Marathon and Coral Shores’ girls basketball squads each played just one contest last week, and it was against one another. The Hurricanes did the traveling on Jan. 26. The Hurricanes had the upper hand on paper, after defeating the Dolphins at home in December, but this time, both teams traded the lead in a game that went down to the wire.
Coral Shores’ Julia Miranda scored 14 while London Atkins added 13 and Niveah Howard 11. But the strong efforts from the Hurricane five could not overcome the long-range marksmanship of Marathon’s Shaina Robinson, who does not have a blind spot anywhere on the court. Robinson ended with 29 points in the Fins’ big win. Daysi Williams sank 15 and Sutton Sayer chipped in nine in the 56-54 win, which would be both teams’ final regular-season contest.
Marathon remains untested in 1A Rural’s District 8 and will not face another Rural opponent until this week in the semifinal game. First up for the No. 3-ranked Fins would have been Frostproof, the sixth seed with just one win this season. Frostproof wanted no part of the Fins and promptly forfeited, giving Marathon a chance to rest prior to their semifinal game at Fort Meade on Feb. 4 (results not available at press time). A win there would place the Dolphins into the district championship contest two days later for a chance at a repeat of last season’s district title.
Coral Shores, now 5-4, will head into districts with the third seed in FHSAA’S 3A District 16, sending them straight to the semifinals against Miami Killian. The four-team district will not hold quarterfinals this season, making Coral Shores just one game away from a championship matchup.
In the final week of regular season action, the Lady Conchs played a pair of road games Jan. 30 and 31. Against Gulf Coast, Damarla Thompson registered a double-double with 11 points and boards, while Colleen Barter and Jordan Greene scored six apiece in the 44-32 loss. The following afternoon, Key West traveled to Barron Collier, where they fell to the Cougars 68-40. Lilee Gage had the team high with nine points while Anaiya Marius added seven and Thompson and Reagen Graham scored six each. The Conchs’ 4A District 16 class has just four teams, making quarterfinals unnecessary and giving Key West, the fourth seed, an automatic trip to the semis. They will face the top-seeded Miami Northwestern.
Boys
Marathon closed out their regular season 8-17 after three games in as many days. The Dolphins started at Palmer, where they lost to the Falcons 68-57. Drew Suarez scored 13 points and Josh Koler 12 in the loss. The following night, the Fins outmatched the Hurricanes of Coral Shores, 69-45. Jack Chapman had the hot hand, scoring 21 points against the ’Canes while Koler, Briggs Roberts and Giorvis Zamora each added 13. Koler added three blocks while Zamora grabbed eight rebounds and was credited with five steals in the rivalry win. In their final regular-season contest, Marathon hosted the Defenders of Lake Worth Christian. Chapman scored 15 and Roberts added 9 in the 46-39 loss.
The Dolphins’ record earned them the No. 4 seed in their 1A Rural District 8 bracket. Their first postseason game was a Feb. 3 home matchup with Pahokee (results not available at press time). If the Fins prevail, it will be off to Fort Meade Feb. 5 for the semifinals.
Coral Shores ended their regular season 9-7 after a pair of losses last week. On Jan. 28 the ’Canes fell to St. Brendan 70-40, then lost in Marathon the following night. The Hurricanes hope to pick up steam again in the 3A District 16 playoffs, where they first face Keys Gate in the quarterfinals. Keys Gate is ranked one notch higher than the Hurricanes, but despite the rankings, the teams are well-matched. The winner of that game faces the top seed, Silver Palms, in the semis.
Key West’s boys did not play last week, enjoying some well-earned rest prior to their district matchup. The Conchs, seeded third, played the sixth seed, South Miami, on Feb. 3 in the 4A District 16 quarterfinals (results not available at press time). A win there would send the 12-10 team to the semis, most likely against St. Brendan School, a squad the Conchs dispatched 64-62 earlier in the season.
