It was a tale of two halves for the Coupeville Wolves boys basketball team, who lost their fifth game in a row Saturday night to Darrington, 68-61.
Going up against one of the top B League teams in the state, Coupeville showed no fear coming out the aggressor at the beginning of the game.
Hot shooting and strong defense led the Wolves to a 32-24 advantage at halftime.
“I think that’s the best we’ve played all year,” head coach Randy King said. “We accomplished what we wanted to do in the first half, holding them to 24 points.”
Seniors Casey Clark, Brian Fakkema and Brad Sherman set the nets on fire for the Wolves combining for 28 of the teams’ 32 first half points. The trio hit six three-point shots in the first half, each knocking down two apiece.
The second quarter scoring was capped off by Clark hitting two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
“We shot the ball pretty well,” King said. “Our half court zone defense was hurrying them up and causing turnovers.”
Coupeville then experienced a second-half collapse, which eventually put the game out of reach for the Wolves.
On their first four possessions of the third quarter Coupeville turned the ball over. All four mistakes resulted in easy baskets for the Loggers, who quickly knotted the game at 32-32.
“We made some really bad passes,” King said.
By the time it was all said and done, the Loggers outscored the Wolves 15-0 to start off the second half, giving them a seven point lead.
Aside from turnovers and missed shots, the offensive play of Darrington junior Evan Smith also contributed to the Wolves’ second-half troubles. Coupeville was unable to find an answer for Smith, who finished the game with 34 points, scoring 24 of them in the second half.
“He was pretty much a one man wrecking machine,” King said.
The seven point cushion the Loggers built in the opening minutes of the third quarter was enough to maintain the lead for the rest of the contest. A three-pointer by Clark with 6:00 remaining in the game, brought the Wolves to within six, 52-46, but that was as close as they got to retaking the lead.
Clark finished the game the leading scorer for the Wolves with 20 points and four three-pointers. He was followed by Sherman with 16 and Fakkema with 14. Freshman Michael Bagby and Fakkema also had six rebounds apiece for Coupeville.
“We’re getting there,” King said. “It’s going to happen when all those kids have a big night.”
Despite dropping to 1-7 with the loss, the Wolves still remain optimistic about the season.
“We’ve played a pretty tough non-league schedule,” King said.
A berth to districts is still possible assuming Coupeville does well in league play, which begins Friday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. at Friday Harbor.
“That’s a big game for us,” King said. “Friday Harbor is one of those teams that we will be competing with for a district spot down the stretch.”
Coupeville—12 20 9 20—61
Darrington—15 9 26 18—68
Scoring—CV: Clark 20, Sherman 16, Fakkema 14, Bagby 8, Jorgenson 2, Fisher 1.
D: Smith 34, Ash 15, Reece 10, Frabble 6, Grimmer 2, Chambers 1.
Records: Coupeville 1-7, Darrington 5-1
