Facing a one-point deficit, the Cape Coral Seahawks could not come up with a rebound on a missed free throw with 5.8 seconds remaining and Cypress Lake dribbled away the final seconds to claim a 65-64 victory Thursday night.

“We’ve lost in some interesting ways this season,” said Seahawks coach Mark Rinehart. “Whether on offense or defense in close games, you have to learn to execute.”

The Seahawks were trailing 65-63 with 7.7 seconds on the clock and J.J. Bailey at the free throw line for two shots. Bailey missed the first one and hit the second, forcing the Seahawks to foul on the in-bounds play.

At the other end, Chris Belli toed the line in a bonus free throw situation with 5.8 remaining. His shot drew iron and bounced toward the sideline where several players swatted at the ball sending it toward Cape’s end of the court. The Panthers secured the ball and dribbled around until time ran out on the Seahawks’ hope.

“Plain and simple we didn’t defend very well in the first three quarters,” said Rinehart. “They played with more energy than we did and that gets you the loose balls and bounces tend to go your way.”

The Seahawks opened a slim early lead that lasted almost until halftime. The Panthers grabbed their first lead at 32-29 with 55 seconds left in the first half. Devon Grimm boosted the comeback with a pair of three-pointers in a 30-second span that put the Panthers in front at intermission.

The Seahawks scratched and clawed their way back in the third quarter behind Chase Galuzny’s 10 points in the period, but still trailed by six entering the final quarter.

James McIntyre hit a three-pointer with 6:40 to go that put the Seahawks back in front 55-54 temporarily. The lead switched hands two more times in the next several minutes when Justin Mitchell drew a foul out on the perimeter and the Panthers player’s reaction added a technical foul on the play. Mitchell hit one of the free throws and added a layup off the in-bounds play for a 63-60 lead, but the Seahawks could not sustain it.

The Panthers countered with five unanswered points for a 65-63 lead with 11 seconds left, setting the stage for the final free-throw duel.

McIntyre and Mitchell finished with 15 points apiece and Mitchell added nine assists. Galuzny added 13 points, including three three-pointers, and Bailey finished with seven points and nine rebounds.

The Seahawks (8-7) host Riverdale Friday in a District 4A-11 matchup.

Cape Coral18 13 17 16 – 64

Cypress Lake16 18 20 11 – 65

CAPE 64 – Henry 2, Mitchell 15, Galuzny 13, Flynn 2, McIntyre 15, Bailey 7, Marshall 6, Figueroa 4. Totals: 26 4-9 64.

3PG: Galuzny 3, McIntyre 5.

CYPRESS 65 – Belli 4, Petitdo 7, Drake 10, Lacell 3, Bouras 15, Grimm 8, Edwards 16, Albright 2. Totals: 24 9-14 65.

3 PG: Drake 2, Lacell 1, Bouras 2, Grimm 2, Edwards 1.

Dunbar 65, Island Coast 46: Island Coast was unable to mount any serious threat against Dunbar after digging itself into a 29-21 first-half deficit for a second straight loss.

Terrell Griffin topped the Gators with 12 points while the Tigers had four players score in double figures.

The Gators (8-8) take a trip to LaBelle Monday.

Island Coast10 11 10 15 – 46

Dunbar11 18 16 18 – 65

ISLAND COAST 46 – Chery 5, Dal Bon 9, Griffin 12, Harding 5, Matos 2, Rees 8, Morris 2, Belizaire 1. Totals: 18 7-21 46.

3PG: Dal Bon 1, Harding 1, Rees 1.

DUNBAR 65 – Strawbridge 10, Coleman 4, White 11, Williams 2, Barnes 15, J. Jackson 11, B. Jackson 5, Hendricks 7. Totals: 27 6-10 65.

3PG: Barnes 4, Hendricks 1.

Girls Soccer

Cape Coral 5, Cypress Lake 0: Christina Hunt scored a pair of goals and three teammates tacked on one apiece as Cape Coral shut out Cypress Lake.

Erika Karkosza, Emily Daniels and Joanna Russell contributed single goals while Carina Powell, Vikki Reno, Ciarra Hunter and Megan Terzak were credited with one assist apiece. Goalkeeper Amanda Kopale did not make any saves for the Seahawks.

“We are playing much better,” said Seahawks coach Eric Lamboy. “The district tournament will be fun. We’re excited about it because we can be .500 going into district and looking forward to that.”

The Seahawks play at Riverdale Friday night.

Mariner 2, Fort Myers 2: Mariner scored two goals early in the first half, but the lead only lasted until midway through the second half and settled for a district tie.

Kelsea Whitaker and Emily DiRoma had the goals for the Tritons while goalkeeper Sam Greenwell made eight saves.

The Tritons (10-6-1, 3-4-1 district) host Lemon Bay Friday night.

Island Coast 4, Dunbar 0: Lexy Perry scored her first varsity goal as Island Coast blanked Dunbar.

Kady Kania added two goals and Andrea Adsit one goal for the Gators (3-13, 3-5 district), who host Lehigh Wednesday.

Boys Soccer

Cape Coral 4, Cypress Lake 2: Caio Amaral scored two goals with Pablo Acosta and Jordan Taylor each adding unassisted goals to lead Cape Coral past Cypress Lake.

Acosta and Kayck Freire were credited with assists while goalkeeper Daniel Villamil made 15 saves.

The Seahawks (14-0-2, 4-0-2 district) host Riverdale Friday night.

Island Coast 2, Dunbar 1: Island Coast earned its first victory of the season with a one-goal decision over Dunbar.

Sean Gartlan and Kevin Vigne scored the Gators’ goals, both in the first half and goalkeeper Matthew Dal Bon made 12 saves to preserve the victory.

The Gators (1-12-1, 1-7 district) host Lehigh Wednesday.

Fort Myers 1, Mariner 0: Scoring opportunities were few and far between as the Mariner Tritons came up empty against Fort Myers, which scored the game-winning goal midway through the second half.

The Tritons (12-7-1) play a district match at Lemon Bay Friday.

Girls Basketball

Mariner 52, Evangelical Christian 49: Alyssa Dodson pitched in a team-high 17 points, including three three-pointers, to lead Mariner to victory over Evangelical Christian.

Kyla Taylor added 11 points for the Tritons (4-15), who host Lemon Bay Friday night.

Mariner15 15 9 13 – 52

ECS15 10 13 11 – 49

MARINER 52 – Mo. Bono 8, Ma. Bono 7, Dodson 17, Taylor 11, McClure 3, O’Connor 6. Totals: 17 13-23 52.

3PG: Dodson 3, O’Connor 2.

ECS 49 – Simeons 7, Cassidy 5, Mekas 2, Banks 22, Berquist 10. Totals: 20 7-15 49.

3PG: Banks 2.

Cypress Lake 56, Cape Coral 45: Freshman Crystal Townsend hit for a game-high 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Cape Coral in a losing effort against Cypress Lake.

Camary Williams added 11 points for the Seahawks (3-15), who play at Riverdale Friday night.

Cypress Lake18 13 16 7 – 56

Cape Coral 8 10 7 19 – 45

CYPRESS 56 – Drake 9, McKenzie 8, Waugh 2, Fortune 15, Grimm 15, St. Hubin 2, Anderson 4, Reading 2. Totals: 20 14-17 56.

3PG: Drake 1, Fortune 1.

CAPE CORAL 45 – Williams 11, Smart 2, Brice 2, Griffin 6, Townsend 20, Hunter 2. Totals: 19 7-19 45.

3PG: none.