In its first year of varsity action, Basilica School played the second of three games scheduled this season on Jan. 17. The Mariners hosted the Mustangs of Horeb Christian back in November and paid them a visit in Miami last week. The Mariners were down by 17 in quarter two, but rallied to come within four by the final quarter. Horeb pulled away late in the fourth to beat Basilica 60-52.
Noah Wright registered a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Miguel Ontiveros scored 12 while Blade Hanousek and Alex Bouttier added nine and seven, respectively. Basilica is without a single senior this season, and Hanousek, a junior, is the lone upperclassman, making for an exciting future for the young team. The Mariners close out their inaugural season Saturday, Feb. 1 in a home matchup against Abundant Life Christian Academy.
Coral Shores made the most of its single game last week, beating the Rays of Mater Bay 52-49 on Jan. 16. The ’Canes, celebrating Senior Night, had the energy of the crowd behind them as they went to work against the Rays. Mater Bay focused on junior Donovan Thiery, freeing up senior Ayden Lane to score a game-high 28.
“It was a great back-and-forth game the whole way,” said assistant coach Andy Thiery. “Lane carried the team through the first three quarters on the scoreboard,”
In quarter four, it was anybody’s game, but a dunk by Thiery electrified the crowd and gave Coral Shores some momentum. A three from Thiery tied the game at 47, breaking the Rays’ spirits late in the game and gave the ’Canes the boost they needed to seal the deal. Thiery ended the night with 13 points and fellow junior Austin Vogt added eight in the win.
The Conchs suffered a series of losses last week, but ended on a positive note. The team’s greatest loss was their scoring leader, junior James Osborne, who had just returned from a wrist injury. Osborne is likely now out for the season with an ankle injury, forcing the Conchs to shore up their game plan and figure out how to win without the 21 points per game he was averaging.
Key West lost Jan. 14 at South Dade, then again on Jan. 17 at home against Westminster Christian, but by the 18th, they found the recipe they needed against a visiting IMG Academy Gray team. Kameron Roberts had the hot hand with 17 points and seven rebounds. David Aviles added 16 while Josue Thanus and Zach Levering were good for six each. Tramane Scott pulled down 10 rebounds to help feed Roberts under the basket and secure the 54-49 win for the Conchs.
Marathon lost a pair of games last week, but it wasn’t without a good fight, particularly from junior Daeshawn Holmes. Holmes registered a pair of double-doubles, the first occurring during the Dolphins’ Jan. 13 loss to Palmer Trinity School. Holmes sank 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while fellow junior Briggs Roberts scored 14. Freshman Jack Chapman had 10 points for the Fins, but it would not be enough to overcome the Falcons, who ultimately won 84-50. Two nights later, Holmes scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 58-39 loss to Ransom Everglades. Chapman added 11 to his stats and Roberts added 10.
Jan. 25 marks the final date teams can play to determine their district seedings, with Feb. 1 being the final date for regular-season games. This year, each of Monroe County’s teams faces a different postseason path. Key West, the largest school in the Keys, is classified as 4A. Coral Shores falls into the 3A class and Marathon, the Keys’ smallest public school, qualifies for the rural classification. Basilica, not part of the FHSAA yet, is not eligible for postseason play.