Mariner basketball wins daily double at Cape's Big House

The Big House was rocking, listing to one side like an Italian cruise ship, when Cape Athletic Director Bob Cilento gave the order near the end of the girls' game to roll out the west side bleachers.

There are always two sides to the story for the annual intra-district Mariner versus Beacon rivalry, no matter what the sport. The teams come to win, and the lifetime of bragging rights is as real as the dads standing around the gym talking about their junior high days.

The Mariner girls stayed unbeaten, winning the first game 26-17 behind seventh-grade point guard Dania Cannon. The game was close throughout, with Mariner leading 20-14 entering the final period.

Aliyah Marshall of Beacon, an eighth-grade multi-sport athlete, was the counterpoint to Cannon, playing a solid all-around game and helping keep it close.

“I can see those two playing together for Cape and making a real difference,” said Cape varsity girls' coach Lamont "Poochie" Hazzard after the game.

The boys' game saw the crowd amped like a three-pronged plug with great back-and-forth action, with Mariner leading 14-13 at the half.

Beacon surged to a 20-16 lead in the third quarter when Corey Barnes of Mariner went off, driving and dishing off passes on a 20-point run for a 36-20 Mariner lead in the fourth quarter.

Beacon responded and got halfway back in the final minutes to lose 41-33. The teams joined for a group photo after the game.

Cape High School coach Steve Re said, “You saw some good basketball with great prospects on the court, but what I noticed was the high level of sportsmanship. Some of the adults get a little crazy over this game, but the kids who play in it have it all in perspective “

Note: There would be more names in this story if the scorebook was readable or box scores were posted.