Lakeland Fl- It was another great year for both of the Ponte Vedra Sharks Basketball teams. The boys returned to the Final 4 for the third consecutive year. They fell to Dweyer in the 2022-2023 state championship 51-40. They would fall to Martin County in the state championship the year before that 53-49. The Ponte Vedra girls basketball team returned to the Final 4 in 2024 for the first time since 2018, where they fell to American Heritage in the State Championship that year 59-33. Both teams had remarkable seasons in 2023-2024, but fell just short of their long awaited goals in Lakeland.
After several playoff appearances the last few years, the Ponte Vedra Girls Basketball team finally made it over the hump to return to Lakeland. They defeated Springstead 46-43, Lincoln 51-42, then Niceville 58-47, before facing Bloomingdale in the Final 4 on March 7th. Although they were the #3 seed facing #2 Bloomingdale, Ponte Vedra came out the gate with the confidence of a favorite.
Action underway for 6A GBB state semis between 29-0 Ponte Vedra and Bloomingdale Bulls. Big game for the Jacksonville vs Tampa showdown pic.twitter.com/cwYPw8RfMV
— Allen Pettigrew (@AP_Writess) March 7, 2024
Led by senior forward Maya Richards who scored 14-points in the game, the Sharks jumped out to a 10-3 first quarter lead. Yet Bloomingdale’s Noelle Mengel led her team back with 12-points in the second quarter to bring them to within 1-point, trailing Ponte Vedra 25-24 at halftime.
Mengel would continue her onslaught in the third, scoring the basketball and giving her team a 37-33 lead going into the final quarter. Mengel finished as the leading scorer with 25 points in the semifinal. Yet Ponte Vedra wouldn’t quit, as Morgan Gavazzi hit big shots to keep the game close. She had 9 points after three quarters. Yet in the end, Bloomingdale would hold off the Sharks defeating them 55-50, in the state semifinals.
Ponte Vedra and head coach Jessica Spencer-Gardner finished their season with a 22-9 record. Seniors Morgan Gavazzi (15.2ppg), Kennedy Rosendahl (11.9ppg), and Maya Richards (10.0ppg) led the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Next year will be nearly a new team that will look to build off the success of these super seniors.
The Ponte Vedra Boys basketball team finished their season 23-8 and with another trip to the Final 4. Led by senior Sam Ritchie’s 14.4 points per game, the Sharks defeated Lincoln 57-39, Gainesville 58-44, and Wiregrass Ranch 69-52 to advance to the FHSAA state semifinals. It was a total team effort all year, as Tyler Cowan (11.5ppg) and David Sanchez Barrera(10.9ppg) helped lead the Sharks to another district title.
The 6A state finals are underway with @PVSharkBBall & @PCBJaguars. Stay tuned updates coming your way soon pic.twitter.com/UP7cPijE9z
— Allen Pettigrew (@AP_Writess) March 8, 2024
Head Coach Ben Wilson has done an incredible job leading a different group of young men to the title tournament the last three years. Different seniors, yet the same result, a district and regional championship. Yet this year, Ponte Vera would meet the eventual state champions in the semifinal. Pembroke Pines Charter (25-4) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
Cowan and Sanchez Barrera tied for tops in points for Ponte Vedra with 8, however no Shark scored double digits against the dominant Jaguars. Pembroke Pines Charter were led by Josh Harris 20 points, and Jeremy Elyzee’s 29-points in the game, as the Jaguars won the contest 61-34. Ponte Vedra will have Trace Westercamp, David Sanchez Barrera, and Maddox Palmer returning as starters in hopes of making another run at the title next year.
