The Ocracoke Lady Dolphins varsity basketball team, seen here against Hatteras Feb. 16, will play at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the first round of state playoffs against the Triangle Math & Science Academy in the Ocracoke School gym. Photo by Richard Taylor
Tuesday, Feb. 22 The Ocracoke Lady Dolphins varsity basketball team will play in the first round of the Eastern Division 1A state playoffs against the Triangle Math and Science Academy Tigers of Cary at 5 p.m. in the Ocracoke School gym (“the Tank”). WOVV 90.1 FM will broadcast the game.
Wednesday, Feb. 23 The North Carolina Ferry Division will host a career fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ocracoke Community Center, 999 Irvin Garrish Highway.
Saturday, Feb. 26 Hatteras Island Junior Girl Scout Troop #2103 will be set up in front of Books to be Red selling Girl Scout Cookies from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum at 39 Water Plant Road, Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Ocracoke Preservation Society is seeking help for two professional positions for immediate employment.
MUSEUM MANAGER Ocracoke Preservation Society is seeking to hire an energetic, versatile person to fill the position of Museum and Gift Shop, Social Media and Website Manager.
This is a part-time position with up to 30 hours per week, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. Employment runs from March through December.
Duties include but are not limited to:
Working in the gift shop at the register when needed
Coordinating volunteers and keeping a schedule for the volunteer shifts
Training new volunteers
Stocking, pricing and maintaining inventory for the gift shop
Opening and closing the museum and gift shop
Daily reconcile of receipts
Managing wholesale and online orders
Answering the telephone and directing calls
Working with Administrator and other museum employees on various activities
Social Media – maintain the OPS social media accounts including Facebook and Instagram
BOOKKEEPER This position is a year-round, 20-hour-per-week, part-time position at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum and Gift Shop. Qualifications for the bookkeeping role include but are not limited to Quick Books experience, accounting: receivables and payables, payroll, tax preparation, insurance and other bookkeeping principles. Applicant will work closely with the administrator and the executive board treasurer. Applicant should be able to multi-task and have a flexible schedule.
Applications will be accepted through email to admin@ocracokepreservation.org and through the mail at P.O. Box 1240, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
Please contact Andrea Powers, administrator, at 252-928-7375 for questions about these positions.
Alyssa Bryan, left, lands a layup against Hatteras Feb. 16. Photo by Richard Taylor
Text and photos by Richard Taylor
The Ocracoke Lady Dolphins varsity basketball team may have fallen in the first round of the Atlantic 5 (1A) conference tournament on Wednesday, but the team’s impressive season earned them a berth in the first round of the Eastern Division 1A state playoffs.
The Lady Dolphins, seeded eighth in the east, will play the Triangle Math and Science Academy Tigers of Cary at home Tuesday evening. WOVV 90.1 FM will broadcast the game.
Fatigue and exhaustion from three straight conference games last week — including Valentine’s Day’s hard-fought 57-48 road win against Bear Grass Charter (with its 1:30 a.m. return to the island) and Tuesday afternoon’s 47-37 home win over Columbia — were more than the Lady Dolphins could overcome in the conference tournament opener Wednesday against a dominant 15-player Cape Hatteras Lady Hurricanes team.
The Dolphins got off to a quick start with a 6-3 lead early in the game, but the stifling full-court press the Dolphins used in their win over the Hurricanes a week earlier was not as effective and Hurricane senior shooting sensation Emma Del Monte got hot, hitting four long 3-pointers in the first half.
The Dolphins were down 25-20 at the half, thanks mainly to driving layups and aggressive defense by sophomore guard Maren Donlon.
Long shots and layups from Ocracoke’s normally good-shooting guards — senior Alyssa Bryan and sophomore Savannah Hodson — mostly failed to fall.
The Dolphins were tired, and it showed, as they fell 48-38 to the same Hatteras team they had beaten twice this year.
Savannah Hodson sinks a jumper against the Columbia Wildcats Feb . 15. Photo by Richard Taylor
Senior Del Monte led Hatteras with 23 points, earning her Hatteras Player of the Game honors.
After the heartbreaking loss, the Lady Dolphins left the court dejected, some almost in tears.
“Our girls were trying to push it, but Hatteras came to play,” Coach Richardson lamented after Wednesday’s loss. “They shot the lights out, hustling and getting rebounds. When you have an entire team that cannot miss a shot, you can’t guard against that. We were just so tired and exhausted from last week’s games.”
