Heartbreak, and Triumph!

cruising to a 47 -39 point victory over Columbia High School, after leading by as many as 16. 

The win brings the Dolphins all-time record against the Wildcats to one and every other time we've played them.  Trust that number to grow as this young team continues to mature. 

Andrew Tillett scored on the first possession.  Walker Garrish scored on the second one.  

Andrew's domination of the boards and well placed outlet passes kept the Dolphins ahead.  Guards Wyatt Norris and Adam Carter both made slick moves while bringing the ball up the floor.  The Columbia guards occassionally had to scramble to catch up.  Wyatt can score on spectacular drives, and Adam can pull up and drop in a long range jumper. 

"Walker and Wyatt set the tone for the game by taking it to the hole early on," said Dolphin Coach David Allewalt.  "The boys are playing with a high level of physicality," he added.  "They got 29 boards in the first half.  Last time we played Columbia, they got 27 in the whole game."

Walker played with sublime ferocity, and looked like a much more assured player than the one I saw just 11 days ago.  The Wildcats had no answer for the inside game of the Dolphins.  Walker is a freshman, Andrew a sophomore.  Watch out, world.

After Andrew picked up his second foul, he went to the bench with the Dolphins leading 23 -16.  The team stretched the lead with strong play from back-up center William O'Neal.  He has great hands, works hard on defense, and runs the floor beautifully.  A focused push up the floor by Adam, a bullet to William and a layup with 10 seconds left in the half brought the crowd back to its feet.  The Dolphins went to the locker room leading 27 - 18.

My notes from early in the game say, "confident, quick, smart, generous."  In the second half I added "tremendous hustle."  All the Columbia players except Rayvon Basnight looked tired and discouraged in the third quarter, which ended with the Dolphins up 38 -24.

Credit to the Wildcat players and coach that in the fourth they mounted a threat.  Full court pressure led to Dolphin turnovers, which led to frustration fouls, putting the Wildcats on the line again and again.  David said his team was "a little fatigued."  Columbia had a chance to score 18 points from the line in the last 8 minutes, but only 6 of those made it to the scoreboard.

Sharpshooting Jared Ariche dropped in 3 shots from behind the arc to bring the 'Cats within 6, and Kurtlin Moore and KJ Rawls kept the Dolphin defense on its toes. 

Adam refused to lose.  All 7 of his points came in the second half.  He shot 4 of 7 from the free throw line in the final minutes. 

A zinger from Wyatt found Casey Tolson, who banked in a contested shot to make it 45 - 34 with 50 seconds left, sealing the game.

The balanced Dolphin assault was led by Andrew with 12 points, Wyatt added 10, Adam and William 7 each, Walker chalked up 6, and Casey 5.  Then there are those crucial players whose contributions aren't always reflected in the stat sheets.  "Kade always gives valuable minutes," said Coach David. 

The Lady Dolphins were handed their second defeat of the season by the Wildcat girls, who are also responsible for their first loss, by 1 point in overtime at Columbia. 

Kenya Burton beat the Dolphin defense to the baseline again and again, forcing help and opening up the inside.  Neicy Gibbs seized rebounds and scored on put backs. 

Columbia benefitted from a few lucky rolls and bounces, and led 17 -6.  

It was scrappy and physical both in the paint and on the perimeter, and the refs seemed to be saving their whistle blowing breath for the boys game.  Starting Dolphin guard Alma Flores slumped from exhaustion before the half was over, and was assisted off the floor.  She is fine, reports Coach Adam Burleson. 

Diana Perez' quick first step kept the Dolphins in the game.  All of her 6 points came in the first half. 

Normally dominant Lucy O'Neal struggled against Neicy, who blocked several shots early on.  The Wildcats controlled the pace, making it a half court game, and the Dolphins couldn't find their groove.  They appeared a little hesitant and listless, not like the regular season champions they stand a good chance of being. 

Katie O'Neal hit the floor showing signs of life that sparked the team.  An inbounds pass and bucket by Lucy with 1.9 seconds left took the Dolphins to the locker room down 24 - 14.  Star player and floor leader Echo Bennink went scoreless in the first 16 minutes. 

She came out leading the charge and the Dolphins scored the first 5 points of the half, playing with spunk and hustle and engaging the crowd.  Lucy blocked and changed Wildcat shots, keeping the game within reach.  They went into the final quarter down 8.  

Echo followed her own missed three with a bucket, and Columbia coaches, sensing a momentum shift, called time out.  With over four minutes to play, the Wildcats spread the floor and worked the clock, forcing the Dolphins to foul.  With only 3 team fouls to their credit, it took until 1:58 was left in the game to put Columbia on the line. 

Samantha Styron hustled up the floor to prevent a breakaway layup by Columbia, and then moved aggressively on offense to get on the line shooting one on one for the Dolphins.  She sank both.  

Echo scored 16 of the team's 20 second half points.  The effort was not enough, and the girls walked away eager for a likely rematch.  Both Columbia and Ocracoke have only two conference losses, and will probably meet in the tournament, or in a potential play-in game to determine the regular season champions. 

"I would love to have an opportunity to play them again," said Coach B.  "We shot 20%," he said.  "We try to get above 30%.  It's hard to win shooting 20%." 

What will you do differently next time you meet? I asked.  Echo had the answer:  "We'll beat them."