Nease tops Ponte Vedra in ‘Battle of the Bridge’ rivalry

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Playing before another full house at the Nease gymnasium for their traditional “Battle of the Bridge” rivalry, the host Nease Panthers stunned their visiting neighbors from Ponte Vedra High with a 57-48 win last Friday, Dec. 7.

A zone defense with man-to-man principles, a very patient offense and some sensational shooting highlighted the Nease victory. Yet another plus in the Nease win was some deadly marksmanship from the free throw line, including a stretch in which the Panthers converted on 16 straight free throw attempts.

The Sharks were far off form from their previous night’s well-played game against Palatka, but much of the credit goes to the Panthers and their coach Josh Bailen, who employed a zone defense that forced the Sharks to make their shots from outside the paint.

While the Panthers singed the nets at a 60 percent clip, the Sharks made only 6 of their 20 attempts from 3-point land, coupled with a woeful 2 of 9 at the free throw line.

Energized by a large turnout of vociferous Nease High students, the Panthers’ zone defense completely befuddled Shark shooters as they took an 8-3 lead following the low scoring first quarter.  

The Sharks rallied in the second stanza to trail 21-20 at halftime. When Luke Martin netted a 3-point shot from the corner early into the third quarter, the Sharks took their first lead in the contest. That lead was short-lived as Nease went on an 11-0 run with big blows being a pair of 3-pointers from Panthers junior guard Kyle Baidas.

The Sharks again rallied after trailing by as many as 10 points and would eventually catch and briefly pass the Panthers. Jacobi Myers’ 3-pointer midway through the final quarter put the Sharks narrowly on top of Nease at 39-38. Corban Anderson, the six-foot-six-inch center, countered, however, by putting Nease back in front with a pair of layups.

The key play of the game came after Ben Houser’s steal and layup brought the Sharks within a point with 2:35 showing on the clock.  

Nease’s Payton MacDonald calmly connected on a 3-pointer right in front of the jubilant Nease bench to make it a two-possession lead at 47-43 with 2:10 left in the game. Ironically, the game’s biggest basket was the only shot attempted by MacDonald in the entire game.

The Sharks’ Reese Russi brought the Sharks within two when he made one of his patented driving layups, but Nease guard Zachary Fifield put a dagger in the Sharks’ hearts when he followed with an old fashioned 3-pointer, scoring on a left-handed layup and adding the free throw. 

The Panthers then cashed in their foul shots to preserve their lead, and when the final horn sounded, the Nease student body rushed onto the floor to congratulate their jubilant classmates.

Baidas led all scorers with 17 points. Matt Guzie and Anderson were also in double figures for the Panthers with 10 points each. Fifield chipped in eight. The victory evened the Panthers’ record at 3-3, the same record as the Sharks.

Ben Houser and Reese Russi led the Sharks in scoring with 16 and 14 points respectively.

Logan Conway chipped in with eight points and four steals in a losing cause, while point guard Johnny Corlazzoli had a game-high five assists.

Local fans will have to wait a while before the rematch. The two rivals will not meet again until the final game of the regular season on Feb. 8 at the Shark Tank at Ponte Vedra High.