A defensive switch by head coach Randy King, a big three-pointer by senior guard Jim Meek and a monster game by senior Chris Good helped the Coupeville Wolves overcome a big third-quarter deficit and earn a 59-54 comeback victory over the Darrington Loggers on Tuesday night.
“We knew that it (the deficit) was just a number,” said Meek after the game. “This is the first time we’ve beaten them since I’ve been here. Without the turnovers it wouldn’t have been that close.”
The fourth quarter began with Darrington ahead 51-45. The Wolves outscored the Loggers 14-3 in the period after King switched up his team’s defense from man-to-man to a 1-2-2 zone. The move clogged up the middle and stymied the Darrington attack.
Good began the final period with a block that led to a Geoff Hageman layup off a full-court pass from guard Brad Sherman. The play seemed to spark Coupeville and Hageman, who proceeded to quickly score two more times and even the score at 51. Good then made a foul shot to give Coupeville its first lead since early in the second quarter.
After Darrington regained a two-point lead with less than two minutes remaining, Meek stepped up and nailed a three-pointer from the left wing that put the Wolves ahead for good 55-54.
“I’m surprised that it went in,” said Meek about his big shot. “I was a little nervous about it.”
“I was saying ‘shoot it Jimmy’,” remarked King about Meek’s shot. “That was a pretty big three, wasn’t it.”
Good paced the the Wolves with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists, leading the team in all three categories. The 6-foot-3 redhead scored on a variety of low-post moves and was able to keep Coupeville in the game after Darrington opened up a big second-quarter lead.
The Wolves led by two after the first quarter, but a shaky second quarter put the team in a big hole. The Loggers outscored Coupeville 21-10 and took a 36-27 lead into halftime.
“If we would have played harder in the first half, it would have made things a little easier,” King said.
Both teams had success getting the ball to their big men. Besides Good, Hageman (11 points) and Sean Callahan (10 points) had solid games while 6-foot-3 Bryce Boyd had a team-high 16 points for the Loggers.
“Things opened up, Geoff played good, Sean came back in and played well,” King said. “In the second half we worked on trying to set better screens. We started hurting them inside. I was pleased with how the team responded.”
With the victory Coupeville improved to 4-2 on the year. Meek feels that the senior-laden Wolves have the opportunity to have a standout season.
“We want to be ranked in state again,” he said. “We were earlier but then we had a couple of losses. I know if we can just cut down on our turnovers we can get there again.”
The win over Darrington was the Wolves’ final contest before the holiday break. The team re-takes the court on Friday Dec. 28 when it will face South Whidbey in the first game of the South Whidbey Invitational. The game will be held at the South Whidbey high gym and tipoff is 8 p.m..
Coupeville 59, Darrington 54
At Coupeville H.S.
Darrington – 15 21 15 3 – 54
Coupeville – 17 10 18 14 – 59
Darrington: Reece 5, McCoy 11, Ashe 7, Smith 15, Boyd 16. Coupeville: Clark 2, Sherman 4, Meek 6, Hageman 11, Callahan 10, Good 26. 3-point goals-Reece 1, McCoy 3, Ashe 1, Meek 2, Hageman 1. JV: Coupeville def. Darrington. Records: Darrington 5-2 overall. Coupeville 4-2.
