Girls win, boys lose in basketball at Coupeville

It was an up and down night for La Conner High School basketball teams at Coupeville to end the regular season Feb. 7.

The girls team improved to 17-4 overall and 7-1 in league action with a convincing 48-22 triumph despite resting Skagit County leading scorer Ellie Marble, who is nursing a lower back strain in advance of bi-district playoffs this week.

With Marble, a 6'-0" senior power forward scoring at a 22.0 point per game clip unavailable, coach Joe Harper's charges did much of their damage from behind the trey arc.

La Conner buried Coupeville with 10 three-pointers, six by Josie Harper, who paced all scorers with 22 points.

Senior Kennedy Miller contributed a career-high 14 points, with four perimeter treys.

Makayla Herrera (7) and Maeve McCormick (5) rounded out the La Conner scoring.

The Lady Braves secured the No. 1 seed in their half of the bi-district tourney. They played Northwest Christian of Lacey in first round post-season action, again in Coupeville, Monday, the site of all district action.

The winner of that contest plays for the bi-district title and a state tournament berth tonight (Wednesday).

Boys Coupeville game

After a strong start, the boys fell 60-47. Coupeville clinched top seed honors at bi-districts behind 27 points from Logan Downes and 15 by Cole White.

The Braves (9-12 overall) bolted to a six-point first period lead in the nightcap of the doubleheader but were overtaken by a barrage of three-pointers from Downes, White and Jonathan Valenzuela.

The two teams were tied four times and had several lead changes in the second period before Coupeville (13-6 overall) forged a halftime 32-27 lead.

A three-pointer by Thomas and putback by C.J. Edwards brought the visitors to within 44-38 at the end of the third frame. But after that it was all Coupeville. The Wolves, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, pulled away in the final stanza, going on a 10-4 run over its first five minutes, a spurt interrupted only by a Thomas bucket in the paint off a high-post feed from Isaiah Price and a Christian Fix layup.

Coupeville led by as much as 16 points, at 60-44, before Edwards narrowed the final margin with a steal and layup.

The Braves visited Auburn Adventist last night. La Conner lost a 62-50 matchup Dec. 8, but that was before senior transfer and dynamic scorer Braden Thomas joined the team.

The winner plays tomorrow for a bid to the state tourney. The loser also plays Thursday for a second opportunity Feb. 18 for a spot in the state tournament bracket.

The 16-team opening round of state action is scheduled Feb. 24 and 25. The round of 12 at the Spokane Arena tips off March 1.