Wolves squeak by Shoreline Christian girls

SHORELINE — Coupeville duo Lexie and Brittany Black put an end to the Shoreline Christian girls basketball team’s sizzling start.

The 6-foot sisters scored all of their points in the second half to lift the Wolves to a 37-35 comeback win Tuesday in a battle of Northwest 1A/B League unbeatens.

As part of a decisive 13-2 run, senior Lexie Black knotted the score at 20 and junior Brittany Black followed a go-ahead 3-pointer at the 1:08 mark of the third period.

Lexie Black delivered eight of her team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter and Brittany Black finished with nine points as the Wolves dealt Shoreline Christian its first loss.

“We knew going in it was going to be a real battle,” Crusaders coach Stan De Yager said. “Their height really had something to say about the game, especially in the second half.”

Brittany Van Hal led the Crusaders with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The senior center’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed off.

Coupeville led by as many as six with 4:42 to play. Van Hal put back a teammate’s miss to shrink the gap to two with 17.4 seconds remaining. It took Shoreline Christian 14 seconds to commit five fouls and send the Wolves to the free throw line.

Despite shooting 19 percent from the field the Crusaders never trailed in the first half. Shoreline Christian used its fullcourt press to force 17 first-half turnovers and stretch its lead to six twice.

“That’s been by and large our bread and butter,” De Yager said. “The kids love high-energy. We’ve got to learn to play within it a little better. It also became our downfall as the fourth quarter wore on. We didn’t get back and they were penetrating and dishing off.”

Sophomore forwards Julia DeKoekkoek and Colleen Woods each added seven points for the Crusaders, who won their two previous league games by 14 and 16 points.

“The kids are having a blast together,” De Yager said. “Some of our youth is starting to grow up a bit. We’re only five games in, so keep watching us.”