Pine Crest basketball standout Vrankovic commits to Duke
It appears Pine Crest’s Antonio Vrankovic will have the opportunity to fill the void left by Jahlil Okafor at Duke as the 6-11 center verbally committed to the national champion Blue Devils on Wednesday.
Vrankovic, who is expected to sign with Duke on April 30, tweeted: “Proud to announce that I’m committing to Duke University!”
The ESPN three-star prospect — and son of former NBA player Stojko Vrankovic — averaged 28 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks for the Panthers this past season. Vrankovic’s most prolific scoring game came against Taravella, when he poured in a career-high 55 points to tie the school record set by current Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight.
The University of Miami reportedly made a late push to get Vrankovic, but Vrankovic was smitten with Duke during an unofficial visit last month. A two-time Class 4A-2A All-Broward first-team selection, Vrankovic is Duke’s third commitment in the 2015 class, joining highly touted guard Luke Kennard (Franklin, Ohio) and power forward Chase Jeter (Las Vegas Bishop Gorman).
SIGNINGS
Former Miami High guard Amanda Mendoza, a freshman this past season at St. Petersburg College, has signed with Division I Troy University. Mendoza helped St. Petersburg to a second place finish in the Southern Conference and was named first team All-Conference this past season, averaging nine points and a team-best 2.1 assists per game. A four-year starting point guard at MHS, Mendoza led the Stingarees to the Class 8A state championship as a senior.
▪ Douglas had seven signings this week: Nicole Gautieri (Mount St. Mary’s; swimming), Vincent Prochilo (Ave Maria; football), Anthony Ramcharran (Miami; cross-country/track and field), Alex Margetts (Miami; cross-country/track and field); Kaela Bynoe (University of Chicago; tennis), Sarah Fine (South Carolina-Beaufort; soccer) and Sarah McKay (Johnson and Wales; soccer).
▪ Archbishop McCarthy had seven signees this week: Alexa Spellman (St. Thomas; softball), Moran Corso (Maryville College; softball), Colleen Becker (Ursinus College; softball), Zach Antolak (John Carroll; football), Joseph Bost (John Carroll; football), Diego Sanchez (Ithaca; soccer) and Nicolas Covone (John Hopkins; soccer).
▪ Belen Jesuit had five signees this week: Marcos Perez (Palm Beach Atlantic; baseball), Josh Barditch (John Carroll; baseball), Andres Casariego (Spring Hill; bowling), Matthew Mullin-Garcia (St. Joseph’s; cross-country/track) and Marcello Hernandez (John Carroll; soccer).
REGIONAL BOYS’ LACROSSE
▪ Gulliver 15, Palmetto 6: Walker Gautier and Trevor Pelletier led the way for Gulliver (14-4) with three goals each. C.J. Hassan and Johnnie Walker had two goals.
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas 18, Cypress Bay 2: The visiting Raiders (19-0) got seven goals from J.P. Crowley and three from Dylan Lagamma to advance to the regional semifinals at Gulliver on Tuesday.
REGIONAL GIRLS’ LACROSSE
▪ West Broward 16, Ransom Everglades 8: Lauren O'Connell had six goals while Arielle Jonas and Juliette Cusano each scored four times to lead the Bobcats (13-4) into the regional semifinals.
▪ Pine Crest 11, St. Thomas Aquinas 7: Carley Adams scored four goals and Madison Woodall scored twice in a losing effort for the Raiders (16-3).
DISTRICT SOFTBALL
▪ 16-8A championship – Coral Reef 8, Palmetto 1
Palm: 000-100-0 -- -- 1-2-0
CR: 021-032-x -- -- 8-9-2
WP: Michelle Mesa (18-3). Kylan Becker 2-2, HR, 3 RBI; Carolina Colli 3-3, 3 RBI; Cristina Colli 1-3, RBI. CR 23-4.
▪ 15-8A championship: Coral Gables 12, Braddock 2
Brad: 101-00 -- -- 2-3-1
CG: 055-02 -- -- 12-12-0
WP: Chanel Wilson(12-3) 9 Ks, 4-4, HR, 5 RBI; Victoria Garcia 2-2, RBI, 2 RS; Natalie Regalado 3 RS, 2 RBI. CG 17-8, Brad 13-9.
▪ 14-8A championship: Hialeah Gardens 11, Miami Beach 3
HG: 330-041-0 -- -- 11-20-4
MB: 001-110-0 -- -- 3-10-8
Jessica Pominanski 2 3B, 4 RBI; Emily Torres 2 3B, 3 RBI.