She said the team will recover and regroup for the playoffs.
“We had an amazing undefeated (8-0) conference season,” Richardson continued. “We had already beaten Hatteras twice (51-37,Jan. 28 in Buxton to win the Battle for the Paddle and 61-40 at home, February 12), so to lose in the first round of the tournament was tough. This was our third game in a row this week.”
Hatteras’ hot hand ran out in the conference finals Friday night in Buxton as the Hurricanes fell to Bear Grass Charter, 45-41, holding Del Monte to only 12 points. The Lady Bears finished their season 14-8 overall, and third (4-4) in the conference.
Friday was also a bad night at home for the Hatteras boys, who fell to the Bears in the tournament finals, 65-52. The boy Bears finished their season 17-5 overall and first (8-0) in the conference.
Despite the Lady Dolphins loss to Cape Hatteras Wednesday, Coach Richardson was philosophical, noting that the season is not over yet.
“They were hurt and starting to get sick, because their bodies were so tired from all the traveling, the late nights, staying hydrated and eating enough when they’re full court pressing and exercising so much,” she said. “They’re also fantastic students, they’re in all the clubs and they have so much going on. I’m so proud of them for how hard they work in basketball and in their lives. They’re really good kids.”
Richardson expects to have another great squad next season, as all Lady Dolphins return except senior guard Savannah Hodson. “We’ll have some eighth-graders coming up, too,” she said.
The Lady Dolphins have the league’s best record, 12-4 overall and 8-0 in conference (Wednesday’s home tournament loss to Hatteras only counts in the overall record). “Most of our losses were early on,” she said. “It’s so amazing that we are still able to have a state playoff game when we lost in the first round of the conference tournament,” Richardson said joyously. “We actually got a very good seed. This speaks to how far we’ve come since the beginning of the season.”
Athletic Director Mary McKnight said if the Lady Dolphins win here Tuesday, they likely would get another home game Thursday in the second round of the East 1A playoffs. The Triangle Math and Science Tigers are 8-9 overall, led by sophomore Samrita Sriram, averaging 17 points per game.
After beating the Columbia Wildcats 53-32 at home Feb. 15, in their most impressive win of the season, Ocracoke’s fourth-place varsity boys lost to the Bear Grass Bears, 55-19 in the first-round tournament game at Bear Grass the next day. The boys finished their season 5-9 overall, fourth (3-5) in the conference.
The boys’ varsity team is expected to be strong next season and onward, losing only senior Rosalio Villanueva to graduation and there are several talented JV and middle school players.
Hatteras sharp shooting guard Emma DelMonte hits a free throw near the Feb. 16 game’s end. Photo by Richard Taylor
Lady Dolphins huddle on strategy against Hatteras Feb. 16. Photo by Richard Taylor
Maren Donlon fires a free throw Feb. 16 against Hatteras. Photo by Richard Taylor
Rosalio Villanueva hits a layup against Columbia Feb. 15, the Dolphin boys’ last game of the season. Photo by Richard Taylor
Alyssa Bryan banks a layup
One of four bracket charts for the state women’s basketball playoffs. Ocracoke vs Triangle Math & Science are above at left. Source NCHSAA.
It can be surprising that some bird species, which are common and easily seen on the mainland of North Carolina, can be few in number or nonexistent on Ocracoke Island. On the other hand, we have some common birds that are the envy of many. We get to see Brown Pelicans, White Ibis and Royal Terns flying overhead much of the year and Great-crested Flycatchers nesting in our village.
The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is present year round in the village, but not regularly seen or heard. Seasonally, they are higher in numbers in summer. The Christmas Bird Count that takes place at the end of each year is a good measure to observing trends established over the past 30 years on Ocracoke. This bird has been seen most years, but none in 2020 and four this past Dec. 31. Most years there have been fewer than 10 individuals. In 1990 and the following year, 22 and 26 individuals were counted and in 1993, just one bird was reported.
Why such high numbers for two years followed by much lower numbers afterwards is worthy of speculation.
A member of the corvidae family that includes crows, Blue Jays are unmistakable and easily identified. Large, up to 12 inches from bill to tail, they have a distinctive crest along with various shades of blue on the upperparts that are mixed with black and white streaks. The belly area is whitish as is the face which is surrounded by a distinctive black collar.
