Ocracoke and Hatteras islands will be on diesel generators Wednesday and Thursday (Feb 27 and 28) while the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative transfers new electric transmission cables from the old Bonner Bridge to the new bridge, shown here. Photo by Dick Jacoby
Ocracoke and Hatteras islands will be on diesel generators Wednesday and Thursday (Feb 27 and 28) while the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative energizes and tests new electric transmission cables from the old Bonner Bridge to the new bridge.
In addition, the power will be out briefly in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Avon on the following dates and times:
Wednesday, Feb. 27: 30-minute outage beginning at 8 a.m.
Thursday, Feb. 28: 5-minute outage beginning at 2 p.m.
The cooperative (CHEC) also said in a press release that additional planned outages may occur, depending on the weather, over the next several weeks while they make the final switch to the new cables.
The bridge transmission cables have been in the process of being moved since November and the process is one of the final steps for officially opening the new bridge to the public.
“The cables on the existing bridge were (installed) in the 1990s, and were reaching the end of their lifespan,” said Laura Ertle, CHEC director of marketing and public relations, in an earlier interview. “So this is a brand new set of cables at the new bridge site.”
The cables were installed underneath the bridge via a hanging conduit system, which provides more security as well during storms and inclement weather conditions.
The new Bonner Bridge replacement opened to vehicular traffic today (Feb. 25).
WHERE’D IT GO? Visitors to the Ocracoke Day Use Beach, aka, the Lifeguard Beach, will notice no facilities. They are being rebuilt and expected to be complete by mid-June. Photo: C. Leinbach
APEX Construction, Inc., a contractor from Ocean City, Maryland, has begun renovating the restroom facility at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Day Use Area on Ocracoke.
The new, fully accessible restroom facility is expected to be completed and reopened by mid-June, the Park Service said in a press release.
During the construction of the $349,000 project, portable restrooms will be available at this public beach, also known as the Lifeguard Beach. Lifeguards cover this beach from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Seashore visitors will continue to have access to the parking lot and boardwalk.
The Dolphin Cheer Squad lines up for the Ocracoke Dolphins entrance into the ‘Tank.’ Photo by P. Vankevich
Update: Game start will be at 6 pm
By Richard Taylor
The Ocracoke boys varsity basketball team, regular season Atlantic 5 Champions, will host Chatham Central Tuesday at 6 p.m., in the first round of the East bracket of the state high school playoffs.
The Dolphins heart-breaking 75-73 double-overtime loss to the Bear Grass Bears in last week’s conference tournament in Columbia has no effect on the state playoff seedings. Conference tournaments do not count in the state rankings, which were released Sunday by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in Chapel Hill.
The Dolphins are seeded ninth in the East 1A bracket. Chatham Central, of Bear Creek in southwestern Chatham County, is seeded 24th in the East 1A.
The Dolphins, ranked 485th in the state, finished their season with a 15-9 overall and 11-2 Atlantic 5 Conference record. As the only public school in their conference, Chatham Central finished third in the Central Tar Heel conference with a 13-9 overall and 11-3 conference record. The Bears are ranked 383rd in the state.
Dolphins Coach David Allewalt, on Peter Vankevich’s Friday WOVV radio show “What’s Happening on Ocracoke,” said the Dolphins had put last week’s loss to Bear Grass behind them and are ready to play anybody in the post-season.
“If we play a team from far away, then we’ll have an advantage due to their long (bus and ferry) ride to get here, in addition to our home court advantage,” he said.
Allewalt and Ocracoke Athletic Director Adam Burleson spent Sunday afternoon watching a YouTube video of Chatham Central’s 66-64 triple-overtime win over Chatham Charter on Feb. 5.
“From the one game I saw they have a really nice packed in zone,” Burleson said Monday. “I’m hoping our guys can hit from the outside and open it up for Cole (Gilbert) and Perry (Austin) from the inside. If we can control the ball and hit the boards, then I think we have a good shot at it.”
