Malik Reneau scores 19 points to lead Mater past Doral in high school boys’ basketball

The losing coach wasn’t very happy.

The winning coach wasn’t exactly thrilled, either.

Those in attendance, however — which included a coach from a power-five-conference university — were certainly entertained as host Mater Academy held on to defeat Doral 61-57 in a tense battle between two elite teams on Thursday night.

Mater (3-0) used a 16-2 second-half run to build a 49-39 lead with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter. But Doral (1-1) battled back and had a chance to tie the score or win the game, trailing 59-57 with five seconds left.

However, an in-bounds pass slipped through the hands of Doral’s star guard Devin Carter — son of former Miami Heat guard Anthony Carter — and Mater used the turnover to add two Isaiah Josue free throws, providing for the final margin.

Carter, a slim 6-4 guard regarded as the top senior in South Florida, finished with a game-high 31 points.

“He had to carry us,” Doral coach Jorge Fernandez said of Carter, who has scholarship offers from FIU, DePaul, Georgia Tech and others. “[Mater] was double-teaming Devin a lot, and sometimes he puts too much pressure on his shoulders. We need more guys to step up.”

Mater’s 6-7 forward Malik Reneau, considered the top sophomore in South Florida, was the main reason that college scout was in attendance. Reneau scored 19 points, and he nearly brought down the house in the tiny, sold-out Mater gym (capacity: 500) with two thunderous dunks in the final two minutes.

But Mater coach Shakey Rodriguez said there’s much work to do yet this season.

“It wasn’t Malik’s best game,” Rodriguez said. “Malik has to have more faith in our guards and their ability to get him the ball. But, vice versa, our guards need to connect better.

“Malik is unstoppable from five feet in, and we have to figure out how to get him the ball.”

Both of these coaches are really college-level guys. Earlier in his career, Rodriguez won five state titles at Miami High and was also one of the more successful head coaches in FIU history.

Fernandez, a former University of Miami assistant, led Doral to a state title in 2018 and just missed a repeat last season, finishing 29-1.

Carter, who was Florida’s Class 7A Player of the Year last season, certainly impressed Rodriguez on Thursday.

“Every time he had time to shoot, he made it,” Rodriguez said. “He hit some tough shots.”

But even with all the attention on Carter and Reneau, some other players turned in impressive performances, too.

Doral’s 6-6 junior forward Kameron Johnson scored 13 points and did an excellent job battling Reneau in the post, for example.

For Mater, Josue had 17 points, and he helped make up for the absence of teammate Torence Shellman, a 6-3 junior who is out due to a knee injury.

“Shellman’s our best perimeter defender,” Rodriguez said. “He would’ve been the guy we used to guard Carter.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise for Mater was the shot-making turned in by two of their smallish guards, 5-7 freshman Michael Bradley and 5-8 junior Ryan Sanchez. They combined for 23 points, including two three-pointers that were banked in rather fortuitously.

“It was an exciting game for our fans,” Rodriguez said in summation, “but we need to play a lot better.”

▪ Ransom Everglades 64, SLAM 46: Neil Schiff had 26 points and 6 3-[ointers. Ransom 4-0.

▪ North Miami 74, American 56: Vee’lesk Avin 29 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals; Carlos Hart 18 points, 10 recounds, 7 assistant, 3 steals; Johnsky Saintsurin 13 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals.

▪ Hebrew Academy 84, GMA 23: HA: Itzkowitz 6, Acevedo 21, Lurie 4, Rubinov 10, Saka 10, Otsman 14, Fernandez 5, Stein 14. 3-pointers Acevedo 7, Itzkowitz 1, Rubinov 1, Saka 2, Otsman 4. Rebound: Stein 12. Assist: Rubinov 7. HA 2-3.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

▪ Lourdes 68, Southridge 34: Madison Porras 32 points; Alicia Pagliery 10 points, 5 steals; Brooke Merdjane 9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists.

▪ Krop 72, Carol City 24: Krop 4-0. Weingard 28 points, 7 assists, 4 steals; B. Knowles 15 points; Milles 10 pts, 13 rebounds; Kam Walker 8 points, 15 rebounds. 3-pointers: Weingard 2, B. Knowles 2, Francis 1.

▪ Hebrew Academy 51, Avant Garde 15: HA: Katz 8, Stein 2, Reich 2, S. Ebner 9, Y. Wolfson 12, Horowitz 2, Atun 2, K. Wolfson 5, Lurie 9. 3-pointers: Katz 1. Rebound: K. Wolfson 11. Assist: Katz 5. HA: 4-1.

BOYS’ SOCCER

▪ University School 3, American Heritage Delray 0: Diego Garcia opened up the scoring with a goal, and freshman Ethan Subachan added two goals. Simon Mertnoff recorded his fifth shutout. Sharks 7-0-0.

GIRLS’ SOCCER

▪ St. Brendan 3, Monsignor Pace 0: Sarah Hussein , Paulina Llorens ,Sophie Gonzalez one goal each . Christal Padron and Bella Silar combined for the shutout . St. Brendan 6-1.

▪ Pines Charter 5, Flanagan 3: Francesca Brito 3 goals, Alexa Robles 1 goal, Brianna James 1 goal, Sophia Amortegui 1 assist, Natali Brito 1 assist. Pines Charter 5-0.

▪ Coral Reef 8, Varela 0: Madison Garcia-Hall 3 goals, Katherine Diaz 2 goals, 3 assists, Jolie Hughes 1 goal. Coral Reef 9-0-0.