The Ponte Vedra High Sharks swept the boys basketball season series against the rival Nease High Panthers with a 61-48 home victory on Jan. 24.
It did not take long for the Sharks (15-8) to jump out to a comfortable lead on the night after a 35-point first half to fuel a 35-22 halftime lead.
Junior Trace Westercamp had a memorable night all around with 20 points, including two from long range.
However, his production did not stop on the offensive end of the court as was a defensive force around the rim with seven blocked shots and altering even more attempts by the Panthers (9-13), while also grabbing eight rebounds.
Maddox Palmer and Alex Katsikas joined Westercamp with double figures scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Katsikas’ shooting prowess was on display from long range with three makes from beyond the arc on the night.
Senior David Sanchez Barrera had a game-high seven assists to help orchestrate the Sharks’ 61-point effort.
For the Panthers, it was a couple of underclassmen that stood out with sophomore Luke Lindsay having a breakthrough night with 16 points and Chase Phifer scoring 12.
Lindsay had three steals along with three more from freshman Owen Evans who is starting to leave his mark defensively.
In his final rivalry game against the Sharks, Nease senior Jack Kuhl tallied 10 points.
The Panthers will wrap up the regular season on the road against Tocoi Creek High beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, while the Sharks face Ribault High in the Shark Tank at 7:30 p.m. on the same night.
These will be the last games prior to the district tournaments which are scheduled to start on Monday, Feb. 3.