The Cape Hatteras Hurricanes won the other two conference tournament games. The Girls’ varsity won convincingly beating Bear Grass 59-15. They will play the Pender Patriots, Burgaw County Tuesday in the first round of the state playoffs. The boys’ JV also won their tournament with a 37-33 wins against Bear Grass which concluded their successful season, (15-8 overall and 11-1 in conference play.
Last year’s conference tournament champion Dolphins won their first round state playoff game, defeating Union High of Rose Hill 68-57, before a large, enthusiastic home crowd. In last year’s second round, Ocracoke lost 57-44 to East Carteret in Beaufort. The Mariners are seeded 29th in the East this year, having lost many players from last year’s team.
Bill Cole, “the Voice of the Dolphins,” will call Tuesday’s game on WOVV, 90.1FM andwovv.rocks, at 6p.m.
The replacement bridge over the Oregon Inlet opens to traffic Feb. 25. Dick Jacoby captured this image at the bridge entrance on Bodie Island. The old Bonner Bridge can be seen to the left of the new rise.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation opened the replacement for the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge to traffic today (Feb. 25) at 12:20 p.m.
“It’s a great day for all residents and visitors to the Outer Banks,” said NCDOT Board Member Allen Moran. “This new bridge will be a critical lifeline to the people and the pristine beaches of Hatteras Island for generations to come.”
Construction began on the state-of-the-art $252 million bridge in March of 2016.
The new bridge is 2.8 miles long and rises 90 feet above Oregon Inlet at its highest point, with 8-foot shoulders on each side. It is the first bridge in the state built with stainless reinforcing steel, which will provide extra protection against its salt water environment. All told, the bridge is built to last 100 years.
The new bridge replaces the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which was built in 1963.
While the Dare County commissioners have suggested the new bridge be named the Marc Basnight Bridge, controversy has arisen in Dare County over this name, which has not yet been approved by the N.C. Board of Transportation.
With the new bridge open, demolition of the old bridge will begin soon, and is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. A 1,000-foot section of the south end of the old bridge will remain in place as a pedestrian walkway.
An informal Community Day event to celebrate completion of the new bridge was held Feb. 9. A more formal dedication of the bridge is being planned for April 2.
View of old bridge from new one on Community Day Feb. 9. Photo by Denny Dobbin
CHARLESTON, S.C. – A group of conservation organizations this week asked a federal judge to block the start of any seismic exploration for oil and natural gas off the East Coast until after a pending legal challenge is heard in court.
A ship trails an array of seismic air guns. Photo: Ocean Conservation Research
The groups, which include the North Carolina Coastal Federation, publisher of Coastal Review Online, filed Wednesday in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, a motion for a preliminary injunction to block seismic surveys from beginning until after a separate lawsuit is resolved.
Sixteen South Carolina coastal communities and the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce filed that lawsuit in December seeking to prevent seismic testing. That challenge has since been merged with that of the conservation groups, and 10 attorneys general from East Coast states, including Josh Stein of North Carolina, have intervened in the combined lawsuits.
The seismic companies that applied for permits and two industry groups, the American Petroleum Institute and the International Association of Geophysical Contractors, intervened on behalf of the federal government to defend the permits.
The conservation groups also include the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, One Hundred Miles, Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation. The Southern Environmental Law Center is representing South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, Defenders of Wildlife and One Hundred Miles. Earthjustice is representing Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation.
The motion for a preliminary injunction contends, among other things, the Trump administration’s approval for five companies to harm marine life with seismic operations violates the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The conservation groups say that without an injunction, seismic exploration could begin before the case, over which Judge Richard Gergel presides, is resolved. That would put at risk dolphins, whales and other animals as seismic air guns create one of the loudest sources of noise in the oceans, according to the groups.
