Monster fourth quarter leads Panthers to win over rival Sharks

Posted

The Nease High Panthers girls basketball team bounced back and got redemption from a loss earlier in the season to the rival Ponte Vedra High Sharks with a 53-43 victory on Friday, Jan. 17.

In both contests between the teams this year it was the road team that had the edge on that night.

It was a close game throughout the first three quarters with the squads tied at 13 after the first quarter and the panthers (8-9, 3-1) clinging to a 36-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

However, just when the look and feel of the game was very similar to the first meeting between the two, which was tight until the end when the Sharks (9-10, 1-1) won 39-37.

But the difference in the game this time around proved to be an explosion by the Panthers offense in the final frame, as they outscored the Sharks 17-9 and extended the lead to double digits in the process.

The impressive nature of the Panthers’ offensive night was fueled by their ability to spread the ball around and have several players involved in the game plan.

As a result, they had all six players that played score at least five points, including McKenna Owens and Casey Eliason leading the way with 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Others who contributed to the balanced attack were Audrey Rollins with nine points, Abigail Robinson and Sage Pytel with seven points apiece, and Sydney Minx rounding out the scoring with five points.

Robinson was also a force on the glass all night and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

For the Sharks, freshman Jocelyn Hoffmann continued her productive season with a game-high 16 points thanks to hitting four of 10 three-point attempts.

Arden Doherty joined Hoffmann in double figures scoring with 12 points in the contest.

Next up for the Panthers are a pair of home games against St. Johns County foes Creekside and Bartram Trail on Thursday Jan. 23 and Friday Jan. 24, both games will start at 7:30 p.m., while the Sharks welcome in St. Augustine High to the Shark Tank on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.