Clutch free throws from Jennifer Bailey helped the Coupeville girls basketball team move a step closer to the post-season on Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-2 senior hit 3-of-4 free throws the final six seconds and sealed a 47-43 win over league rival Friday Harbor.

“I absolutely wanted Jenn to shoot those free throws,” CHS head coach Geoff Kappes said. “She is in the gym early and leaves late everyday working on those shots and has grown into a solid shooter from the line.”

The victory was huge in that it provided Coupeville (5-2) a one game lead over Concrete (4-3) and Friday Harbor (4-3) for first place in the Northwest A division halfway through the league season. Shoreline Christian already sealed the B division and overall league title at 9-0.

“This win was real big…,” Kappes said. “We have a lot of games left to play, but the growth I see in our team is really promising.”

Up 44-43 with under 30 seconds remaining, Friday Harbor had possession of the ball and a chance to win. As the clock ticked down to 10 seconds, CHS sophomore Shawna West stepped in front of a Wolverine pass for a steal. After a quick timeout, CHS inbounded the ball to Bailey, who took care of business on her one-and-one free throw attempts. She knocked down 1-of-2 shots on her first trip to the line, but grabbed her own miss on the second shot and knocked down two in a row for a four-point lead.

Tuesday’s game wasn’t just close at the end, it was tight the entire game.

The contest saw just four ties, but there were 15 lead changes.

Friday Harbor, however, only led once in the final quarter. A layup from Kiersten Radden with 4:55 left, gave the Wolverines a 37-36 lead. An offensive rebound and putback just seconds later from junior Sarah Burgoyne gave CHS back a one-point lead they never relinquished. Friday Harbor pulled within one three more times in the final four minutes, but couldn’t get over the hump.

Key to Coupeville’s success Tuesday was its defensive pressure. The Wolves forced the Wolverines into 25 turnovers for the game, using an up-tempo defense.

“Our defense was the key to our victory,” Kappes said. “Causing turnovers is something we had not done a lot of, but it is an area we are improving in.”

Senior Brittany Black led the Wolves in scoring with 12 points. She had two three pointers.

Senior Beth Mouw also had a strong game, scoring 10, while Bailey and Burgoyne both had eight.

Coupeville will return to the floor at 2:30 p.m., today, Jan. 21 on the road against Mount Vernon Christian.

With the top spot in the league, Kappes isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.

“We aren’t concerned with the league title yet, we are focused on continuing our trend of improving in every game we play,” he said. “If we do that, the wins will take care of themselves.”

Friday Harbor 9 16 8 10 — 43

Coupeville 8 15 11 13 — 47

Scoring: Coupeville-Black 12, Mouw 10, Bailey 8, Burgoyne 8, West 5, Ebersole 2, Rosenkrance 2.