A Clean Sweep!
Both Dolphin teams defeated their rivals from Hatteras Island. A sweep has never happened before against the larger school, which is a 45 minute ferry ride away. Not once. Not ever. The cakes raffled at halftime couldn’t be sweeter than this. The frosting? Both were double digit wins.
The girls’ game was a runaway 56 to 32 victory, fueled by the powerful inside presence of freshman Lucy O’Neal and the mad skills of senior Echo Bennink, who can both take it to the hole and light it up from the outside. Diana Perez was on point, and put the ball into the right hands at the right time. She is a scoring threat when left unguarded.
The Lady Dolphins were too much for the fierce play of Hurricane #13, who just couldn’t be everywhere at once.
The smothering defense of Sandra Hagins and quick hands of Alin Tellez helped the team dominate. Sandra gets additional props for her lovely and graceful singing of our National Anthem prior to the boys’ game.
Freshman Katie O’Neal will be a player to watch. She appears to be fearless, and drives the ball straight toward the basket.
The Lady Dolphins only conference loss is to Columbia.
The Hatteras boys came out looking to sink threes while the Dolphins pounded the ball inside to sophomore Andrew Tillett.
The Dolphins didn’t lose their cool against the full court pressure Hatteras applied in the first half, though a few misplaced passes led to turnovers, giving the Hurricanes a slight edge early in the tight game.
The Hurricanes couldn’t collapse on Tillett because of the Walker Garrish threat on the other side of the court. Garrish made some nimble moves to the basket, and fought hard on the boards all night. "Playing is in his genes," said Ocracoke School principal Walt Padgett.
William O’Neal came off the bench with his long arms, snatching rebounds and making it hard for the opponents to find an open inside shot.
Kade Nagakane's time on the floor was a workshop in defense.
The Dolphins went into halftime leading 23 to 22 after two made free throws by Tillett. The team was 9 for 14 from the free throw line.
Hatteras guards moved the ball well during the 2nd half, and created a lot of open chances to score jump shots. The teams traded points, with Hatteras pulling ahead 29 - 28 on a three.
On the next possession, smooth junior Casey Tolson pulled up and dropped in a three of his own for the Dolphins, bringing the capacity crowd to their feet.
A three point shot by Hatteras tied the score at 34 with four and a half minutes remaining.
Highlight-worthy passing from Adam Carter to Tillett put the Dolphins up by 2. They got a defensive
The home crowd went wild. Momentum was growing.
Another good outlet pass, by Garrish, helped get Norris to the line. The Dolphins were 6 for 6 in free throw shooting down the stretch, and with under a minute to play enjoyed a 10 point cushion.
The gym rang with the jubilant voices of Ocracokers, many of whom once competed, with significantly less success, against Hatteras teams. They were out tonight supporting their children, their grandchildren, their siblings, their nieces and nephews, their cousins, and the children of their friends.
The chant had been heard before, because it was borrowed from Hatteras fans. The taunt “Start the Ferry” may be unique to the athletic rivalry between these two island schools, and it felt pretty good to be the ones saying it for a change.
Padgett has been principal at Ocracoke School for two years. He coached varsity football and baseball teams for 20 years before accepting the position on Ocracoke. “I cannot remember a time when I was more excited than I am now,” said Padgett. “I couldn’t be prouder.”
Coach David Allewalt refused to single out individual players for praise, crediting “the team as a whole.”
“We lost [to Hatteras] by ten last time,” he said, and attributed this victory to the determination of his players. “This was the first time all season they’ve wanted it more than I have,” he said, “and I hate to lose.”
The young Dolphin team starts 4 freshmen and sophomores and Tolson, who is a junior. In their last three games they’ve fought hard against larger, more experienced teams and grown a lot, said Allewalt.
Their next match is at home against Columbia. “We will be looking to build off our momentum,” said Allewalt.
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