The female lays four-to-five eggs and both parents help with feeding and the hatchlings fledge in about 21 days.
Blue Jays are present in all the states east of the Great Plains, preferring forest edges, parks with oak trees and urban/suburban areas, especially those that host birdfeeders. Beginning in the 1940s, they have been expanding their range into the northwest and are now breeding all the 10 Canadian provinces. In the western states the related Steller’s Jay replace them.
Blue Jays are neither your typical migratory nor your year-round resident bird. Some birds, particularly young ones and those in the most northern range, will migrate varying distances south or west in the fall and winter and others will remain in their general breeding area.
This irregular migration, which can vary considerably from year-to-year, may be due to whether there are adequate food supplies rather than frigid temperatures.
Even if you do not see a Blue Jay, you may still know that one is in the area as they have a very distinctive loud high-pitched piercing call described as a long-drawn-out “jeer”and a shorter “jay” sound. They also have a melodious two-note call that is difficult to describe in print but a reasonable description is “tull-ull “or” twirl-erl.” They are also pretty good mimics and can reproduce the calls of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks in a convincing manner. My neighbor in Widgeon Woods has observed that they are quiet during nesting season, and I tend to agree with him.
Best Time to see: Possible in small numbers year-round; summer most likely. See Christmas Bird Count discussion above.
Where: Throughout the village, less so for the rest of the island
Listen: The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a variety of Blue Jay recordings. Clickhere to listen.
One summer several years ago after a major surgery, I found myself settled in on my screened porch using my laptop for a good part of my convalescence.
For divertissement, I placed some peanuts on my porch rail and it didn’t take long before a Blue Jay showed up to snatch one and fly off.
I continued placing peanuts out, which attracted not only jays but other species including Northern Cardinals, Common Grackles and even an occasional Fish Crow and Laughing Gulls.
I started making a long slurring whistle as I placed the peanuts on the rail and within moments, the Blue Jays if present in the neighborhood would show up.
Whereas the other bird species woud take one peanut and fly off, the jays would take several. The most I counted was seven peanuts.
So why is the Blue Jay not so well liked?
Observers of birds at feeders will quickly tell you that when they show up, other birds leave. Larger than the others, they are considered by many (including other birds) to be bullies who quickly move in and take over. They also have a reputation for eating young hatchlings and eggs from other birds’ nests. Research has shown however that this activity is far less common than formerly thought.
One of the great 20th-century American ornithologists, Arthur Cleveland Bent, is noted for his encyclopedic 21-volume work, Life Histories of North American Birds, published over a period of 50 years (1919-1968) by the Smithsonian Institution.
Bent has been known to wax a bit anthropomorphic on occasion with his observations.
Perhaps siding with this bird’s detractors, he described the Blue Jay as follows: “He gives us the impression of being independent, lawless, haughty, even impudent, with a disregard for his neighbors’ rights and wishes – like Hotspur, as we meet him in Henry IV, part 1.”
Wow! In my Bohemian college days had I read that, I might have remarked: Time for a visit to the Boar’s Head Tavern.
Editor’s Note: Coastal Review asked Karen Willis Amspacher, executive director of Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island, to share how the Down East Carteret County communities are coping with the deadly plane crash Feb. 13. Of the eight lives lost on the Pilatus-PC12 aircraftprivate plane that was returning from a duck hunting trip in Hyde County, six were Carteret County residents. The pilot and pilot’s adult son were from Pitt County. The group was returning from a hunting trip in Hyde County and was scheduled to return to Beaufort. Four of the deceased were teenagers. All are listed at the end of this commentary.
A few days ago, no one could have ever imagined what the people of Down East would be facing. Life was slowly moving closer to “normal” as the pandemic (at least) seemed to be fading, winter was giving way to a few hints of spring and the fishermen were working on their nets, pots and boats. All was calm Sunday morning.
And then it happened, the unimaginable.
Phones and social media went wild with calls for prayer, questions of who was on the plane and what happened, where and when, all laced with a painful mixture of fear, dread and disbelief. As the names emerged, the story unfolded and one of the most horrific moments in Down East history began to emerge.
We are now going into our fourth day of this nightmare and the reality is worse than anyone could grasp in the beginning. Each day has brought deeper heartaches as the facts have become known. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters, families and neighborhoods have waited hour by hour for news from the offshore search.
