashmere’s relentless pressure defense turned 25 Coupeville mistakes into 28 points.
Baskets by Mia Littlejohn and Stone cut the Cashmere lead to 14-8 in the second quarter, then the Bulldogs scored five points in the final 1:14 of the quarter to lead 19-8.
The run reached 14 points before Tiffany Briscoe dropped in a free throw for the Wolves, and Cashmere led 28-9 three minutes into the second quarter. The score stood 39-15 at the end of the half.
The Bulldogs continued to roll after the break, pushing the lead to 55-22 heading into the final period.
Four different Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by senior Makenna Faulkner, who transferred to Cashmere from Wenatchee this year, with 16 points.
Stone was the only Wolf to generate much offense. Kailey Kellner had three points; Littlejohn, Kyla Briscoe and Lindsey Roberts two each; and Tiffany Briscoe one.
Stone had seven blocked shots to go with her 15 points and 13 rebounds.
In a fitting finish to her career, Stone received the sportsmanship award given to one player from each team after every state game.
With the win, Cashmere (16-7) advances to the round of eight in the state tournament this weekend in Yakima.
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Lauren Grove looks to pass for the Wolves. Photo by John Fisken.
