The Ponte Vedra High girls basketball team has righted the ship and had won three of their past four games following a narrow 39-37 victory on the road against rival Nease High on Jan. 4.
With the win, the Sharks improved to 7-6 and appear back on track after experiencing a tough three-game losing streak in early December.
The Sharks showed great mental fortitude as they found a way to win the nail-biter against the Panthers and made the necessary plays down the stretch to end up on top.
Underclassmen continue to be offensive catalysts for the Sharks with freshman point guard Jocelyn Hoffmann leading the way with 11 points, which was just below her season average of 12.8 per game.
Hoffmann also led the Sharks by grabbing seven rebounds.
Fellow freshman Audrey Rosendahl and sophomore Ella Spencer-Gardner were other productive scorers on the night with nine points each in the contest.
Despite the loss, it was a special night for the Panthers as they held a ceremony officially naming the court in the Nease High gym after former longtime head coach Sherri Anthony.
Audrey Rollins led all scorers with a game-high 14 points, including shooting 43% from three-point range, while also contributing on the defensive end with three blocked shots and a steal.
Ponte Vedra’s Arden Doherty and Nease’s Abigail Robinson both provided a veteran presence for their respective teams and were able to be major factors in the offense even when they were not scoring with a team-high three assists for both juniors.
The Panthers’ record fell below .500 with the loss but they evened it back following a dominant 47-27 district win over Fletcher High on Tuesday Jan. 7. They will travel to play Oakleaf High at 7 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 9 and are at home against Menendez at 6:30 p.m. on Friday Jan. 10.
The Sharks will face Stanton Prep at home at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 9 and will have a road contest against Ridgeview High at 6:30 p.m. on Friday Jan. 10.