“The government failed to consider the combined effects of overlapping and simultaneous surveys, which are greater than the effects of individual seismic-blasting boats,” the groups said in an announcement released Wednesday. “The government erroneously determined that only a ‘small number’ of whales and dolphins would be harmed. Should it go forward, this blasting will irreparably harm marine species, from tiny zooplankton — the foundation of ocean life — to the great whales.”
The issuance of permits was delayed earlier this year during the partial government shutdown over border wall funding. Gergel has since lifted the stay he imposed to prevent the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from issuing seismic permits during the shutdown.
The National Marine Fisheries Service in November issued multiple incidental harassment authorizations, or IHAs, to five companies that applied to incidentally, but not intentionally, harass marine mammals during geophysical survey activities in the Atlantic Ocean from Cape May, New Jersey, to Cape Canaveral, Florida. The effective dates for the authorizations are to be determined but must not be later than Nov. 30 of this year.
The filing also claims seismic testing could irreparably harm the remaining population of North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species. The groups cite research showing there are only about 400 right whales remaining in the Atlantic. Also, seismic testing’s effects would be concentrated on the world’s densest population of acoustically sensitive beaked whales off the Outer Banks.
Wildlife Federation: Abandon Drilling Plan
Also this week, conservation groups and eastern North Carolina elected officials weighed in on the Trump administration’s new five-year plan for offshore drilling, pointing to the risks posed to the environment and coastal economies and citing adamant local opposition.
The administration says it seeks to maintain the nation’s position as “a global energy leader and foster energy security and resilience for the benefit of the American people,” according to thedraft 2019-24 proposed National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Programreleased Jan. 4, 2018. It proposes dramatically expanded drilling off the nation’s coastlines. This includes the Mid-Atlantic planning area from Delaware to the North Carolina-South Carolina line.
“The potential costs to wildlife, our communities, and our way of life are too high. This bipartisan and bicoastal outcry should serve as a wake-up call, and spark a reconsideration of the planning underway now.” – National Wildlife Federation
In aletterdated Feb. 18 to Interior Department Acting Secretary David Bernhardt, the National Wildlife Federation and more than two dozen of its affiliates, including the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, urge the administration to abandon its plans for expanded offshore drilling and instead work with governors and residents of coastal states. The letter contends that the environmental risks are too great in coastal regions that depend on oceans and marine wildlife to support billions of dollars of economic activity and sustain tourism, outdoor recreation and fishing.
“Republican and Democratic leaders from coastal states have stood united in opposition to the unilateral pursuit of maximum offshore oil and gas drilling,” according to the Wildlife Federation’s letter. “The potential costs to wildlife, our communities, and our way of life are too high. This bipartisan and bicoastal outcry should serve as a wake-up call, and spark a reconsideration of the planning underway now.”
The Wildlife Federation writes that coastal wetlands and dunes protect communities and shelter birds and mammals. “That’s why every single governor from Maine to Florida and from Washington to California opposes offshore drilling off their coasts,” according to the letter. The group urges the secretary to reconsider the department’s stated commitment to opening nearly all coastlines to oil and gas development.
Oceana Responds to Tillis
Earlier this month, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., requested additional information on the recent decision to open the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf for review under a new oil and gas leasing program.
Tillis’letter to Bernhardt and the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the assistant secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere at the Department of Commerce, requests more information about the plan to ensure there are adequate protections for North Carolina’s coastal communities. Tillis also invites the administration officials to visit North Carolina “for listening and education sessions across our coastal counties on the topic of offshore energy exploration.”
The ocean advocacy group Oceana joined with officials from Dare and Carteret counties this week in a response to Tillis’ letter. The letter, provided to Coastal Review Online by Randy Sturgill of Oceanaand published Tuesday in the News & Observer, was signed by Sturgill, Nags Head Mayor Ben Cahoon, Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton, Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard, Environment North Carolina Director Drew Ball and Outer Banks Surfrider Foundation co-chair and small business owner Matt Walker.
