Don’t blink. You might miss a basket or two during high school games this season at Ida Baker, Cape Coral and Mariner. The three Cape schools all are looking to play more of an up-tempo style.

The teams are putting their styles to the test, as the boys’ regular-season tipped off this week.

Mariner opened play with a victory Monday over Cypress Lake, while Baker defeated Cypress on Tuesday. Cape begins Friday at the Lemon Bay holiday tournament.

“We’ve worked hard over the past 10 months trying to get more points in transition,” said Mariner coach James Harris, whose team is coming off a 7-19 season.

Baker enjoyed the most success last season, posting a school-best 15-12 record. The Bulldogs return an experienced lineup that includes possibly five senior starters.

Though they have good size, second-year coach Greg Coleman said the team has worked a lot on pushing the ball up the floor since last season.

“Our transition game has really improved,” he said. “After watching films (of the two preseason games), we’re making two passes and scoring.”

“I went with what I knew last year,” Coleman said of his first season with the team, “but I studied up on what would suit our team the best.”

The Bulldogs believe they have a group that can improve on last season’s record and challenge for the District 5A-15 title. They lost three hard-fought battles to eventual champion Fort Myers, including an 85-78 thriller in the district semifinals.

Among the key losses for the Bulldogs is powerful 6-foot-4 forward Demetric Page and guard Felix Serrano.

They have a deep cast of returning players, though, led by senior point guard Xavier Battle and senior forwards John Skinner (6-5) and Zach Campbell (6-6).

Senior Gabe Rodriguez, a versatile player as the sixth man last season, moves into the starting lineup.

Coleman also noted the emergence of junior guard Rob Serrano.

“If we want to win district and make a strong playoff appearance, we have to improve on defense,” Coleman added. “If they want to work hard and get down to it, a 20-win season is not far-fetched.”

Despite a 10-15 mark last season, Cape believes it can be much improved. The Seahawks showed glimpses of playing with top teams, at times, including a loss to Fort Myers after they trailed by only five points in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks played a pressure style last season, utilizing athleticism and quickness, and will stick with that approach.

“We’re deeper than we’ve ever been. We have 10 or 11 that can legitimately play,” said third-year coach Mark Rinehart. “We feel we’ll be able to pressure teams for the whole game.”

Senior Cameron Hall, who is just now joining the team after playing football, returns at point guard. Other top returnees include last year’s leading scorer, junior Joel Hill (6-1), senior forward Wellington Tavarez (6-1), senior guard Yoko Roldan and sophomore guard Justin Mitchell.

Mitchell is one of six sophomores listed on the varsity squad.

“It’s a good balance of experienced guys that know how we do things and young talent that will make things exciting,” Rinehart said.

After playing more of a halfcourt offensive style last season, Mariner has gone more on the attack during summer camps and preseason. The Tritons have shown potential, averaging 76 points per game in their two preseason games, compared to 43 points per game last season.

Harris said the Tritons’ next challenge is defending in the fast-paced game.

“Points are becoming more easy for us and the other team,” he said. “We need to work on protecting our basket.”

The change in style was made possible by returning depth. The Tritons have eight varsity players back and figure to have about 15 players in the rotation.

Getting 6-6 junior Clint Johnson back is a big plus. He played in only five games last year due to a back injury.

“That’s like adding a transfer kid,” Harris said. “We lost 10 games by seven points or less and a lot of that comes down to grabbing rebounds.”

The Tritons also return 6-6 senior Ryan Patton, junior guard Kameron Beach and junior guard Ricardo Barsesa.

North Fort Myers also is trying to rebound from a rough season, finishing 6-15. Senior Michael Malaise and junior Tre Boston are the top returning scorers.

Fort Myers, which went undefeated in district play last season, lost two key seniors in Jean Louisme and David Westberry. The Green Wave, though, return 6-11 center Josh Nicholas.

Barron Collier and Gulf Coast finished second and third in the nine-team district behind Fort Myers last year.