Tritons seek trip to state
Mariner basketball coach James Harris hopes the trend of the Tritons getting knocked out of the playoffs at the regional final level ends tonight.
The Tritons (25-3) host Tampa Jesuit in the Region 5A-3 Finals at 7 p.m. It’s their third trip to the regional final in the last five years, losing the previous two. They are aiming to become the first Tritons team to play in the state final four in Lakeland since the 1996 team that lost to Daytona Mainland in the state championship game.
Comparing the two teams is quite a study in contrasts.
“That team 20 years ago had seven D-I players on it,” said Harris. “They were good at scoring, probably averaged 100 points per game. This team averages 63 points per game while giving up just 42 per game. That’s a big difference.”
Isaiah Darrett leads the Tritons in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per game. Amari Haynes scores at a 10.3 clip and Jahmel Myers chips in 10 a game.
“It all starts with Isaiah,” said Harris. “He’s a three-year starter who will play all five positions on the floor in a given game. When we need someone to guard the other team’s best player, it’s Darrett. He’s the glue and the catalyst. He only played seven minutes in the first game we lost because of foul trouble. That’s how important he is for us.”
On a nightly basis, the Tritons will go nine deep on their bench, which means a lot for a high school team.
“We’ve been challenged by some really good teams this year,” said Harris. “That has prepared us for this moment. Jesuit can’t do anything to us that we have not seen this year. They are a good team that’s fundamentally sound. They are 24-5 for a reason.”
Mariner’s strength all season has been its defense, and that is by design.
“We defend the paint well with our size and athleticism,” said Harris. “On the other hand we need to go inside to our biggs. We can’t change our blueprint, which is score in the paint and stop them in the paint.”
The Tritons have, on occasion, strayed from that philosophy and it has almost cost them, like it almost did in Tuesday’s regional semifinal victory when Bradenton Southeast made a couple of late runs at the Tritons’ big lead.
“When we slip up inside I tell them to just get back to doing what we do best,” said Harris. “When things are not going your way you have to find a way to change things up.”
The Tritons are playing in the regional playoffs for the seventh straight year. They are 18-15 overall in the playoffs.
“We won our first 20 games to start the season, but you can’t name the best player on our team,” said Harris. “This team has been so enjoyable this year, and it’s fun coaching this group as they build relationships.”
With his three double-figure scorers, Harris likes to have Sean Kostyk and Terrell Smith on the floor. That’s his basic starting five, but he calls them his closing five – the five guys he wants on the floor at the end.
Baseball
Lemon Bay 12, Oasis 2: Seven errors proved costly for Oasis Wednesday night in a 10-run loss to Lemon Bay.
Justin Brooks (0-2) took the loss on the mound despite striking out five and allowing one hit over 2 2/3 innings. All six runs he allowed were unearned. The Sharks (1-3) managed just four hits, including a double apiece by Kevin Newton and Kristian Velando.
The Sharks played at Seacrest on Thursday.