The letter praises Tillis’ “newfound interest” in how drilling and seismic testing could affect tourism and commercial fishing, but notes that “the information he seeks has been available for quite some time.” The groups go on to cite state figures on coastal tourism, which supports more than 30,000 jobs and generates more than $3 billion in annual revenue in North Carolina, and commercial and recreational fishing – an additional 22,500 jobs and $787 million in revenue each year.
“Where offshore drilling exists in the U.S, between 2001 to 2015, there were over 700 offshore petroleum spills that discharged at least 4.93 million barrels. One of the primary causes was hurricanes. The fact is, drilling is inherently risky and there is no way to guarantee against spills,” according to the letter.
About the Author Mark Hibbs is editor of Coastal Review Online, working out of our main office in Ocean. A native of coastal North Carolina, Mark joined the federation June 1, 2015, after more than 20 years with the Carteret County News-Times, where he served as a staff writer and photographer, business editor and assistant to the editor. Mark has won numerous awards for his reporting, including various N.C. Press Association awards and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2009 Small Business Journalist of the Year Award for the Southeast Region. Mark is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
A hearing has been set for the end of summer on a proposed increase in homeowners insurance rates that could be more than 30 percent in coastal counties just a year after rates jumped by 15 percent in some areas.
The request covers policies for residential property, tenants and condominiums.
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has called the increase excessive and says data does not support another hike after the one that went into effect last fall.
Written comment on the proposal is open through Tuesday (Feb. 26). The hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 4 in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Rate Bureau submitted the request to the Department of Insurance on Dec. 20. The filing reflects an overall statewide average increase of 17.4 percent for homeowners, renters and condominium rates.
However, NCRB has requested a rate increase of 30 percent in the homeowner rate in the beach areas of Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties and a 25 percent increase in the homeowner rate in the inland areas of Currituck, Dare, Hyde and Pamlico counties.
Data in the filing indicates the need for a rate increase of up to 94 percent; however, the Rate Bureau decided to cap the increase at 30 percent to reduce the impact on policyholders. Filed tenants (renters) and condominium rate increases are between 5 percent and 15 percent. Homeowner rates are based on $200,000 coverage, protection class 5 with frame construction.
A portion of the homeowner rate is for wind; therefore, the filing will have an impact on Wind Only policies, including policies in the NCIUA, which has commonly been referred to in the past as the “Beach Plan.”
Because the wind rate makes up the majority of the overall homeowner rate, an Outer Banks wind-only policyholder may be facing a premium increase of over $700 with $200,000 of coverage.
Below is a breakdown of the filed rate changes for eastern NC.
Territory
Territory Definition
% Filed Homeowner Rate
Change
2018
Current Rate
10/1/2019 Effective Filed Rate
110
Beach areas of Currituck, Dare & Hyde Counties
+30%
$2,383
$3,098
120
Beach areas of Brunswick, Carteret, New Hanover, Onslow & Pender Counties
+30%
$2,794
$3,632
130
Coastal areas of Currituck, Dare, Hyde & Pamlico Counties
+25%
$1,516
$1,895
140
Eastern areas of Brunswick, Carteret, New Hanover, Onslow & Pender Counties
+30%
$1,947
$2,531
150
Coastal areas of Beaufort, Camden, Chowan, Craven, Jones, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell & Washington Counties
+15.5
$1,278
$1,476
160
Western Coastal areas of Brunswick, Carteret, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender Counties
+20%
$1,375
$1,650
Meanwhile, mobile home owners could also be facing an insurance rate increase after a filing this week. The proposal calls for a statewide average 19-percent increase for mobile home casualty policies and an average 19.9-percent hike for mobile home fire policies.
A breakdown by geographic area of the proposed increase has not yet been made available. Unlike other coverage, mobile home class policies also include flood insurance. If granted, the rate hikes would begin next February.
Dates for a comment period and possible hearing have not been set.
The Ocracoke beach is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Photo: C. Leinbach
To catch up on Ocracoke news and much more, click here
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore will host an orientation session from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in the Ocracoke Community Center for businesses wishing to provide services on National Park property.
