Rivalry always intense, but girls are friendly foes, enjoy playing each other
LINWOOD – It was Mainland Regional’s senior day for the Mustang girls basketball team Saturday. After having the two managers and two players announced and given flowers, head coach Scott Betson walked over and handed small bouquets to Marin Panico and Taylor Wenner, the two seniors on Ocean City’s team.
It was a fitting moment.
Although the game was intense as usual with both sides fighting for every possession, it was hard to miss the smiles that occasionally escaped between the rival players who have known each other and competed against each other for so long.
Mustangs Kaitlyn Boggs and Cameron Dirkes were honored before the game, as were senior team managers Jada Roberts and Emily Hughes.
After a close start, the Mustangs pulled away from the Red Raiders and ended up with a dominating 58-30 victory, their second lopsided win over their rivals this season. The teams lead their respective conferences – the 10-1 Mustangs atop the American and 6-5 Red Raiders in the top spot in the National.
Although the final score didn’t show it, it was a scrappy game with players from both teams diving for loose balls and battling for rebounds, but Ocean City’s shots just weren’t falling for much of the game. The hugs afterwards belied the friendships that were much more apparent after the final buzzer sounded.
Mainland scored right off the bat on their first drive and then it was 2-2 when A’yanna Morton tied it halfway through the first quarter.
It was 6-2 Mainland when Hannah Cappelletti hit a three to make it 6-5 with two minutes to go.
The Mustangs increased their lead to 11-5 when Bella Mazur hit a three with a minute to go. Although the Red Raiders had a chance to cut that gap before the quarter ended, Mainland scored again to end the quarter up 13-5.
Ocean City’s Avery Jackson opened the second quarter with a short jumper to narrow the gap to 13-7, but Mainland kept its distance, including on an Ava Mazur trey. It was a scoring drought for the Red Raiders for much of the quarter and they were down 21-7 as their shots just wouldn’t connect. They got closer after a missed three-point attempt when Maddie Monteleone picked up the rebound from her teammate’s shot, scored from in close and was fouled. She converted the foul shot, making it 21-10 with 2:15 left. With about a minute to go, Frankie Ritzel hit a trey from the baseline, making it 21-13, but Ava Mazur had the only other score in the half, which finished 23-13.
In the third quarter, Mainland enlarged the gap, courtesy of 6 points each from the Mazur twins and 4 more from Boggs. The Red Raiders managed only 7 points in the quarter to Mainland’s 17 and went into the final stanza down 40-20.
Ocean City scored 10 more points in the fourth quarter, 2 each from five different players, but Dirkes had her best quarter with 7 of the Mustangs’ 18. That gave her a team-leading 12 for the game. Bella and Ava Mazur each finished with 11, Boggs and Kasey Bretones each had 7, McKenna Pontari and Madison Naman both had 4 and Sydney Stokes had 2.
For Ocean City, Monteleone led with 7. Cappelletti, Jackson and Ritzel had 5 each and Morton, Wenner and Panico scored 2 each.
Panico exchanged smiles with Boggs before the tipoff and the Red Raider was still smiling after the game – she was happy just being on the court after a long layoff and because of her opposition.
She explained she has been back in action for three games, including against Mainland, after being out for a couple of weeks because of having COVID-19. She said she’s still warming up.
“I love basketball. It’s my favorite sport. I’m actually really good friends with these (Mainland) girls and I love playing against them,” Panico said. “It’s always a competition but we all love each other and play on the same AAU teams. I love playing Mainland. It’s always exciting.”
She noted her Red Raiders are a young team and the girls still have to completely gel.
“Mainland has always been our rivals and they’re always really good. We were expecting a really good game, but we still have to come together as a team,” Panico said.
Fellow senior Wenner agreed her team is “doing everything we can. We’re working hard in practice and working hard in games. … We’re working to get better. I think we need to keep executing so we can improve for future games.”
When asked about Panico’s comments about playing against Mainland, Dirkes couldn’t help but grin.
“She’s one of my best friends,” Dirkes said. “I knew going into this game I’ve got to play her, but I have to try to keep a straight face and not smile too much and keep my head in the game. It’s so much fun playing against people you know, people you’re friendly with. Regardless of what we’re playing for, it’s like playing basketball with your friends. I think that’s really important.”
“I think Ocean City is a great team,” Boggs said. “We’ve played them all the time. In the four years, even with the girls before us, we were always playing Ocean City. They were always the great big games. It was nice to go out there and do that.”
Dirkes and Boggs laughed as they noted how many times they have played against Ocean City. The two teams regularly face each other in the regular season and seem to often get matched up in the playoffs, whether it’s basketball season or soccer season. (In the fall, the soccer teams faced each other four times – twice in the regular season, once in the playoffs and once in the finals of the Cape-Atlantic League tournament.)
It’s no wonder the girls are friendly as soon the games end.
Chemistry key
Speaking of friendships, Dirkes and Boggs say the chemistry they have comes from knowing each other so long.
Asked what she likes about Dirkes, Boggs said, “Honestly we get to goof around together a lot. She’s great. She is almost a sister to me because of how long we played together. I look up to her because she’s even more experienced than I am. She’s a great athlete and a great person.
“I know no matter what, I can say, ‘Hey Cam, I need help with this. Can you help me out after practice?’ I’m always down to help her out after practice. She always helps me. I know she’s always there for me on and off the court.”
“I love Kaitlin,” Dirkes said when asked a similar question. “We’ve played together since like third grade. We’ve always known each other. We’re at the point where if one of us messes up, we can say, ‘C’mon, do that.’ And there’s no hard feelings. Like she said, it’s like a sister bond. We can say whatever to get the best out of (each other). I think that’s really important. Kaitlin stays after practice every day and helps me with my foul shots. I help her sometimes even when she doesn’t need it,” she said, laughing. “I can always count on her no matter what.”
That long bond on the team pays benefits for the Mustang players.
“We literally grew up together in the same town,” Dirkes said. “Kaitlin came a little later, but she was still with me most of my middle school career, playing together, doing camps together, AAU teams. We’re just always around each other when it comes to basketball and even outside of basketball when we run into each other we hang out.
“I think that’s so important to have that bond, that chemistry,” Dirkes added. “It elevates teams more than anything else, more than talent, even sometimes hard work. That chemistry, that bond, is something you can’t practice, it just comes.”
Story and photos by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
