For the second straight year the Nease Panthers boys basketball team reached the championship game of the Fortegra High School 9:12 Basketball Invitational.
The Panthers wound up losing their first contest of the season 59-40 to Providence in the tournament final Dec. 10, but continued their early season roll with another magical run through the tournament.
Nease defeated Camden County, 46-34, who made the trip from Georgia to play in the competition held at Florida State College of Jacksonville’s south campus in the first round and then followed it up with a 42-23 victory over Sandalwood to reach the final.
With the Panthers’ latest run they improved to a record of 8-1 on the season, and Bryson Utter being named to the all-tournament team for his play during the three days.
Meanwhile, the Ponte Vedra Sharks boys basketball squad has been holding their own as well in the early going and are 6-1 following a 66-24 win over Kissimmee Poinciana and their first loss of the year in a close one, 75-69, against Tampa Catholic in a showcase hosted by Orlando Windemere Prep Dec. 9 and 10.
Sam and Ben Ritchie each scored 14 points apiece in the win of Kissimmee Poinciana, while Ben Ritchie followed that up with a 21-point outing against Tampa Catholic and Israel Nuhu joined him in double figures with 13 points.
The Nease girls basketball team (7-1) bounced back nicely after its first loss of the season against Ridgeview, 65-40 Dec. 8, with back-to-back victories, including defeating Menendez at home 48-36 the very next day on Dec. 9.
The Panthers then won a defensive slugfest against county-rival Creekside, 31-29, thanks to 17 valuable points from Camryn Robinson to lead the way versus the Knights.
Things have been coming together for the Ponte Vedra girls, especially on the offensive end of late with 60-plus points in victories over Fleming Island (66-33) and St. Augustine (62-53).
Despite a narrow 36-35 loss on the road to Bartram Trail Dec. 13, the Sharks (5-3) are trending in the right direction through the first eight games of the season.
Morgan Gavazzi scored a team-high with points against Fleming Island and St. Augustine, with 21 and 23 points, respectively.