▪ 15-7A championship: St. Thomas Aquinas 16, South Broward 0
SB: 000 -- -- 0-0-1
STA: 5(11)x -- -- 16-15-0
WP: Brooke Stock (7-1). Brianna Stella 3-3, 2B, 3 RS; Jill Healy 2B, 2 RS, 2 RBI. STA 19-6.
▪ 16-6A championship: Doral 4, TERRA 0
TER: 000-000-0 -- -- 0-3-0
Dor: 010-102-x -- -- 4-5-1
WP: Jennifer Acevedo 5K, HR, RBI; Sydney Lageyre RS; Samantha Lageyre RBI, RS. Dor 21-6.
▪ 16-4A championship: Gulliver 11, Key West 1
KW: 100-00 -- -- 1-2-2
Gul: 191-0x -- -- 11-12-1
WP: Mekayla Frazier. Mia Bellingheiri 2 RS, 2 RBI; Sofia DeSolo 3 RBI; Jessica Rivera 2 RS, 3 RBI. Gul 19-7.
▪ 15-4A championship: Florida Christian 6, St. Brendan 5
StB: 020-300-0 -- -- 5-2-1
FC: 101-030-1 -- -- 6-7-4
WP: Faith Vazquez. Karli Smith 3-4, 3 RBI; Brittany Suarez 2 RBI; Faith Vazquez 2-4; Mayte Lezcano 1-1.
▪ 16-3A championship: Westminster Christian 13, Marathon 1
Mar: 010-00 -- -- 1-5-1
WC: 342-13 -- -- 13-10-1
WP - Victoria Perez (9-6). Ally Mena 3-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI; Perez 2-3, RBI; Kia Benitez HR. WC 18-9.
▪ 14-4A semifinal: Calvary Christian 17, North Broward 9
NB: 101-340-0 -- -- 9-14-4
Cal: 202-0(13)0-x -- -- 17-17-1
WP: Cameryn Chang (12-4). Tina Diebel 3-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Brooke Slade 5 RBI. Cal 13-4.
▪ 14-4A semifinal: Coral Springs Charter 8, Chaminade-Madonna 0
CM: 000-000-0 -- -- 0-9-3
CSC: 302-201-x -- -- 8-9-2
Note: Chaminade-Madonna played the game under protest as it prepared to play Calvary Christian and not top-seeded Coral Springs Charter. According to Chaminade-Madonna, the district brackets were changed and there was no notification given.
BASEBALL
▪ South Broward 11, Miramar 6
Mir: 003-021-0 -- -- 6-10-3
SB: 404-201-x -- -- 11-5-4
WP: Chris Cortello (2-4) 6 IP, 6 Ks; Salvatore Zaremba 2 RS, 2 RBI; Chris Haugton RS, RBI; Alex Rodriguez (Mir) 4-4, 2 RS, 2 RBI; Ricardo Amaya (Mir) HR, 2 RBI. SB 5-16.
▪ Sagemont 4, Hallandale 3
Hall: 000-300-0 -- -- 3-4-5
Sage: 001-200-1 -- -- 4-9-0
WP: Adrian Parker (4-0); Chris Iacono 3-4, RS; Luis Tuero 3 SB; Michael Machin 2-3, RS.
▪ West Broward 2, Nova 0
WB: 200-000-0 -- -- 2-5-1
Nova: 000-000-0 -- -- 0-2-0
WP: Nick MacDonald (3-3); LP: O’Donnell. Nick MacDonald CG, 10 K; Samyr Santos 2-3, RBI; Antonio Gonzalez 1-2, RBI. WB 13-9.
▪ Palmer Trinity 15, Champagnat 5
Cham: 032-000 -- -- 5-3-3
PT: 100-2(11)1 -- -- 15-12-3
WP: Nick Font (1-0). Blake Miller 2-2 3 RBI; Cole Hebble 2-4; Justin Kross 3-3 3 RBI. PT 19-3.
▪ Belen 5, University School 2
Bel: 000-030-2 -- -- 5-8-1
Univ: 000-002-0 -- -- 2-6-0
WP: Michael Gomez; Sv: Alex Novoa. Christian DelCastillo 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI; Marcos Perez 3B, RBI; Tonito Galvez RBI, 2 RS. Bel 14-10; Univ 13-12.