Anyone interested in conducting business on National Park Service property is encouraged to attend this Commercial Services Orientation and Open House.
The presentation will provide an overview of the Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs) that permits businesses to provide the following visitor services at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, such as:
Beach Equipment Services
Beach Fire Services
Guided Fishing Services
Guided Horseback Tours
Guided Waterfowl Hunting
Interpretive and Educational Programs
Non-motorized Boat Tours (for example, kayak tours)
Off-Road Vehicle Driving Tours
Outdoor Fitness Classes (for example, yoga)
Photography Instruction
Road-Based Commercial Tours and Transportation
Water sport Instruction (for example, surfing lessons)
The presentation also will provide information on the Park Service’s standardized Road-Based Commercial Tour CUA Program, which will go into effect across the National Park System for road-based commercial tour operations occurring after Sept. 30.
Other open houses on this service will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, in the Fessenden Center, Buxton, and from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the Outer Banks Group Headquarters at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo.
The Ocracoke Dolphins huddle after falling to Bear Grass in the Atlantic 5 Tournament championship game Feb. 20 in Columbia. Photo by Denny Widener
By Richard Taylor
COLUMBIA — The Ocracoke Dolphins almost pulled off another last-minute miracle win Wednesday night against the Bear Grass Bears in the Atlantic 5 Conference Tournament title game, but they lost by two points, 75-73, in double overtime.
Behind by nine points at the half, 34-25, the Dolphins found their groove and fought back to 63-57 after three periods.
Midway through the fourth period, the Dolphins tied the game 63-63 on a Mason Fuller 3-pointer. With less than a minute remaining, Sam Evans sank two free throws to give the Dolphins their first lead of the game, 65-63.
Single foul shots by Colby Austin and Evans gave the Dolphins a 67-64 lead with less than a minute remaining. Hope was in the air.
Austin and conference player-of-the-year Lelon Stotesberry traded free throws until Ocracoke was ahead, 69-66.
Bear Grass wasn’t ready to give up. With one second remaining on the clock, the six-foot, three-inch senior center hit a long-range 3-pointer, tying the game at 69-69 and sending it into overtime.
Neither team scored in the first four-minute extra period, prompting a second overtime. Then, a 3-pointer by Reese Gaskins gave the Dolphins a brief 73-72 lead with 2:28 remaining.
A subsequent layup and foul shot by Stotesberry put the Bears up 75-73. Hampered by the absence of a sick Kalai Samick and Cole Gilbert and Perry Austin having fouled out, the Dolphins never made another shot before the end.
Reese Gaskins led the Dolphins in scoring with 27 points, including five 3-pointers. Team leader Colby Austin had 24 points including five 3-pointers. Mason Fuller scored eight points, Sam Evans had seven, Perry Austin finished with six and Gilbert had two.
But this was just a tournament loss. “This game is really of no consequence for the state seedings,” Ocracoke School Athletic Director Adam Burleson, who called the game, told the WOVV 90.1 FM radio audience.
Since the Dolphins won the regular season conference championship, they will return to the gym Tuesday at 6 p.m. for a state 1A playoff game with an opponent to be determined after all of the state conference championships are completed.
The long bus ride back to the Hatteras ferry Wednesday night left much time for reflection and what-ifs. But at midnight, Hatteras was fogged-in. While Coach David Allewalt and driver Denny Widener stayed on the activity bus, Athletic Director Adam Burleson released the players to their parents so they could stay overnight in a nearby motel.
Allewalt will be a guest on Peter Vankevich’s “What’s Happening on Ocracoke” WOVV interview show at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Ocracoke Dolphins will defend their Atlantic 5 Conference championship tonight at Columbia after crushing the Mattamuskeet Lakers 92-42 in an Atlantic 5 Conference semifinal game Tuesday night.
Tonight’s game in Columbia is against the Bear Grass Bears, who beat the Hatteras Hurricanes 68 to 60 Tuesday night.
