Prep report: Tritons take tourney title
In dropping seven straight games, the Mariner Tritons had struggled coming out of the locker room with the same intensity in the second half.
They made that a point of emphasis as they hosted the Christmas Tournament at Mariner, which concluded Tuesday night.
The Tritons won their third straight in the tournament Tuesday night, defeating Clewiston 67-51 to claim the tournament title.
It was the fourth straight win for the Tritons overall.
“Throughout the tournament we did a better job of protecting the lead in the second half,” Mariner coach James Harris said. “In all three games we played really good in the third quarter.”
Against Clewiston, junior guard Ricardo Barsesa led the way with 24 points. He scored eight during a pivotal stretch in the third when fellow junior Kameron Beach, the team’s leading scorer, went to the bench in foul trouble.
Barsesa converted three of the Tritons’ nine three-pointers, while Beach also hit three three-pointers to finish with 15.
The Tritons (5-7) opened the tournament with a victory over Riverdale and then defeated Immokalee 70-56 Monday to advance to Tuesday’s championship game.
Beach was selected as the tournament MVP and Barsesa also was selected to the first team.
Clewiston 8 11 13 18 – 51
Mariner 15 16 15 21 – 67
Clewiston (51) – John Williams 4, Johnson 13, Redd 14, Jonathan Williams 11, Lawson 8, Jackson 1. Totals: 21 7-16 51. 3-point goals: Johnson 1, Redd 1.
Mariner (67) – Beach 15, Barsesa 24, Vandemark 8, Rivera 6, Guerrier 5, Emmons 4, Johnson 5. Totals: 23 13-20 67. 3-point goals: Beach 3, Barsesa 3, Vandemark 2, Rivera 1.
Boys soccer
n Park Vista 1, Mariner 0: The Mariner Tritons concluded play in the Adidas Palm Beach Invitational, losing a hardfought game against Park Vista.
The Tritons went 1-2 during the invitational, which included a 2-0 victory over Cocunut Creek Monday night.
Senior goalkeeper Renato Proia continued his strong play, registering four saves. Senior captain Travis Edward had a strong game at defensive sweeper, and Matt Isherwood contributed to the defensive effort.