▪ Sunset 11, Ronald Reagan 4
RR: 000-0220-0 -- -- 4-6-2
Sun: 221-123-x -- -- 11-15-0
WP: Danny Diaz 8 K; Robert Hernandez 3 RBI, 3 RS; Marc Romero 3 RBI; Erick Orbeta RBI.
▪ Mourning 4, Dr. Krop 2
Mour: 300-100-0 -- -- 4-8-1
DrK: 110-000-0 -- -- 2-4-0
WP: Brandon Rios (6-4) 3 K, 3-4; Jim Varona 5 IP, 3 K. Mour 12-12.
▪ LaSalle 3, Miami Christian 2
MC: 000-010-1 -- -- 2-5-1
LaS: 100-000-2 -- -- 3-7-4
WP: Joshua Leon. Mario Sanchez RBI; Danny Rodriguez RBI. LaS 11-12.
▪ Calvary Christian 13, Miami Country Day 0: Nick Benevento 2-3; Tommy Orr 2-3; Colin Majewski 2-2. Calv 9-3.
BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL
▪ Palmetto d. Mourning 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13: Devin Decker 22 kills; Joey Sensale 11 kills; Thomas Latimer 48 assists; Julian Hunt 7 kills; Alex Brown 7 kills; Carlos Jimenez (Mour) 21 kills; Erick Nascimento (Mour) 52 assists; Nico Triana (Mour) 14 kills. Palm 16-6, Mour 13-6.
▪ Columbus d. Florida Christian 25-17, 25-18, 25-15: Peter Cancio 8 kills; Guillermo Brito 7 kills; Javier Cisneros 6 kills. Cbs 21-1.
▪ Mourning d. Hialeah Gardens: Carlos Jimenez 9 kills; Erick Nascimento 32 assists; Alex Silva 8 kills. Mour 15-6.
▪ Miami Christian d. Island Christian in doubleheader: Jason Marono 27 aces, 31 digs; Diego Rivera 27 digs; Mark Rodriguez 11 kills.
▪ Chaminade-Madonna d. Flanagan 25-14, 25-22, 25-18: Ben Witherington 5 kills; Shemar Douthett 5 kills. CM 12-4.
▪ Archbishop McCarthy d. Nova 25-4, 25-10, 25-8: Alex Suarez 24 points; Nick Alonso 19 points; Christian Amortegui 9 kills. McC 14-7.
▪ Ferguson d. Coral Park 25-12, 25-18, 25-20: Kevin Cobas 7 kills; Jorge Chiriboga 15 digs; Allain Larroche 22 assists; Kyle Larrazabal 9 kills.
▪ St. Brendan d. SLAM 25-11, 25-22, 25-18: Jahn Lozada 13 kills, 13 digs; Jonah Sanchez 5 kills; Jorge Gonzalez 6 blocks. StB 11-6
▪ TERRA d. Westland Hialeah 25-18, 30-28, 22-25, 26-24: Javier Contreras 22 kills, 10 digs; Alexander Alvarado 8 kills; Johnfranco Casanova 6 kills; Derek Bostick 40 assists. TERRA 7-6
▪ Ferguson d. St. Brendan 25-27, 25-16, 25-15, 25-27, 15-13: Haykel Chala 22 kills; Allain Larroche 49 assists; Aldahir Escudero 16 kills; Kevin Cobas 7 kills.
