Girls basketball will finish out their final week of play before district playoffs begin on Jan. 31. The boys have an extra week of regular season games before their district playoff brackets are generated on Feb. 7.
The Lady Conchs and Lady Fins met in Key West on Jan. 20 in both teams’ only game for the week. Marathon beat Key West 53-20 in the non-district matchup. Marathon’s Abrianna Marshall led the scoring for the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. Elena Eubank scored 13 and added 12 rebounds, and Marti’yana Kilborne added 9 points and 6 rebounds.
The Lady ’Canes made the most of their game at Mater Bay Academy on Jan. 17, beating the Rays 44-14. Brooke Mandozzi had 16 points and 8 rebounds in the game, Makayla Hahn had 10 points and 4 steals and Lea Castellanos had 6 points.
In boys basketball, Coral Shores has been busy wreaking havoc across South Florida. They added three to their win streak last week, bringing the total to seven and counting. On Jan. 17 they beat Mater Bay 75-28. Isaac Holmes had 14 points, Ayden Lane had 13 plus 7 rebounds and Artorious Johnson had 12 points with 7 rebounds. Allen Perez added 10 in the big win. The following night, the ’Canes took on MAST Academy and won another decisive contest, outscoring the Makos 71-31. Holmes had 21 of those points, followed by Matt St. Aubin with 13 and 7 rebounds and Isaac Rivera with 9 points, 7 assists and 2 steals. On Jan. 20, they played Everglades Prep, winning 57-38. St. Aubin had a massive game, scoring 23 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and adding 3 assists for the ‘Canes. AJ Putetti had 13 points and Holmes scored 12.
Head coach Jarrod Mandozzi attributed the ’Canes’ recent success to his team’s willingness to sacrifice and give their all, playing into the team motto: “Whatever It Takes.” He called his team’s win streak against some high-caliber teams “a perfect storm” of many things, including solid work ethic, teamwork and experience competing against some of the best teams on the east coast over the holiday break.
“I’m so happy for the guys and proud of them,” said Mandozzi. “This group is really committed and it shows.”
Marathon played two games last week, losing both but showing some sparks of a late season run. On Jan. 17, they fell to Everglades Prep 57-32. Fisher Coleman-Sayer led the Fins with 8 points in the loss, while Oscar Garcia, Jesus Gonzalez and Adrian Cruz each scored 6. According to head coach Kevin Freeman, the Fins played well in the first half, heading to the locker room only down 31-20. But with only 6 points in the third quarter, Everglades pulled away for the 25-point win.
On Jan. 20, Marathon and Key West played one another in Conch territory. The Conchs came out on top, beating the Fins 59-33. James Osborne scored 13 points and Kevon Mills added 10 plus 7 rebounds in the victory. Earlier in the week, Key West fell to Sagemont 89-43. Kameron Roberts had 11 points and 6 rebounds. James Osborne added 10 points and Watson Chery had 10 rebounds in the Jan.17 loss.
