- June 26, 2019
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Na'Riya Perry drives baseline. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Grace Norris drives down the lane. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Na'Riya Perry drives to the basket. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ryleigh Smith, left, and Karolina Simkus defend. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas girls basketball coach Brittany Marts. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Karolina Simkus shoots. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Grace Norris shoots a free throw. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Na'Riya Perry passes the ball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Na'Riya Perry drives past two Fleming Island players. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas girls basketball coach Brittany Marts is not sure what kind of a team she has yet.
Three of her players have transferred from Flagler Palm Coast this year.
“We’re still learning a lot about ourselves, a lot about each other,” Marts said.
And Marts is learning too. This is her first year as a head coach. She was an assistant coach with the Pirates the past two seasons and was promoted when former head coach Eric Guerrero resigned last spring.
Marts also was an assistant coach and head JV coach at a high school in Middletown, Ohio.
“I’m young. I’m hungry. I have a great group of girls, and I’m excited about what we’re going to do this year,” she said.
Helping a program that hasn’t had much success in the past is one reason why junior Kaitlyn Rose decided to transfer from FPC in October.
“I know this program is hungry,” she said. “We have a new coach, and we want to make a name for ourselves.”
Rose was the Bulldogs’ third-leading scorer last year at 9.4 points per game. Her sister, Sara Rose, has joined her at Matanzas and is the only freshman on the team.
Grace Norris transferred to Matanzas from FPC at the start of the school year.
“I’ve played with a lot of these girls in AAU,” Kaitlyn Rose said. “We’re all really good friends. We’re all committed. This is my junior year, so this is a big season for me.
“It was a really hard decision for me to leave FPC, but you have to put yourself in the best situation to succeed.”
Kaitlyn Rose scored a team-high 19 points in the Pirates’ opener, a 57-29 victory against Pine Ridge, on Nov. 16.
But the Pirates found out in their home opener three days later that they still have a lot to work on. Fleming Island sank 11 3-point shots on the way to a 72-28 rout. The Golden Eagles scored 29 straight points in the second quarter.
“Every time they threw something up, it went in,” Marts said. “They had some incredible shooters.”
Victoria Noble led Fleming Island with six 3-pointers and 22 points. Avery Cannon added 18 points with three treys.
Na’Riya Perry led Matanzas with 10 points, including a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer that pulled the Pirates to within 9-4.
“We did a lot of adjusting on the fly,” Marts said. “But we didn’t start hitting shots until the fourth quarter.”
