South Whidbey boys hoops’ five-game losing streak ends with big rivalry win

The South Whidbey boys basketball team got its first win of 2015 with a thumping of its island rival in Coupeville on Monday night.

The South Whidbey boys basketball team got its first win of 2015 with a thumping of its island rival in Coupeville on Monday night.

South Whidbey cruised behind three-point shooting and a superb first quarter. The Falcons opened by hitting their first seven shots to take a 16-6 lead just a few minutes into the game, a non-league 1A match.

Falcon senior Chandler Sutton scored eight of South Whidbey’s first 16 points in the early run and finished with a second-best 23 points.

“Overall, I thought we played well,” said Falcon head coach Mike Washington Sr. “We would have liked to shoot better in the second quarter and rebound better in the third, but I am happy with the kids. They played hard.”

Coupeville made a run in the second quarter, cutting the lead to two points with five minutes left in the half. But South Whidbey countered with a 14-3 run, sparked by senior Parker Collins who hit two three-pointers and a pair of free throws. He made six of South Whidbey’s 10 three-pointers and led all scorers with 27 points.

Every South Whidbey player, nine different Falcons, scored in the game.

Both teams got physical in the second half as they combined to shoot 32 free throws in the final two quarters. South Whidbey struggled at the line, going 13-for-28 from the line.

Whidbey News Group sports editor Jim Waller contributed to this report.