Prep Report: Tritons tumble 61-32
Mariner’s chances at beating North Fort Myers all but ended in the first quarter of Tuesday’s girls’ basketball game. The host Tritons struggled to get the ball up the floor and into an offensive set against the Red Knights’ swarming defense, and fell behind 14-2.
First-year coach Jeremy Dearinger urged on his team during the quarter break. His message was heard loud and clear: “Don’t roll over.”
The Tritons never did. They displayed the same intensity and hustle throughout, despite falling to the Red Knights 61-32.
The Tritons (0-2) are in a transition, with a new coach, and coming off a 2-23 record last season, but Dearinger couldn’t fault his team’s approach.
“We play quarter by quarter,” he said. “We came out and mentally reset ourselves 0-0 after every quarter and played with intensity.”
The Red Knights (1-0) ultimately were the superior team. Coming off a 19-win season , the team prides itself on defense and pressure.
That style of play caused problems for the Tritons early on. The Red Knights forced eight steals in the first quarter surge. Junior guard Machera Calhoun had five.
The Tritons got on the board near the six-minute mark on a basket by junior Holly King, but they were held without a point until 6:48 remaining in the second quarter,
The Red Knights pushed the lead to 22-4 on consecutive baskets by Sasha and Carol Ruiz Lopez. Mariner sliced it to 26-10 at halftime on a three-pointer from Heather Stephens.
Though the Red Knights remained in control from that point on, coach Kathy Padilla said there is a lot of room for improvement.
“We have a long way to go,” she said. “We didn’t come with enough intensity tonight.”
Neither team shot the ball particularly well. The Red Knights made 28 of 72 from the field (38 percent), while the Tritons connected on 11 of 55 shots (20 percent).
Mariner defended well, for the most part, in the halfcourt game, but the big difference was in transition. The Red Knights pushed the ball up the court for some easy baskets, particularly in the second half.
Senior Cassidy Davis paced the Red Knights with 16 points. Sasha Ruiz-Lopez scored 11 and Calhoun chipped in with 10. Denasia Smith grabbed 10 rebounds, and Carol Ruiz-Lopez finished with six steals and eight assists.
Senior Chastity Carter scored 12 to lead the Tritons. Maggie Swistak yanked seven boards.
North 14 12 17 18 — 61
Mariner 2 8 8 14 — 32
North (61) — Calhoun 10, Davis 16, Scott 4, Carol Ruiz-Lopez 8, Sasha Ruiz-Lopez 11, Denasia Smith 7, Santiago 5. Totals: 28-72 4-10 61. 3-point goals — Santiago 1.
Mariner (32) — King 2, Carter 12, Bono 4, Diforca 4, Swistak 4, Gibbs 3, Stephens 3. Totals: 11-55 8-12 32. 3-point goals — Gibbs 1, Stephens 1.
Girls Soccer
Cape Coral 5, Lehigh 0: Carina Powell garnered two goals and goalkeeper Amanda Kopale had five saves to lead the Seahawks to a shutout victory over Lehigh.
Amaris Camargo, Nina Antonacci and Shelby Rowe each contributed one goal for the Seahawks (2-2-1), who host Gateway Charter Thursday.
Ida Baker 7, East Lee County 0: Christine Giles tallied four goals to help propel Baker to a shutout victory over East Lee County.
Goalkeeper Natalia Ortiz recorded her first shutout in front of the net while Emily Gibson, Autumn Yesch and Peyton Van Horn each added one goal. Gibson and Yesch also had one assist apiece.
The Bulldogs (2-1-1), who scored five times in the second half, participate in the Tritons Invitational Saturday at Mariner.
Mariner 4, North Fort Myers 2: Kelsea Whitaker tapped in a corner kick and Alyssa Barry added a goal, both in the second half, to break a 2-2 tie and earn Mariner a two-goal victory over North Fort Myers.
Courtney Pruden assisted on the goal by Barry as well as one in the first half by Brooke Albert. Brittany Harris added a penalty kick goal in the opening half.
Goalkeeper Brittany Steeb made five saves to preserve the win.
Mariah Fernandez scored two goals for North. Courtney Allen had an assist.
The Tritons (2-1) host an invitational event Saturday. The Red Knights (2-4) play at Riverdale Wednesday.
Boys Soccer
Cape Coral 2, Lehigh 1: Junior Shane Pacheco scored both goals in the first four minutes of the match Cape High’s defense held visiting Lehigh to one goal.
Both goals were assisted by junior Guillermo Duque. Goalkeeper Nico Rubio made 12 saves for the Seahawks.
The Seahawks (3-1, 2-0 district) play at Gulf Coast Thursday.
Mariner 2, North Fort Myers 0: Tyler Korytkowski scored the only goal the Tritons would need in the first half and Matt Lott added an unassisted goal late in the second half to blank North Fort Myers.
John Teeter and Travis Edward anchored the defense along with John DiRoma and Felix Solano joined the team from football and helped spark the offense.
The Tritons (1-2-1) head to Sarasota for the Thanksgiving Tournament Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
Ida Baker 8, East Lee 0: The host Bulldogs buried five goals in the first half and continued the onslaught in the second 40 minutes.
Sophomore Nick Presti scored four times. Joe Johnson had two and Cody Kluesner and Diego Ferron each had one goal.
Harvey Rincon tallied four assists and Wade Lynch had one. Goalkeeper Jose Zuniga notched the shutout, finishing with three saves.
Baker (3-0) plays at Fort Myers Thursday.
Girls Basketball
Ida Baker 40, East Lee County 18: Brooke Bursiek led Baker with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists as the Bulldogs doubled up East Lee County in the regular-season opener.
Baker (1-0) hosts Palmetto Ridge at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Ida Baker 10 8 16 6 — 40
East Lee Co. 8 2 2 6 — 18
Cape Coral 52, Lehigh 21: Christine Gaywood pumped in 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Cape High to a victory at Lehigh.
Jardin McCarthy added 13 points and eight assists for the Seahawks, who host North Fort Myers Wednesday.
Boys basketball
Cape Coral 73, Estero 34: Cape Coral pressured visiting Estero into 13 first-half turnovers and pulled away in a preseason classic game.
It’s the first of two preseason games for the Seahawks. They host Evangelical Christian Thursday.
Wellington Tavarez led the scoring with 24 points and Joel Hill added 17. A key contributor was sophomore point guard C.J. Carter. He had four assists and no turnovers.
Sports editor Jim Linette contributed to this report.