WOVV, 90.1 FM and at wovv.rocks will broadcast tonight’s championship game live at 7:30 with Ocracoke Athletic Director Adam “Coach B” Burleson calling the play-by-play.
“As long as we play our game, we’ll be competitive and be in it,” said Dolphins Coach David Allewalt. The Dolphins are 12-1 in conference play and 16-7 overall.
Mason Fuller shoots over Antonio Rodman. Photo by Casey Robertson
Ocracoke’s 92-point total Tuesday was their highest scoring game of the season. Dominating every aspect of the game, the scrappy, fast-breaking Dolphins led 18-0 in the first quarter before the Lakers could score their first basket. Ocracoke led 53-21 at the half.
After the Dolphins had raced ahead of the Lakers, 63-23, midway through the third period, officials began a “running clock,” in which time never stops (even for foul shots) when one team leads by 40 points or more.
Hot-shooting senior Colby Austin again led the Dolphin with 21 points, including six 3-pointers.
Sophomore Cole Gilbert (who is six feet, 10 inches tall) had one of his best games, scoring 16. Mason Fuller chipped in 14 while Reese Gaskins and Perry Austin each scored 11 points.
Allewalt substituted often, enabling all 10 Dolphins to make the scorebook in the team’s lopsided victory. The Lakers only used six players.
“We knew coming in that they were down a couple of players,” Allewalt said. “We just figured we would play an up-tempo game and eventually they would run out of steam and we would get a lot of easy ‘looks.’ It was important for us to get off to a real good start and we did.” (‘Looks,’ in basketball lingo, are easy baskets.)
Allewalt said the team passed the ball well.
“I thought we made some really good decisions in our transition game that gave us a lot of easy buckets,” he said. “Any time we can go out and get some easy buckets, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
JV players Parker Gaskill and Hayden Austin suited up to replace Kalai Samick and Paul Jordan who were out sick. Gaskill scored 6 points and Austin had 2.
“It’s always nice for these younger guys to feel what the intensity level of varsity basketball is all about,” Allewalt said.
Allewalt credited the 50-point blowout to balanced team play.
“Colby, being the point guard, facilitates the floor really well,” he said. “Reese runs the floor really well, too. I thought Mason shot well early. Cole and Perry played well too, so our inside presence was there.
“Anytime you put 90 some points on the board, it’s a total team effort. When you have five guys in double digits, you’re usually going to win.”
The Dolphins return to the Tank (Ocracoke’s school gym) one more time this season, with a state 1A playoff game next week.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association in Chapel Hill will decide seeding and match-ups for playoff games Saturday once all state conference championships are decided.
Dolphin Mason Fuller, left sinks a lay-up shot against Laker Antonio Rodman on Feb. 14. Photo by Richard Taylor
Update: Ocracoke will play the Lake Mattamuskeet Lakers today (Tuesday, Feb. 19); 5 p.m. Ocracoke School gym. Game will be broadcast on WOVV, 90.1 FM and online at wovv.rocks.
To catch up on Ocracoke news and a lot more, click here
By Richard Taylor
SWAN QUARTER — For the second straight year, the conference leading Ocracoke Dolphins boys’ varsity basketball team is favored to win this week’s Atlantic 5 basketball tournament.
By virtue of their 11-1 conference record and a convincing 88-64 victory over the Mattamuskeet Lakers Thursday night in Swan Quarter, the Dolphins have earned a first-round bye and home-court advantage for a second-round game Tuesday (Feb. 19) in the Tank. Ocracoke is 14-7 overall.
On the long ferry ride from Silver Lake to Swan Quarter Thursday afternoon, some Dolphins worked on homework in the MV Carteret passenger lounge.
At the game, the Dolphins characteristic fast-paced run-and-gun offense, excellent passing and good overall ball handling, plus solid free-throw shooting, enabled Ocracoke to overcome a stellar performance by the Lakers’ co-captain Antonio Rodman from 3-point land.