For Down East, the world stopped …
Shrimper and East Carteret High School teacher Zack Davis, of Marshallberg, says it is “instinctive” for Down East people to “carry its loved ones” through times like these. He tells how we come from a long line of tragedies, from shipwrecks to hurricanes, lost loved ones and difficult times, and he is right. Since Sunday we have relived the Storm of ’33, boats sinking, men and women lost to lasting tragedies that remain etched in our collective minds and hearts. This is not our first disaster and the people Down East don’t forget.
We cannot forget. Down East people are so intertwined with one another there is no way to move too far beyond the people we have loved. We are all “kin” in ways that we cannot explain and we don’t even understand, and we don’t even try to figure it out, we just know. Our mothers and fathers were connected, and their mothers and fathers ahead of them. Generations of overlap and shared bonds define who we are, the way we hold onto each other and this place that binds us, Core Sound and the people we love.
For the communities of Atlantic, Sea Level and Cedar Island, these are their children, the boys they taught in Sunday School and took shrimping in the summer. Their families, generations deep, are grounded in their harbors, just like each community is with their own — this way of life, this place that has shaped us through the traditions that we share across the creeks and marshes of eastern Carteret County.
For Down East, one community’s burden is every community’s shared heartache. These children, and their families, are part of us too. From generation to generation we have worked together, played ball together, fished together, shrimped together, marched in the band together, raised our children together, and for many of us, we have grown old together.
It’s been said that Down East is “at its best when things are at their worst” and that is true, but this burden, this tragedy has been of such magnitude we could not have ever faced it alone. This cruel agony runs too deep in all of us.
We are amazed, overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring from the entire county and beyond. Ribbons and school colors, pop-up fundraisers, everyone trying to do “something” to help ease the burden, show their love, and meet the needs such a tragedy creates. This has been at the scale Down East has never seen before. This too was unimaginable before Sunday.
From across the state and country, people have heard of this disaster and are offering their prayers and reminders that people really do care. In these dark days for Down East, they want to be part of the extended community that will see these families and their friends through these unknown places, and we welcome their hearts into ours. We know that we will hold strong together with the help of all who share the burden of this tremendous loss for our community.
A Down East mother who lost her child to another tragic moment once told me, “the healing is in the giving” as she and her family faced a new world beyond the pain of losing their son, their shining star and all their dreams. I have thought of those words often over the years and especially during the past four days. It IS how we heal, how we move on, how we face the future without the people we love, and in this case, these young men, who like the others we have lost too soon.
Down East has had more than its share of losses. Maybe it feels this way because we know each other too well, we are too connected, we are too engrained in each other’s lives. Maybe that’s the price we pay for being who – and whose – we are, with deep roots that have connected us, even before we were born. Maybe …
And if so, that is our strength and our blessing as we stand together, safe in that inheritance of love and reassurance.
***
The Core Sound Museum, with the approval of all the Down East families involved with Sunday’s plane crash, has established a Core Sound Family Fund for the victims of this tragic accident.
This financial support will go to help meet expenses and other family needs associated with this disaster. Funds received will be held in a special agency account and disbursed as needed to each family.
Contributors will receive an authorized receipt for their nondeductible donations. Immediate family members will receive a full accounting of monies received and disbursements made.
The museum will continue to respectfully help the people of Down East Carteret County in the weeks and months ahead. We are thankful for the outpouring of support locally and from across the region.
Contributions can be made online or by mail to CSWM, Family Fund, P.O. Box 556, Harkers Island, NC 28531.
The Carteret County Sheriff’s department said the following persons were passengers in the accident:
The 67-year-old pilot, Ernest Durwood Rawls of Greenville;
The Ferry Division job fair will be in the Ocracoke Community Center Feb. 23. Photo: C. Leinbach
The North Carolina Ferry Division will host a career fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in the Ocracoke Community Center, 999 Irvin Garrish Highway.
The division will adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols, such as requiring social distancing and face coverings during the job fair.
Applications will be accepted for all positions at all experience levels, from entry-level parking lot attendants to experienced boat captains. Both temporary summer employment and full-time permanent positions are available.
Among the benefits of Ferry Division employment are:
Competitive salaries
Year-round, full-time permanent employment
Shift housing available at some locations
Health insurance
Retirement benefits
Paid vacation, holidays and sick leave
People interested in attending the job fair should bring resumes and supporting documents. Representatives from the Ferry Division will be on hand to explain the various positions available and opportunities for advancement.
