LADY CONCHS BEAT HURRICANES ON THE COURT

The Lady Conchs ended a two-year dry spell on Jan. 15, earning a win over the Coral Shores Lady Hurricanes. Their last win was also over the Hurricanes back in January 2023, when a very young Key West team pulled off the upset at home. 

Last week’s 48-36 victory was on the road, and a determined Conchs squad worked hard to bring home the win. The game-changer for Key West was their physical play, which included 50 rebounds for the team. 

Their hustle and drive was led by Jaylin Greene, who scored 14 points, and Damarla Thompson, who earned a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Lilee Gage pulled down 15 rebounds and scored six while also collecting four blocks in the big win. 

Coral Shores’ Grace Leffler had a game-high 17 points plus eight rebounds in the Hurricanes’ loss. Melanie Estevez scored nine and Alex Burson added six plus five steals for Coral Shores, but it was not enough to overcome a hungry Key West squad.

Marathon had one win and one loss last week, with the win coming Jan. 14 at True North Academy. Marti’yana Kilbourne had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds plus six steals. Elena Eubank and Daysi Williams added 19 each in the 64-56 victory. The following night, the Fins came up just a little short, falling 49-46 to Ransom. Eubank had the top score for the team with 15. Williams scored 13 and Kilbourne added 11 in the road loss. 

Tracy McDonald
Tracy McDonald fled to the Keys from the frozen mountains of Pennsylvania hours after graduating from college and never looked back. She is a second generation coach and educator, and has taught in the public school system for over 25 years. She and her husband met at a beginning teacher meeting in 1997 and have three children born and raised in Monroe County. In her free time, McDonald loves flea markets, historical fiction and long runs in the heat.