GONE STREAKING: KEYS HOOPERS STACKING WINS IN SECOND HALF OF SEASON

Girls basketball action is heating up in the Keys with just two weeks until postseason action begins. Two Monroe County teams faced one another on Jan. 10 when Key West earned its first win of the season against Coral Shores. The Lady Conchs beat the ’Canes 38-24 before losing to Mater Lakes on Jan. 14. 

The Lady Fins added two wins and a loss to their record last week with a 55-20 defeat over Florida Christian on Jan. 10. Abriana Marshall had the game high total of 13 points, inching closer to 200 on the season, and Aniyla Hawkins scored 10. Marathon lost to Horeb on the 12th, then turned their week back in the right direction with a 50-44 win over St. Brendan on Jan. 13. 

Girls district playoffs begin on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Marathon and Coral Shores will battle within the 3A District 16 bracket while Key West will face 4A teams for a chance to move on to the state series.

Boys

Boys basketball saw some in-county play last week, too. Coral Shores beat Key West in Conch territory on Jan. 10, winning on the road 53-35. Isaac Holmes scored 18 points with 7 rebounds and 2 steals, and Matt St. Aubin scored 15 with 13 rebounds. Eddy Espinosa went two for three from the three-point line, scoring 13 in the process and adding 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Head coach Jarrod Mandozzi was pleased with the in-county win. “There’s definitely no better place to win than there in all of my experience,” he said. “The crowd is so into it, crazy things are always happening in games there with calls. … It’s just an amazing rivalry.”   

The winning didn’t stop there for the ’Canes. On Jan. 12, they took down Palmer Trinity to seal a four-game winning streak. Holmes dropped 27 points, going 9 for 14 shooting with 13 rebounds and 2 steals as well. St. Aubin scored 10 points and 10 rebounds and Allen Perez was good for 14 while going 4 for 5 from the three-point line. 

Mandozzi’s team looks to be coming together well right in time for districts. Though they have some things to work on, he praised their overall performance, saying, “I’m extremely pleased with the way we’re closing games out. We’ve really been taking it to teams in the second half of games, but I’d like to see us start better.” 

Conch sophomore Kameron Roberts led the drive for Key West, scoring 16 points and grabbing 5 rebounds against the ’Canes. Key West played Hialeah Educational Academy on Jan. 13. Roberts had the team high again with 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Watson Chery pulled down 10 rebounds in the loss. The next day, they played Barbara Goleman High School, beating the Gators 92-79. Eric Moore had a huge night for the Conchs, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. James Osborne scored 21 points and Roberts added 15 in the win. 

Marathon’s boys enjoyed a resounding win against Redland Christian on Jan. 10. In the 61-12 victory, senior Oscar Garcia led the scoring with a career-high 17 points. Xavier Grant added 10 points, two rebounds and three steals. The lopsided win allowed coach Kevin Freeman to play his entire bench, all of whom took advantage of the play time and scored. 

Two nights later, they beat Horeb Christian 50-37 for the second time this season. Marathon was without freshman Daeshawn Holmes, who is recovering from a concussion. 

“Our two seniors, (Oscar) Garcia and Fisher Coleman-Sayer really stepped up and played an all-around good game,” said Freeman. “Our defense really stepped up in the fourth quarter and limited Horeb to only 3 points.” 

Coleman-Sayer had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks against Horeb, and Garcia had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Fins went on to defeat Colonial Christian on Jan. 13, 61-27, for a three-game win streak. 

Coach Freeman told the Weekly that the home stretch looks promising for the Fins. “We are playing a little better than we did before the Christmas break,” he said. “Players are settling into their roles and we are just trying to get better every day.” 

Postseason play for boys basketball begins Feb. 7.