The Ocracoke career fair is the fifth of six to be held across eastern North Carolina. The previous four were held in Elizabeth City, Morehead City, Greenville and Shallotte. The final job fair will be held March 2 in Hatteras. To see jobs available with the Ferry Division, visit the state jobs website and search “Ferry.” Please continue to visit the site, as new ferry jobs are added regularly.
Maren Donlon, right, shoots for the winning Ocracoke Lady Dolphins Feb. 15 at home, 47-37. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Richard Taylor
Ocracoke’s varsity girls’ basketball team chalked up two more impressive wins this week as the top-seeded Lady Dolphins move into the first round of the Atlantic 5 1A conference tournament in the Tank today at 4:30 p.m.
Bear Grass gave Ocracoke an unexpected Valentine’s Day gift as the third-place Bears fell to the first-place Dolphins Monday evening in Martin County, 57-48.
The Lady Dolphins outscored the Bears in every quarter, leading 26-20 at the half. The varsity Dolphins did not fare well, falling to the Bears 51-18.
After a long bus ride from Bear Grass and a midnight ferry trip from Hatteras, both teams arrived back in the village at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Even though she did not get to sleep until 2:30 a.m., girls coach Kadi Richardson had her team ready to play against Columbia in their final regular season game Tuesday afternoon in the Tank (aka at home).
Dolphins varsity boys defeated Columbia in a decisive 50-32 victory Feb. 15 at home (in the Tank). Photo: C. Leinbach
Despite little sleep and all-day classes, the Lady Dolphins did not disappoint cheering fans stomping the gym bleachers and those listening to WOVV’s live broadcast as they defeated the second-place Columbia Wildcats 47-37 to finish the regular season 8-0 in conference, 12-3 overall.
Not to be outdone by the girls, Coach Frank Moore’s varsity boys avenged a 50-40 January road loss to Columbia by defeating the Wildcat boys, 53-32.
The boys played perhaps their best game of the season, with eight players scoring. Senior Rosalio Villanveva led the Dolphins with 14 points, including driving layups and free throws. Davis Grant netted 13 and Landon Fuller had 11.
Moore and assistant Charlie Ralston were all smiles as they walked out of the gym Tuesday night. “It took us all year to finally get an effort I’m really proud of,” said the beaming Moore. “With what these kids have gone through this year, and to play like they did in the last home game of the season, it’s a great accomplishment. They got their shots when they needed to. It took us all year to finally get an effort I’m really proud of.”
Asked if he heard the Dolphin crowd yelling “Frank, Frank, Frank” at games end, Moore quipped, “It’s better than being booed, I’ll tell you that. Maybe this will carry over until tomorrow.”
Atlantic 5A tournament play begins this afternoon (Feb. 16) with the first-place Lady Dolphins in the Tank against the fourth-place Hatteras Hurricanes at 4:30 p.m. The fourth-place Ocracoke boys play away at first-place Bear Grass.
If the Lady Dolphins — undefeated in the conference, 8-0 — win today, they will play the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between second-place Columbia and third-place Bear Grass, Friday evening (Feb 18) in Hatteras.
Ocracoke School Principal Leslie Cole makes sure the gym floor is clean between games. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Occupancy Tax Board in 2021. Hyde County Manager Kris Noble is at left. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board and the Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority (TDA) will jointly review applications for funding this year.
Of the 5% in occupancy tax collected on all lodgings on Ocracoke, the Occupancy Tax Board (OTB) manages 3% of that and the TDA manages 2%.
This year, Bob Chestnut, chair of the 3% board, said review of projects by both boards will enable them discern if the TDA can cover the costs of advertising since the TDA’s authorizing statute is to spend two thirds of its revenue on advertising for “heads in beds.”
The 3% board, in a special legislative authority specifically for Ocracoke, can award grants “for any legal purpose.”
This collaboration helps streamline all the work, Chestnut said.
“The TDA will look at events, advertising, and a little bit of infrastructure,” he said. “This gives them a way for them to fund the things they can before it gets to us. The TDA has specific questions (on the application) they want to ask whereas we don’t.”
The application below will be due to Chestnut by March 10 (details below). The TDA will review applications at its mid-March meeting and fund what they can according to their mandate. Then, applications (less portions funded by the TDA) will be reviewed and appropriated by the 3% Board during its April meeting, which will be sometime between April 6 to 8, to be determined.
