South Whidbey wins twice, faces King’s for league lead / Boys basketball

After winning twice this week, the South Whidbey High School boys basketball team will battle for a piece of the North Sound Conference lead when it hosts King’s at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31.

The Falcons won 76-65 at Coupeville Tuesday and 65-39 over visiting Granite Falls Wednesday.

King’s (6-0, 10-9) is unbeaten in North Sound Conference games; among its wins is South Whidbey’s only league loss. The Knights thumped the visiting Falcons 78-45 Jan. 7.

South Whidbey (7-1, 15-3) has played much better at home this season and hopes to be more competitive this time around when the Knights visit the Falcon Nest.

The contest is the final home regular-season match and Senior Night for South Whidbey.

The Falcons close out the regular season with a tough road game at Cedar Park Christian (5-3, 11-7) at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4.

South Whidbey 76, Coupeville 65

The island rivalry was an emotional contest and the Falcons were a bit too spirited, committing three technical fouls.

Coach Greg Turcott said the T’s halted the Falcons’ momentum in the game, but his club was able to overcome the mistakes and turn back the scrappy Wolves, who have won only one league game this winter.

Five different Falcons scored in the first period, led by Sterling Patton with 8 points, including two three-balls, to help South Whidbey keep pace with Coupeville. The Wolves led 21-20 behind 10 points from Xavier Murdy and 8 from Mason Grove.

The Falcons took the lead a minute into the second period and never trailed. Again South Whidbey received help throughout the lineup; seven Falcons scored, paced by Patton and Nick Young with 5 points each, and South Whidbey led 43-35 at the break.

The tide turned in the third quarter. The Wolves went four minutes without scoring while the Falcons were on a 9-0 run and built a 52-39 lead. Young, who haunted Coupeville all night with slashes to the hoop, tallied 6 points in the run and 8 in the period.

Coupeville never got closer than 10 points from that point, but it also wouldn’t fold and made the Falcons continue to work until the final buzzer.

Young finished with 21 points, Patton 16, Wrightson 14 and Jokinen 10.

Levi Buck added 9, Jacob Ng 4 and Kole Nelson 2.

The Falcons hit only of half of its 32 free throws in the game.

Grove led Coupeville (1-6, 5-11) with 20 points.

“I thought we played a good game, especially on defense,” Turcott said. “We forced a ton of turnovers.”

Coupeville committed 24.

Turcott lauded the Wolves’ effort: “At the end of the year everyone is fighting for the playoffs.”

“They outplayed us in the second half of our first game; we came into this game ready,” he added.

Turcott said, “Nick had a nice game, and Carson had a terrific second half.”

South Whidbey 65, Granite Falls 39

A second-quarter surge helped the Falcons take control in the win over the Tigers.

The teams were tied at 11 after the first quarter, then South Whidbey outscored the visitors 23-6 in the second period with the help of 7 points each from Buck and Wrightson.

Ng, Jokinen and Patton all scored from long distance in the third quarter and the Falcons took a 47-28 lead into the final period.

Six points from Jokinen and 4 each from Ng and Wrightson stymied any ideas of a Tiger comeback.

Jokinen ended with 16 points, Wrightson 14, Ng 11, Buck 11, Patton 7, Nelson 3, Young 2 and Luke Rookstool 1.

Riley Mayer scored 14 for Granite Falls (1-7, 3-16).