Saturday, November 14, 2026
Senior John Boxma drives the lane.
Grayson Jones and Benji Beightol battle Luke Bower and Landon Silva for a first half rebound.
Leo Jean Baptiste is eyeing a basket.
Grayson Jones was the leading scorer for MIA with 13 points.
Senior Shamus Coyle negotiates his way through traffic.
Jacob Watt glides to the hoop for two points.
Sometimes you start strong, set the tone, and cruise to a victory. That looked like the script for the first three quarters for Marco Island Academy Friday night against Village School of Naples. The only problem was, Village School scripted a different ending for MIA’s Senior Night, turning the tables in the fourth quarter and hanging on for a 54-48 win over the Rays.
"Tough loss tonight,” said Jim Watt, Rays head coach, who couldn’t quite believe what he had just witnessed. "They just caught fire and we couldn’t stop them. I actually don’t even know what happened there in the second half. But I told the boys, that’s not our season, that’s just one loss. Yeah, it affects our PCAC standings, but that’s alright. We can come from behind and win it.”
The Rays started strong, jumping to an early 11-6 lead, and were able to maintain a small lead throughout the first three quarters. But Village School refused to go away, and took the lead for the first time, 40-38, with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter. The Rays never recovered. Grayson Jones led the way for the Rays with 13 points, including three second quarter three pointers. Shamus Coyle was next in line with 11 points, including a pair of three pointers. Jacob Watt and John Boxma had nine each for the Rays. The Rays were without two key contributors, Gage Rice and John Lewis. Both players will be back.
Next up for the Rays (11-8) is the Paradise Coast Athletic Conference tournament.
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