In addition to Chestnut, members of the Occupancy Tax Board (3%) include Trudy Austin, Nancy Leach, Lena O’Neal and Ann Warner.
Members of the TDA board are Kenny Ballance, chair, Jennifer Esham, Martha Garrish and Lisa Landrum.
The following is the grant package information needed.
All funding requests should be submitted by a qualified non-profit organization or public entity. The Board members feel that “project-oriented funding” should take priority over funding for “operational expenses” of organizations. Please keep this in mind when submitting your request.
The deadline to drop off request packets is Thursday, March 10. Packets can be dropped off at Ride the Wind Surf Shop daily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. or mailed to Bob Chestnut, P.O. Box 700, Ocracoke, NC. 27960. Please prepare seven copies of your request. Please attach additional documentation as needed. The Occupancy Tax boards may request more information as deemed necessary. All applicants will be notified once the boards have reviewed the applications.
All requests must include a Completed Checklist of Requested Information below.
“It is not the intent of the Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board to make the process of applying for funding burdensome,” Chestnut said. “We do need detailed and consistent information from the requesting organizations to responsibly fulfill our task of making recommendations for funding to the county commissioners.”
For questions, contact Chestnut at Ride the Wind, by email bob@surfocracoke.com, or by phone at 252-928-6311.
Below is the application in four JPGs, which can be clicked on and printed or downloaded then printed.
The Ocracoke School Lady Dolphins, in white, play at home Tuesday, Feb. 15. Photo: P. Vankevich
By Richard Taylor
Despite a season complicated by COVID-cancelled games and long bus rides, Ocracoke’s varsity girls’ basketball team has persevered, going undefeated (6-0) in the Atlantic 5 (1A) Conference, taking the regular season title the first time since Sydney Austin’s senior year in 2017.
Stellar senior Savannah Hodson, and standout sophomores Alyssa Bryan and Maren Donlon have led the dominant Lady Dolphins since their first lopsided victory over the First Flight Nighthawks 3A JV team, 52-19 in Kill Devil Hills, Dec. 1.
First-year coach Kadi Richardson was ecstatic after her Dolphins impressive 51-37 win at Hatteras in the annual Battle for the Paddle back on Jan. 28. “We knew we had to press the whole game and that’s what they did,” she said. “They kept their energy up and flustered Hatteras so much, that they didn’t know what to do with it. We’ve grown so much since our first game. I’m very proud of them.”
At home, those guards have thrilled cheering Tank crowds with their skillful ball handling, sharp shooting, and aggressive full-court defense.
Tenacious, under-the-basket defense from juniors Lillian Perez and Maggie Evans — and Evans’ own frequent rebound-generated layups — have added greatly to the team’s high-energy, hard-fought 9-3 overall record.
With only two regular season conference games remaining — Bear Grass Charter away on Feb. 14 and Columbia home on Feb. 15 — the top-seeded Lady Dolphins (6-0 in conference), have earned home-court advantage when the conference tournament begins Feb. 16.
Richardson is proud of the progress her girls have made this season, especially home conference wins over Mattamuskeet, Bear Grass and Hatteras last week.
Following the Lady Dolphins’ convincing 61-40 Senior Night home win over cross-sound rival Hatteras Feb. 12, Richardson reflected on the team’s three wins in four days last week.
The Lady Dolphins huddle. Photo by Richard Taylor
“Bear Grass was one of the toughest games of the season,” she said describing the Dolphins scrappy 44-32 victory over the second place Bears last Thursday. “That was one of the hardest, toughest games of the season. The girls were tired, but they pulled it out. They put everything into our defense; we full court pressed the entire game. They did a fabulous job and kept their attitudes in check the whole game.”
Richardson said tonight’s away game will be tough.
“We may have caught them off-guard a little bit here, but with them having home-court advantage (on Valentine’s Day), we will really have our work cut out for us,” she said.
Today’s game doesn’t matter in the rankings, since the Bears have lost two conference games and the Dolphins none.
The Lady Dolphins will begin play in the Atlantic 5 tournament here Wednesday, likely against Hatteras. Should they beat the Hurricanes for the third time Wednesday, they will advance to the tournament finals with a home game Feb 18.
The coach praised the progress her girls have made this year, especially junior guard Lillian Perez. “Lillian has really stepped it up on our defense all year,” she said.
