The Ponte Vedra High boys basketball squad opened the New Year with a bang by playing in a couple of showcase matchups.
The Sharks defeated the Spruce Creek High out of Port Orange in the Matanzas Kiwanis Shootout at Matanzas High on Jan. 3.
It was a convincing win for the Sharks who grabbed control early outscoring the Hawks 21-7 in the first quarter and 39-15 at the halftime break en route to an 80-57 victory.
The 80-point effort was the most points the Sharks had scored in a game this season and it was fueled by four players who accounted for all but six of the 80 points.
Senior point guard Alex Katsikas led the way with 21 points, including being automatic from beyond the arc by draining seven three-pointers in the contest.
Other double-figure scorers included fellow senior David Sanchez Barrera (18), Maddox Palmer (18), and Trace Westercamp (17).
Westercamp also had a huge day on the boards and finished with a double-double performance with 12 rebounds and protected the rim with four blocked shots.
Katsikas and Sanchez Barrera both not only scored but were facilitators of the offense with a team-high six assists for each, while they also had active hands defensively as Katsikas had three steals while Sanchez Barrera had two.
The Sharks followed it up one day later with a battle against Gainesville Buchholz High during an event hosted by Orange Park High.
However, this time the Sharks lost a close one to the Bobcats, 49-42, as they dropped to 10-4 on the season.
It was tougher sledding for the offense following arguably their best performance of the season the day before despite once again jumping out to an early lead, this time 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
But it was the Bobcats offense that came alive in the second quarter and came back to tie it up at 26-all at halftime.
After having four players in double figures the day before, Palmer was the only one to reach that mark against the Bobcats with 17 points thanks to shooting an impressive 55% from the field.
Freshman Tyler Kroog put his shooting ability on display as he made both his attempts from long range and finished second on the team with six points.
Westercamp once again led the way with a team-high seven rebounds, while Sanchez Barrera continued to do a little bit of everything from his point guard position as he had two more steals and took a charge as a defender to go with his six points.
