Tritons avenge loss to Cape
Even though Cape Coral pulled away from Mariner in an early-season boys’ basketball game, winning by 24 points, Seahawks coach Mark Rinehart felt uneasy about facing the rival Tritons again Thursday night at Mariner.
Rinehart said he was impressed by how the Tritons played early in the season even though they hit a rough stretch, which included seven-straight losses.
“I’ve been telling anybody who would listen, (Mariner) is a good team,” he said.
Led by juniors Ricardo Barsesa (24 points) and Kameron Beach (19 points), Mariner outlasted Cape 75-66 in an spirited District 5A-12 clash.
The Tritons played strong defense throughout and heated up from behind the three-point arc in the second half.
Barsesa finished with four three-pointers, Beach sank three, and senior Tyler Vandemark connected with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter giving the Tritons a comfortable 62-49 lead.
The Tritons (8-8, 1-3) held on the rest of the way, notching their seventh victory in the last eight games.
“We’re playing a lot better,” Mariner coach James Harris said. “When you lose seven in a row that never sounds good, but if you look back at the teams we played like Fort Myers, Baker, Cape, Barron Collier – it really got us ready.”
In the first quarter, both teams came out with a high level of intensity for the rivalry game. Both teams carried that over to the defensive end, challenging seemingly every shot.
Sophomore James McIntyre scored the final two baskets of the quarter, giving the Seahawks a 10-6 lead.
Both teams heated up in the second quarter. After Mariner took a 16-12 lead, the Seahawks made a run of their own to take a 20-16 lead. Josh Monteagudo scored five points and Yoko Roldan knocked down a three-pointer during that spurt.
The Tritons answered, though, outscoring the Seahawks 12-2 over the final four minutes of the first half.
Rinehart said the Seahawks (10-3, 2-2) played well in spurts.
“We talked a lot about giving a consistent effort for 32 minutes. If you don’t do that you’re asking for trouble,” he said. “We’ve gotten into a bad habit of thinking we can pull games out in the fourth quarter and that’s a bad philosophy.”
The Seahawks did start fast in the third quarter as they tried to push the ball more for transition baskets. Wellington Tavarez scored the final basket of a 10-4 spurt, which tied it 32-32.
The Tritons countered with a 21-10 run in the remainder of the third quarter. They hit five three-pointers during that stretch. Barsesa hit two, while Beach, Nick Marrero and Sam Guerrier each had one.
“I thought Cape did a good job being physical and that got us to focus more on what we needed to do,” Harris said. “Once we settled down we were able to hit some open shots.”
The Seahawks were led by Joel Hill, who finished with 15 points. Roldan chipped in with 14 and Monteagudo added 11 off the bench.
The Seahawks face Gainesville Williston, one of the top-ranked teams in the state in Class 3A, Friday night at “The Nest.”
Saturday night, Cape hosts a three-game shootout. Ida Baker plays Palm Beach Wellington at 3 p.m., Bishop Verot faces Williston at 5 p.m. and Sarasota takes on host Cape at 7 p.m.
Mariner continues its season Saturday at East Lee County.
Cape Coral 10 12 20 24 – 66
Mariner 6 22 25 22 – 75
Cape Coral (66) – Roldan 14, Tavarez 8, McIntyre 6, Hill 15, Monteagudo 11, Hall 8, Figueroa 2, Mitchell 2. Totals: 25-57 13-22 66.
3-point goals: Monteagudo 1, Roldan 1, Hall 1.
Mariner (75) – Barsesa 24, Beach 19, Johnson 10, Vandemark 7, Guerrier 7, Marrero 5, Rivera 2, Longsworth 1. Totals: 25-61 16-26 75.
3-point goals: Barsesa 4, Beach 3, Vandemark 1, Marrero 1.