A good first quarter wasn’t enough to over come a bad second for the Coupeville boys basketball team as it lost its home opener to Cedarcrest 67-52 Tuesday, Dec. 14.
Coupeville’s Tyler King drilled a three-point shot to open the game (Coupeville’s only three in 11 attempts in the game) and fueled the Wolves’ first-quarter uprising with 12 points as Coupeville jumped to an 18-13 lead.
When King went to the bench in foul trouble in the second quarter, so did the Wolves’ momentum. The visitors outscored Coupeville 19-5 in the period to go into the locker room up 32-23.
Coupeville coach Randy King said it wasn’t so much turnovers in the second quarter (the Wolves had just 13 for the entire game) that turned the tide but “hurrying on offense and not working the ball around enough for easy baskets.”
The Wolves, led by six points from Ian Smith, stayed in contact in the third quarter and headed into the final period down 46-39.
Coupeville trimmed the lead by one more point before Cedarcrest started to pull away as the Wolves were trying to play catch up.
Several transition baskets and a trio of three-pointers by the Red Wolves in the fourth quarter kept the Wolves at bay.
Tyler King completed the game with 15 points and Smith, who played “a good floor game,” according to coach King, finished with 13.
Dalton Engle and Ben Hayes each scored eight points, Nevin Miranda six and Scott Davidson two.
Coupeville awaits the return of injured Hunter Hammer. Hammer, an all-league first-team selection, averaged a double-double for the Wolves last year. King said it is unclear when Hammer, who has a back injury, will take the court.
Coach King said, “We are facing probably the three best teams in the league without Hunter before the holidays. We continue to develop our roles. Mitch Pelroy is making huge strides in his game, providing excellent defense and all around court play. Nevin Miranda kept himself out of foul trouble and helps with the scoring. Dalton Engle always plays hard at both ends.”
Coupeville (0-2, 1-3) heads to King’s (1-1, 2-3) Friday, Dec. 17, for a 7 p.m. game and travels again Saturday to University Prep (3-2) for a nonleague contest at 3:30 p.m.