The Dolphins could not stop the five foot-nine-inch Rodman from beyond the key, as the senior Laker guard swished numerous 3-pointers during the contest.
“That’s the best he’s ever shot against us,” Dolphins’ coach David Allewalt said afterwards. “He was awesome.”
Known for regularly rotating his lineup, Allewalt said, “I didn’t think we were moving our feet at first, and we got into a bit of foul trouble. But as we moved forward, we got some good production from our bench.”
“I thought Christian Trejo and Dylan Esham gave us some really good minutes,” Allewalt added. “I thought everybody chipped in adequately. Overall we did everything pretty well.”
Colby Austin drives for layup against Matamuskeet Lakers, Feb 14. Photo by Richard Taylor
The Dolphins led 46-31 at halftime and have won all three games against Mattamuskeet this season. Their 88-point total was the team’s highest this year.
There seemed to be almost as many islanders as Laker fans in the stands for Senior Night in the half-full Mattamuskeet Early College High School gym Thursday.
In other recent home wins, the Dolphins beat Columbia 79-41 on Jan. 29 and Mattamuskeet 81-47 on Feb. 1. After that game, senior Colby Austin was crowned Homecoming King. Taylor Fuller was named Homecoming Queen. Sam Evans was named prince and Mackenzie O’Neal the princess.
Guidance Counselor Mary McKnight said all the homecoming contestants volunteered for the nominations and the entire school voted for the court.
On Senior Night Feb. 6, the Dolphins honored Co-captains Colby Austin, Sam Evans and Kalai Samick before defeating second place Bear Grass Charter 55-41.
Ocracoke then avenged the team’s only conference loss (47-42 against Hatteras Jan. 22) by humbling the Hurricanes at home 57-45 on Feb. 8. Ocracoke is undefeated against Bear Grass Charter and Columbia this season.
Colby Austin, Reese Gaskins and Perry Austin lead the Dolphins in scoring with season averages of 14.5, 14.0 and 10.9 points-per-game respectively.
In this week’s Atlantic 5 tournament, fourth-place Mattamuskeet plays at home against fifth-place Columbia for Monday’s play-in game in Swan Quarter. The winner of that game plays at Ocracoke Tuesday.
Second place Bear Grass Charter plays at home against third place Hatteras Monday, to determine who will play for the championship Wednesday.
Our JV team has been playing well lately, despite a heart-stopping 63-60 home overtime loss to Bear Grass on Feb. 6. The JV team lost to Bear Grass Monday night, 50-43, in the Atlantic 5 tournament play-in game. The younger Dolphins ended their season 5-13 overall and 5-7 in the Atlantic 5 conference.
Would Allewalt rather play against Columbia or Mattamuskeet on Tuesday?
Dylan Esham shoots against Matamuskeet Lakers, Feb 14.
“I don’t care,” he said. “In order to win a conference championship, you have to be organized and be prepared to beat any team you may face. It doesn’t matter to me.
“We won the regular season, so if we play the way I know we can, we shouldn’t really have any problems competing with any team we might play.”
If Ocracoke wins Tuesday as expected, the Dolphins will play for the conference championship Wednesday in Columbia against the winner of Monday’s Bear Grass Charter vs. Hatteras game.
WOVV will broadcast the championship game live from Columbia on 90.1 FM and streaming on wovv.rocks. Athletic Director Adam Burleson will call the game.
The Dolphins are currently ranked 57th among state 1A teams and 431st among all North Carolina high school varsity teams by maxpreps.com
The Dolphins have earned a first-round state 1A playoff home game about Feb. 26, thanks to winning the regular season Atlantic 5 championship. WOVV will also broadcast that game.
Ocracoke Dolphins homecoming court, Feb 6. From left, Colby Austin, King; Taylor Fuller, Queen; Mackenzie O’Neal, Princess; and Sam Evans, Prince. Photo by Richard Taylor