BOYS’ DISTRICT TRACK
▪ 15-4A – Team standings: 1. Dr. Krop 193; 2. American 139; 3. Coral Gables 117; 4. North Miami 105; 5. North Miami Beach 35; 6. Hialeah-Miami Lakes 27; 7. Ronald Reagan 11; 8. South Miami 10; 9. Miami Senior 5; 10. Hialeah Gardens 2. 100: 1. Amir Rasul (CG) 11.15; 2. Nicholas Khouri (DrK) 11.15. 200: Amir Rasul (CG) 21.76; 2. Johaun Beresford (Amer) 21.82. 400: 1. Ari Cogdell (Amer) 47.55; 2. Justin Georges (DrK) 50.53. 800: 1. Deshay Fernandes (CG) 2:02.18; 2. Kareem Bullard (Amer) 2:02.66. 1600: 1. Deshay Fernandes (CG) 4:38.52; 2. Spencer Tate (DrK) 4:42.89. 3200: 1. Alexander Elortegui (CG) 10:59.65; 2. Spencer Tate (DrK) 11:03.35. 110 hurdles: 1. Kevin Turner (Amer) 15.14; 2. Ryan Jackson (DrK) 15.63. 300 hurdles: 1. Kevin Turner (Amer) 38.9; Ryan Jackson (DrK) 39.83. 4x100: 1. Coral Gables 42.56; 2. Dr. Krop 42.96. 4x400: 1. American 3:19.12; 2. Dr. Krop 3:28.71. 4x800: 1. American 8:32.78; 2. North Miami 8:40.1. High jump: 1. Raekw Hankerson (DrK) 6-2; 2. Rajni Stewart (HML) 6-0. Pole vault: 1. Ryan Jackson (DrK) 9-6; 2. Abraham Ahumada (CG) 8-6. Long jump: 1. Malcolm Martin (DrK) 21-9.5; 2. Nitchev Casseus (NM) 21-8. Triple jump: 1. Dae'mhun Fuller (CG) 41-11.75; 2. Malcolm Martin (DrK) 41-9.5. Shot put: 1. Brandon Murillo (HML) 44-10; 2. Jamal Smith (Amer) 42-0. Discus: 1. Vanderick Verdier (DrK) 135-5; 2. Kenzy Dargrand (NM) 135-04.
GIRLS’ DISTRICT TRACK
▪ 15-4A – Team standings: 1. Lourdes 251; 2. Dr. Krop 138; 3. American 106; 4. North Miami 32; 5. Miami Beach 31; 6. South Miami 25; 7. North Miami Beach 12; 8. Hialeah Gardens 11; 9. Coral Gables 10; 10. Ronald Reagan 10; 11. Hialeah-Miami Lakes 6; 12. Miami Senior 3. 100: 1. Kimberly Overton (Amer) 12.58; 2. Kyla Lestagez (MB) 13.07. 200: Lenysse Dyer (Amer) 24.44; 2. Kimberly Overton (Amer) 26.93. 400: 1. Lenysse Dyer (Amer) 55.67; 2. Laura Tabuteau (NM) 1:00.52. 800: 1. Sabrina Quijano (Lour) 2:23.85; 2. Chelsea Lewis (DrK) 2:26.43. 1600: 1. Sabrina Quijano (Lour) 5:37.06; 2. Lianna Farnesi (Lour) 5:37.1. 3200: 1. Sabrina Quijano (Lour) 12:28.44; 2. Lianna Farnesi (Lour) 12:35.31. 100 hurdles: 1. Annemarie Jude (Lour) 17.99; 2. Sofia Zacarias (Lour) 18.06. 300 hurdles: 1. Olivian Jackson (Amer) 45.43; 2. Riana Jackson (DrK) 50.32. 4x100: 1. American 50.36; 2. Dr. Krop 51.89. 4x400: 1. American 4:04.07; 2. Dr. Krop 4:18.73. 4x800: 1. Lourdes 10:27.57; 2. North Miami 10:54.98. High jump: 1. Annemarie Jude (Lour) 4-8; 2. Lori Couto (Lour) 4-6. Pole vault: 1. Johanna Schiefer (CG) 10-6; 2. Daniela Flamini (Lour) 7-6. Long jump: 1. Correena Saintilmond (DrK) 16-1; 2. Cristina Almarez (Lour) 15-9.5. Triple jump: 1. Tiahna Brown (DrK) 31-3; 2. Sofia Rodriguez (Lour) 30-4.5. Shot put: 1. Ka'neeshia Brown (SM) 33-4; 2. Jasmine Albert (DrK) 32-7. Discus: 1. Vantae Williams (DrK) 109-2; 2. Isabel Romeu (Lour) 82-3.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOFTBALL
District 14-4A final at Betti Stradling Park: 6:30
District 16-2A final: Island Christian at Colonial Christian, 4
The Miami Herald’s South Florida Top 10 rankings
BASEBALL
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (18-4)
2. Columbus (20-5)
3. Coral Gables (17-5)
4. Flanagan (16-5)
5. Archbishop McCarthy (21-4)
6. Douglas (19-4)
7. Westminster Christian (17-6-1)
8. Killian (17-8)
9. Gulliver (18-6)
10. TERRA (19-5)
Under consideration: Doral Academy (17-7-1), Goleman (19-3), Pine Crest (16-7-1), American Heritage (16-7), Braddock (15-8), Palmetto (14-8), Varela (13-5-1), SLAM (19-6), South Dade (16-6).
This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Pine Crest basketball standout Vrankovic commits to Duke."