Coral Shores’ girls made the most of their only game last week, defeating Florida Christian on Nov. 30 at home in a resounding 52-17 win. In the opening quarter, it looked to be a close matchup, with the ’Canes up by just four. Coral Shores hit their groove in quarter two, scoring 23 points and locking down the Patriots on defense, sending them into the locker room at halftime with a 33-13 lead.
The hot-handed Hurricanes did not let up in the second half, resulting in a win for their season opener and some confidence heading into a three-game week. Senior Brooke Mandozzi had a game-high 27 points on her double-double effort, which included 10 steals and four rebounds. Mandozzi missed just three shots the entire game.
Grace Leffler led the team in assists and had 11 points of her own in what head coach Jarrod Mandozzi described as “well-rounded.”
“Our defense was just outstanding,” he said, describing a lockdown that included 32 steals. The ’Canes play a series of non-district games, then face Marathon in Tavernier on Tuesday, Dec. 12 for a district match.
Coral Shores’ boys played one game last week, traveling to LaSalle on Nov. 29. The Royal Lions bested the Hurricanes 52-38. The ’Canes had limited practice time due to some mechanical issues at their gymnasium but should be all systems go for a packed schedule in the coming weeks, including a district game against Marathon on Dec. 12.
Marathon’s boys found themselves in the win column on Dec. 1 after a disappointing 0-2 start to their season. The Fins lost to Palmer Trinity on Nov. 28, then to South Homestead two nights later. They hit their stride on Dec. 1 against Redlands Christian, though, toppling the Falcons 61-23 in front of a big home crowd, while the starting five took most of the second half off.
Senior Xavier Grant had the hot hand, scoring 17 points and adding 4 steals. Adrian Cruz had 14 points and 6 steals, and Yaniel Garcia added 8 points. Daeshawn Holmes scored 6 with 5 rebounds, a pair of steals and 3 blocks. Marathon will focus on a pair of games scheduled for this week but have their hopes set on a district win at Coral Shores on Dec. 12.
Marathon’s girls are still looking for a win this season. The 0-3 Fins played at St. Brendan and South Homestead last week, losing both games on the road. A Dec. 2 game was canceled. Marathon will have two games, one against a struggling Keys Gate and one against University School, prior to their own much-anticipated trip to Tavernier to play the Hurricanes on Dec. 12.
The Lady Conchs got off to a rocky start, losing their first three games of the season. The team will have a chance to recover and regroup this week. The team is not scheduled to play again until Saturday, Dec. 16, when they face Barron Collier at home.
Key West’s boys suffered a pair of losses last week, the first coming from Miami Christian on Dec. 1. Junior Josue Thanus had a game high 17 points, David Aviles scored 14 and Leandro Batista put up 9. James Osborne grabbed a dozen rebounds and Kameron Roberts pulled down 10 rebounds in the 74-52 loss.
The following night, 7A North Port High School visited, beating the Conchs 52-28. Osborne scored 10, Aviles had 8 and Batista put up 6 in the loss. Key West has a chance to even their record on Friday, Dec. 8 when the winless Killian Cougars visit Bobby Menendez Gym.
