Perseverence lands Tritons in District 4A-11 tourney
Victories have been tough to come by the past few years for the Mariner High girls’ basketball team. The Tritons finished 2-23 in 2007-08 and followed that with an 0-25 mark last year.
Understandably, second-year coach Jeremy Dearinger wasn’t as focused on the overall record this season as he was getting his team to persevere through what proved to be another season filled with defeats.
Dearinger said it’s been a “season of defining moments” for the Tritons (4-20), both in their ability to stick together through the losses and work together for some memorable wins.
The Tritons also managed to play their way into the eight-team District 4A-11 Tournament field. The tournament begins Monday at South Fort Myers with top-seeded South taking on the heavily underdog Tritons.
“This has been a season of defining moments, moments in which the girls could have given up, or worse yet, quit,” Dearinger said. “Coming off a season that went 0-25, no one would blame a girl for not wanting to play, but these girls stepped up to the plate and worked hard in the offseason to get better.”
The hard work hasn’t translated to many wins, but one, in particular, proved to be pivotal for the Tritons. They defeated rival Cape Coral, 35-34, on Jan. 8 in a game that ultimately decided the eighth and final spot in the district tournament.
Senior Ashley Mercado sank a free throw to put the Tritons ahead by one and the Seahawks failed to convert a last-second shot, handing Mariner the dramatic win.
“That night the girls tasted what hard work, determination and focus can do,” Dearinger said.
Mariner faces No. 1 South Fort Myers at 7 p.m. Monday. The first quarterfinal game between No. 4 Fort Myers and No. 5 Estero tips off at 5 p.m.
Two more quarterfinal matches are on tap for Tuesday – No. 6 Lemon Bay facies No. 3 North Fort Myers at 5 p.m. and No. 7 Ida Baker playing No. 2 Cypress Lake at 7 p.m.
Cape (6-15) and Riverdale are the two teams left out of tournament play in the 10-team district.
For the Tritons, junior point guard Mariella Bono and Mercado have provided a solid 1-2 punch.
The Ida Baker Bulldogs (10-16) are striving for consistency under first-year coach Ashley Underhill. The Bulldogs posted a 5-0 mark against Cape High, Mariner and Island Coast, but have fallen short against the heavy hitters in 4A-11.
They’ll get one more shot Tuesday against Cypress Lake. The Bulldogs lost by 29 and 20 points, respectively, in the two regular season meetings with the Panthers.
Senior forward Cheyanne Ross, junior guard Shanelly Brown and freshman guard Hannah Del Negro trigger the Bulldogs.
District 3A-12: Top-seeded Bishop Verot (15-5, 7-1) cruised through district play for most of the season and is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament.
Second-seed and tourney host Dunbar played its best ball late in the season, putting the Vikings on high alert.
“We will need to be ready mentally and physically if we are fortunate enough to play Dunbar on their home court in the district final,” Vikings coach Father Chris Beretta said.
Island Coast (10-16) has held its own in its first full varsity season. Under coach Jerry Ellis, the Gators put together a five-game winning streak at one point and split two games with Dunbar. Those teams meet again Thursday in the semifinals.