Star senior guard Savannah Hodson graduates in June. ”I’m very said to be losing her,” Richardson said. “Man, if she’s on with her 3-point shots, she’ll be popping those all night, so I’m very sad to be missing her next year.”
Richardson expects good things from several girls moving up from middle school next year, especially freshman Catherine Todd. “She was out for a couple of weeks this year due to injury, the first-year coach explained, “but she’s a really solid player who hasn’t really played for two years due to Dorian and COVID. I expect good things from her and some of the other girls as well.”
Senior awards Feb. 11. Photo by Leslie Cole
Maren Donlon’s shooting, rebounding and aggressive full-court defense was especially evident during last week’s three home games.
However, Richardson could lose her four-sport sophomore phenom next year. “Maren might be going to the School of Math and Science,” she said, “but we have a lot of solid players and some freshmen coming up for next year.”
Varsity boys basketball The season has been disappointing for boys’ varsity Coach Frank Moore, whose Dolphins struggled all season, with an overall 4-7 record and 2-4 in conference so far.
“You got to realize, most of these kids should be playing JV basketball, and missing two years really hurt these kids,” Moore said. “We’ve got a long ways to go. The best thing is we’re getting better every game.”
Dolphins Dirk Ely (10), Landon Fuller jumping and Grant Davis (3). Photo: P. Vankevich
After his team’s 49-26 home win over Mattamuskeet Feb. 8, Moore said, “we did a really good job in the second half,” and predicted his Dolphins would hold their own if they could get to the conference tournament championship game.
Moore said he tries to get student-athletes who haven’t played much into most games, including freshman forward Uriel Guerrero, who hit an electrifying three-point swish in front of the Dolphins bench against Mattamuskeet in the Tank on Feb. 8.
“When he hit that three, it was good for him and good for those (cheering) kids in the stands,” Moore chuckled the next day after practice. “It’s been two years with these kids not playing competitive basketball, and they’re behind. A year ago, it was cold in here and we had a generator for the lights and a propane heater. The floor got slick when it rained. I wish we could have won more games, but I’m proud of where we are so far.”
Moore said the number of games the Dolphins have played in the last two weeks has been like professional basketball. “Heck, the NBA doesn’t play that kind of schedule and we’ve only got eight kids on the varsity.”
Guard Rosalio Villanveva hit the floor hard twice in the game against Hatteras Jan. 28 in Buxton and again at home last week. After grimacing several minutes each time, the scrappy senior went to the bench, and then returned to the game. “Rosalio’s all right,” said Moore in Buxton. “As hard as he plays, he’s going to get hurt.”
Moore was disappointed about two technical fouls called against his players Jan. 28 at Hatteras, “I want us to play hard,” he said after the game, “but I don’t want us to run our mouths, ‘cause all the officials know about it.”
After his Dolphins beat Mattamuskeet 49-26 at home Feb. 8, Moore’s team lost decisively in the other two home games last week, felling to Bear Grass 49-27 on Feb. 10 and Hatteras 79-22 on Senior Night.
Junior varsity/middle school With only six players, Charlie Ralston’s Dolphin JV boys struggled through their four games this season, including losses to Bear Grass 27-21 Feb. 10 and Hatteras 29-19 Feb. 11.
Mary McKnight’s middle school girls and C.J. Wynn’s middle school boys played eight games, both home and away this season. Most were losses.
Even after his Jan. 19 home loss to Columbia, Wynn remained optimistic saying, “We use every game as a learning experience.”
Ocracoke School boys varsity basketball game action against Hatteras Friday, Feb. 11. More Dolphins basketball this week.Photo: P. Vankevich
Tuesday, Feb. 15
Ocracoke School basketball. Last home game of the regular season as varsity teams take on the Columbia Wildcats in the school gym, aka The Tank. The Lady Dolphins tipoff at 4:00 pm, followed by the boys. Enter from the Back Road entrance and wear masks. Games will be broadcast by WOVV, 90.1 FM and online WOVV.ORG
Wednesday, Feb. 16
Roanoke Island Animal Clinic at the Ocracoke Community Center. For appointments: 252-473-3117.
Girls Varsity Atlantic 5 1A Conference tournament begins with two games in the Ocracoke School gym. Teams and times to be determined. WOVV will broadcast the Dolphins game.
Thursday, Feb. 17 Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority, 9 a.m. Community Center
