As the basketball season begins heating up, Keys hoopsters split a pair of rivalry showdowns last week.
The Coral Shores Lady Hurricanes made the most of their single game, defeating the visiting Dolphins of Marathon 35-30. Melanie Estevez led the team in points with 16 while Alex Burson added eight, plus 12 rebounds. Niveah Howard and London Atkins pulled down a dozen rebounds each in the rivalry win. Marathon’s top scorer was eighth grader Shaina Robinson, who sank 13, while senior Daysi Williams scored 12 for the Dolphins.
The Lady Fins hosted David Posnack School the following night, defeating the Rams for their first win of the season. Williams had the hot hand, scoring 17 points, while Robinson added 12 and Sutton Sayer scored 11. A 54-29 loss to Pace on Dec. 5 put the Lady Fins at 1-3 in early-season action. Robinson scored 15 with Sayer adding seven and Williams four.
The Lady Conchs lost two last week, but not without valiant effort. On Dec. 5, Lilee Gage had an incredible game, scoring 17 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. Damarla Thompson added six points and Jasminabonu Ibodilloeva registered 11 rebounds and a block in the 57-32 loss. The following night, Ibodilloeva had the high score with 13 points, a block and three steals. Jordan Greene added six and Reagan Graham five to the team total. Key West lost that contest 51-35 and continues to look for its first win of the season.
Boys
While the Lady Conchs continue their search, Key West’s boys picked up their first W last week. The Conchs hosted Monsignor Pace on Dec. 6 and quickly went to work against the Spartans. Senior James Osborne dropped 32 points on Pace and is averaging nearly 24 points per game. Osborne pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double and was credited with a pair of steals as well. Zach Levering also registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Judson Snider added seven points, six rebounds, five steals and a block.
Marathon improved to 3-3 after a pair of wins last week, starting with a visit to Coral Shores Dec. 1. The Dolphins outshot the Hurricanes 43-30 with Jack Chapman leading the way with 11 points. Chapman added three steals against the ’Canes. Giorvis Zamora had eight points and five steals, Josh Koler added eight points to the team total and Taylor Huff had six points and six rebounds for the Fins. Coral Shores’ Sergio Avelar had the hot hand in the rivalry with 17 points and Jack O’Keefe added six in the loss for Coral Shores.
Marathon went on to beat visiting David Posnack Jewish Day School the following night, 59-52. Chapman scored 16 including four threes, registered a block and pulled down three rebounds. Zamora scored 11 and Huff added 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals in the win.
After their second win of the week, the Dolphins came out strong against a visiting Monsignor Pace Dec. 5. The heavily-favored Spartans had their hands full with the Fins, and at the end of four quarters, the score was tied. It would take not one, not two, but three four-minute overtime periods to determine a winner for the contest. Despite some fine shooting and exceptional teamwork by the Fins, the Spartans came away with an 83-78 win. Chapman scored 23 points to lead the charge. Huff and Koler had double-doubles, with Huff scoring 17 and Koler 16; both had 13 rebounds. Drew Suarez had 11 points, three steals and a block in the loss.
After their loss to Marathon, the Hurricanes regrouped and picked up steam, earning a pair of wins. On Dec. 3, Coral Shores won at Archimedian, 47-33. Avelar scored 15 for the ’Canes while Jordan Brown added nine and Austin Vogt pulled down five rebounds. Two nights later at Braddock High School, Avelar had the high score again, putting 18 points on the board. Brock Stoky, Jayden Meng and Nate Garbutt added four apiece in the win, which put the Hurricanes at an impressive 3-1 in early season standings.
