As today (March 19) begins the annual March Madness basketball championship, we offer this assessment of the recently ended Ocracoke School basketball season.
By Peter Vankevich
Over the winter, the Ocracoke Dolphins basketball teams concluded a challenging yet promising season. The well-attended games were broadcast by WOVV 90.1 FM, the island’s community radio station.
Both varsity teams ended the season with a 3–12 record. The boys’ middle-school team finished at 4–5, while the middle school girls had a 3–5 record.
All varsity players, except one graduating senior from the boys’ team, are expected to return next season.
Despite the losing records, the coaches praised the players, highlighting each team’s growth and never-give-up attitude and expressed optimism for the next year.
Boys varsity: “A rebuilding year
In his first season, Coach Luke Davis guided a young team through a rebuilding year. The team had lost seven talented seniors to graduation. Following point guard senior Noah Turner’s departure to a season-ending injury, the starting lineup featured two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior, with almost no bench support.
“These players needed to be in top physical condition and play intelligently,” Davis said. “They were competing against teams who had four years of varsity experience and were bigger, faster and stronger. Throughout the season, we had to mature and develop rapidly.”
Team members were Yael Mendez-Amador (Jr), Duncan McClain (Fr), Mau Guerrero Perez (Jr), Roger Suazo Gonzales (Sr), Javier Trejo (Fr), Brian O’Neal (So) and Uriah Johnson (So).
Davis noted significant improvement throughout the season. He said that the team met its most important goals and focused on growth rather than wins and losses.
They never gave up
Athletic Director Mary McKnight said the Lady Dolphins varsity record doesn’t reflect the team’s grit. She was proud of their perseverance, playing hard through every game to the end of the fourth quarter. Four of those losses were close games.
Stats coach Jack Keys noted that even though they did not produce as many wins as they would have liked, they still managed to learn and develop their team and individual skills and put forth 100 percent effort in all of their games.
“With a team of only seven players, they worked hard in practices and performed the best they could when they were clearly outnumbered by other opponents having sometimes more than 12 players,” he noted.
The team members were Jenny Garcia (Fr), Lilly Pacanins (So), Essie O’Neal (Jr), Olivia Tinney (Fr), Dora Goff (Jr), Jami Martinez (Jr), Denisse Rubio (So) and Stephanie Flores Esparza (So), coached by Head Coach Salomon Vergara-Cobos and assistant coach Lucy O’Neal.
Martinez led the team in scoring with 130 points (8.1 pts per game), followed by Rubio with 109 points (6.8 points per game) and led the team in rebounds with 99, followed by Esparza Flores with 93.
Middle-School Boys: Strong finish and growing confidence
Coached by Carson O’Neal and Matt Tolsen, the middle school boys’ team finished 4–5, winning three of their final five games. O’Neal noted how they improved significantly in defense and rebounding.
“They really hit their stride after the Christmas break,” O’Neal said. “Sharing the ball and ball movement was something the team did well most of the season, and the biggest area of improvement was growth on defense and rebounding, which really helped the team form into shape and get some wins down the stretch of the season.”
The team delivered several highlight performances, including sweeping both Mattamuskeet games, led by 8th grade captain Joseph Contreras, who scored 24 and 12 points in those contests. O’Neal also noted a home win over the Hatteras Hurricanes sparked by 7th grader Kyler Luna, who poured in 13 points.
Middle-School Girls: Big roster, even bigger growth
The middle-school girls, coached by Mary McKnight with assistants Katie Rooney O’Neal and Frank Pacanins, finished 3–5. Despite the record, the coaches focused on fundamental skills, leadership, and mastering the “inner game.”
Managing a large roster of 17 players, the coaches praised the team’s heart, cooperation and culture, which bodes well for the program’s future.
With both varsity teams and the middle-school programs poised to return nearly all of their players, the foundations laid this year are expected to benefit the Dolphins in future seasons.
