By Richard Taylor
Travel fatigue, defensive woes, missed shots, plus playing in an unfamiliar gym, overcame Ocracoke during two late December games at the Patuxent Holiday Classic, in Lusby, MD.
After trailing Calvert High School most of the first game, two foul shots by Danny Badillo gave the Dolphins a 40-39 lead over the Cavaliers at the end of the third quarter. But Ocracoke was tired by the fourth quarter, falling 63-50 to Calvert, Dec. 28. The next evening, Ocracoke then lost 59-51 to host Patauxent High, despite leading much of the game.
“Our defense is nowhere as good as it was this time last year,” Dolphin varsity coach Frank Moore explained by phone New Years Day as he returned home on the Hatteras ferry. “We were competitive against Patuxent right up to the end. We’ve got to learn to play defense the whole game, not just for one or two quarters. We score good points ourselves, but we’re not stopping enough of their shots.”
The Dolphins will begin defense of their Atlantic 5 (1A) regular season championship at Columbia on Jan. 16. Bear Grass Charter, the 2023 tournament champion, invades The Tank Jan. 19. Ocracoke was 8-1 in conference last year, including two wins over Bear Grass, before losing to the Bears in the conference title game, 37-36, on Feb. 26. The Hobgood Charter Raiders, previously an independent team, joined the Atlantic 5 this year.
Reflecting on last year’s disappointing home tournament loss to Bear Grass, Moore said, “That might have been the ugliest game I’ve ever coached. But, we played well against Jones Central (in the first round of the state (1A East) playoffs, possibly one of our better games of the year.”
The Dolphins beat Jones 74-70, before losing to West Columbus in the next playoff round. Due to the Dolphins’ higher seeding, both were home games.
“I’m most worried that our defense is nowhere as good as it was at this time last year,” Moore said. “We can score points, but we’re not stopping our opponents as well as we should. We’ve got to work on that.”
“I’m excited our Dolphins could play in that holiday tournament,” Ocracoke Principal Leslie told the Observer by text message. “A big shout out to Coach Frank Moore for all his work to make it happen. Also, a very big thank you to the parents who drove and made sure the team got to the tournament. It was a tough loss, but they played well. I’m proud of them all. And I really appreciate Tommy Hutcherson for calling the games on WOVV.”
Despite those two road losses in Lusby, Moore was proud how his small island team matured from playing two hard-fought games against larger out-of-state schools in Maryland.
“We have nothing to be ashamed of,” he boasted. “We go right into our conference schedule this week. I hope we can improve where it really matters. We want to win that conference again this year.”
Moore always preaches defense, defense, defense at sideline time-out huddles, notes WOVV broadcaster Hutcherson. “We’ve got to play defense the whole game, not just for one or two quarters,” the Dolphin coach emphasizes. “Now is when it really matters.”
Hutcherson noted that about 25 islanders made the trip to Patuxent.
“That’s a darn good showing,” he said. “I’ll tell you, it was no easy undertaking coming all the way up here. The folks up there in Lusby treated us really well, and the officiating was good.”
The Dolphins were behind by 20 points against Calvert, before coming back to briefly take the lead, 40-39 at the end of the third quarter. That prompted Hutcherson to say on the radio, “We’re tired, but we had arrived.”
When the Dolphins tied the score 31-31 against Calvert in the third quarter of the first game, Hutcherson said, “We’ve got something going here.”
After Calvert took the lead 37-34, Danny Badillo was fouled attempting a 3-pointer. He sank all three foul shots. “We’re tied 37-37, ladies and gentlemen,” Tommy said. “Tell you what, Danny’s had a heck of a game. He’s a force to be reckoned with when he’s on his game.”
With two minutes left against the home team, two free-throws by Gavin Elicker tied the game 51-51. The Panthers then pulled ahead for good, 54-51. That was the first time the Patuxent had led since early in the game.
A Patuxent full-court press caused Ocracoke to subsequently miss multiple shots with under a minute to play. Rahnier Lyons then stepped on the line while attempting a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left.
“I tell you what, Ocracoke is on the wrong end of this score,” Hutcherson said. “We’re going to need a miracle.” When Danny Badillo’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out, he lamented, “They’ve had a great game, compared to the one they had yesterday.
“It was fun calling the games from Patuxent High School in Lusby, Maryland, and a very good learning experience. Playing with a shot-clock is going to make our boys better going into the conference. We’re very proud of our players and their parents for getting them here. We made a valiant effort for two really good games, but Ocracoke just couldn’t quite pull it out.”
Leading Dolphin scorers against Patuxent were Danny Badillo, 7; Rahnier Shack-anier Lyons, 9; Landon Landino Fuller, 14 and Finn Kattenburg, 18. Scoring against Calvert was not a available.
Ocracoke was 8-1 in conference last year, including two wins against Bear Grass, before losing to the Bears 37-36 in the regular season title game at home, Jan. 16. The Dolphins then beat Jones County 74-70 in the first round of the state eastern 1A playoffs, before falling to West Columbus. 62-49, in the second round.
“We go right into our conference schedule at 7-4 next week,” Moore said. “I hope we can improve where it really matters. We want to win the league title again this year.”
WOVV broadcasts all Dolphin home varsity, J.V. and middle school games on 90.1 FM and online at wovv.rocks.
