What a season it was for the Ponte Vedra boys basketball program, which came up one win away from a state title following a 53-49 loss to Stuart Martin County in the Class 6A state championship March 5 in Lakeland.
Although ending with a loss is never easy, the Sharks proved countless times that they have the heart of a champion, including fighting back in the title game to make it a one possession contest after being down 10 points to start the fourth quarter.
The Sharks continued pushing toward their goal of a state title and never gave up all the way until the final whistle blew.
What made their run to the state championship so special is that they were the first in school history to do so.
As a result, they have now set the tone and raised the expectations of the program moving forward in one fell swoop.
Every team enters a new season with dreams of going to the final four and winning a state championship, but for the Sharks to break down that barrier and accomplish the feat will suddenly turn that dream into a reality for both the returning players on the team and the fans in the stands.
A major difference for the Sharks in the title from the semifinal performance was their three-point shooting.
In the state semifinal the Sharks shot 50% from beyond the arc by making eight of 16 attempts. It was a much different story in the championship as the Sharks only made two of 16 attempts from long range.
One of those made three-pointers came from Ross Candelino and cut the deficit to three, 50-47 with less than a minute to play in the game.
However, that was as close as the Sharks got to completing their comeback bid down the stretch, despite outscoring the Tigers 19-13 in the final quarter.
The Sharks made up for the lack of three-point production by attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line.
When they got to the line, they were able to consistent convert and not leave points on the table.
Candelino hit seven of eight free throw attempts, while six of Nate Bunkosky’s 10 points came from the line.
Candelino led the team with 16 points, while Luke Pirris posted 13 and J.T. Kelly finished with eight.
Defense was the Sharks’ calling card all season, and on a night when the shots weren’t falling as often as usual, the defense continued to be that steady presence.
Kelly, Candelino and Sam Ritchie each had four steals and Pirris had two of his own to go with a block and drawing an offensive charge.
The teams were tied at 12 at the end of the first quarter but the Sharks trailed 26-19 at halftime.
