Tritons, Seahawks win at IC Shootout
The Mariner Tritons got a wake-up call early in this basketball season.
The Tritons were cruising at halftime of their game against Miami Gulliver Prep on Friday, but that cruise hit some rough waters in the second half. In the end, Mariner prevailed in an 83-67 victory in the Island Coast Turkey Shootout.
“That’s what basketball is supposed to be like,” Mariner coach James Harris said. “Teams are going to make runs. I thought we had a pretty good half, but it was just one half.”
Mariner (3-0) led 47-24 at the break before Gulliver Prep (2-1) rallied within 61-52 with 5:37 to play.
“Gulliver’s a good team,” Harris said. “They were missing their best player. We were able to take advantage of them early. They got to halftime and made the adjustments, and then we were the ones who were on our heels.
“It was good for us to pull that one out and pull it out big considering the run they made.”
To win, the Tritons first slowed things down. They just stood and held the ball for some time while Gulliver Prep defenders stood at a distance. The Raiders’ momentum disappeared.
After that Mariner got its offense re-ignited, outscoring the Raiders 22-15 down the stretch.
“I think we just got away from what worked for us,” Harris said. “We had to go back to doing some things.
“I thought the basket for Jahmel (Myers) to start the fourth quarter was big for us. It kind of got the momentum back. When we went to an offense where we were able to spread the floor and make them have to guard us, I thought that was special for us.”
Senior guard Rodney Hunter led Mariner with 29 points. Sean Kostyk scored 15 points, Kris Carpenter had 12 and Jacob Tracey added 11 for the Tritons.
Hunter and Kostyk had three three-pointers each.
Cody Bowes scored 22 points and Mitch Pattillo 19 for Gulliver Prep.
“We’ve got to play different styles,” Harris said. “We need to learn to work fast and then to finish a game, however that means playing.”
The Tritons play back-to-back at Immokalee and at home against Cape Coral on Thursday and Friday.
Cape Coral 49, Jensen Beach 32: The Seahawks held Jensen Beach without a field goal in the fourth quarter to pull away in the Island Coast Turkey Shootout Friday.
Cape Coral (1-2) saw a 13-point lead dwindle to four (33-29) in the third quarter before righting the ship.
“I think for our team it’s just a lack of focus,” Cape Coral coach Tom Kenna said. “We play hard, play hard and then we come back out without focus. We need to continue on.
“At the beginning of the game we pressed. We probably should have pressed coming out of the blocks” after halftime, Kenna said.
Cam Brissett’s basket ended a 9-2 Falcons (2-3) run in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was all Seahawks, outscoring Jensen Beach 14-3. The Falcons’ three points all came on free throws.
“We’re working on shooting the ball a little quicker than we did today,” Kenna said. “We’re trying to shoot the ball within 24 seconds. We just didn’t work hard enough.”
Brandon Alcide led Cape with 17 points, 15 in the first half.
Cape’s next game is Thursday at home against East Lee County, followed Friday with a crosstown showdown at Mariner.
Girls Basketball
Mariner 64, Port Charlotte 48: Senior Mariah Ortiz enjoyed a career-best offensive performance Friday in the Bokamper’s Thanksgiving Tournament at Barron Collier.
Ortiz knocked down 42 points, including five three-point baskets. She single-handedly put the game out of reach by scoring 19 of her game-high total in the fourth quarter. Grace Waller added five points and Katie Adams scored five in addition to another dependable defensive effort.
The Tritons (4-2) lost to C.S. Naples 80-29 in the first round of the tournament Wednesday night. They play their final game in the tournament on Saturday.
Sports editor Jim Linette contributed to this report.