Middle School Teams Roll

Both went 5-0 in the Tideland Conference, after playing only 7 of 14 scheduled games due to travel restrictions imposed by the lack of a viable route to and through Hatteras Island. The girls were also victorious in non-conference games against Terra Ceia and Wanchese,

The boys only loss was by 10 points, to a larger, older Terra Ceia JV team of ninth and tenth graders.

The final games were at home against Mattamuskeet on February 8.

Sydney Austin led all scorers with 22. Kaylee Gaskins, Bricia Moreno and Sierra Winstead each added 4, and Iris Trejo, Lupita Martinez and Stacey O'Neal all sank buckets in the 40 -7 romp.

Brieanna Boos got a good look inside, dropping the ball to Bricia Moreno for two in the early going. Karen Perez stole the ball twice with her quick hands, and Sydney added two. A Laker was fouled on the breakaway after a steal, adding the first point for the visitors, with the quarter ending 4-1, Dolphins.

Sydney scored consistently on controlled drives, lay-ups, and put backs after her long arms pulled down rebounds. This talented player can score in traffic, though with her court smarts she consistently finds open teammates with well placed bounce passes and lobs.

The Dolphins applied pressure, and Laker point guard Patrianna Meekins, a good ball handler, didn't have much help. The home team led 18-1 at the half. Almost all of the points scored by either team were lay-ups.

Despite their huge and seemingly insurmountable lead, the Dolphin girls never stopped hustling, playing harassing defense, and diving for loose balls. Sierra Winstead played with more intensity than anyone else, and brought the score to 28-3 after a steal.

Stacey O'Neal kept both her head and the ball up after fighting for defensive rebounds, and made several nice outlet passes to assist breaking teammates.

Eight eighth grade girls were honored prior to the game, which was their last as part of the middle school team. The young women may continue wearing Dolphin blue next season with the (also undefeated) Lady Dolphins, who will lose only one player to graduation.

Five eighth grade boys started the final home game. The first Dolphin possessions were a taste of things to come, with a great assist by Matteus Gilbert to Carson O'Neal. Kyle Tillett then stole the ball and fed it to Spencer Gaskins, who was fouled on the drive. An outlet from Kyle after a missed Laker shot found Waylon Underwood, who placed it neatly in Carson's hands for a 6-0 lead.

"Good pass," one Dolphin fan exclaimed appreciatively.

Laker Jalen Clayton started things off for his team with a slashing drive for two. Kyle responded with a drive of his own, taking advantage of a nice screen by Carson. Point guard Kyle answered the next Laker basket by beating his man and scoring with an off balance shot for the 11-4 lead. A turn around jump shot from the free throw line by Carson gave the Dolphins a 13-6 cushion at the end of the first.

Tre Farrow nailed a three for the Lakers to open the second quarter, and drove under the basket to score with a spectacular turn around one handed layup. He was the Laker high scorer with 11.

The Dolphins took advantage of their superior size and passing game. Carson found Spencer under the basket, and Darvin Contreras added a three from the baseline, making it 23-11 at the half.

Laker Colby Spencer handled the ball ably against his former teammates, and appeared to spend some time catching up with them during second half breaks in the action.

Matteus stole the ball to open the second half, and tough play in the lane got him to the line again and again, where he shot 5-10, not bad for a middle school big man. He had 9 in the game.

Macky Kalna took it all the way up the floor and to the hole, making the game 34-15. The Lakers mounted a comeback, with Tre and Jalen both driving to score, and popping the ball out to one another for open shots. Colby stole the ball and got the basket, and the game was 39-21.

Spencer squared up for a nice three pointer, sank it, and the Dolphin lead grew. With the score 48-21, the Lakers found themselves in foul trouble. Darvin pushed the ball up the floor to Kyle, who banked it in for the home team, adding to his 13 game points.

Liam Caswell came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 9 of his 14 points in that six minute period. The defense has to step out on him, or he'll drop in a three, and he scooped a smooth one handed layup in to bring the score to 55-30.

The fatigued Lakers never responded, and another nice assist by Kyle found Waylon Underwood, whose shot with under 18 seconds to play made it 64-30 for the Dolphin win.