- Monday - Boys Soccer v. Fleming Island, 5:30 pm.
- Tuesday - Boys' Soccer v. Bartram Trail, 5:30 pm.
- Wednesday - Boys' Basketball v. Clay, 6 pm.
- Thursday - Boys' Soccer v. Menendez, 5:30 pm.
Scorecard
Girls' Basketball:
The Ponte Vedra Lady Sharks faced three tough opponents this week, all on the road, and were able to bring home only one victory, although very pleasing.
The week began with a long road trip down to Palatka to face the Top 10 Florida team on Tuesday, December 10. The outcome of the tough game offered a 25-point Ponte Vedra deficit at 58-33. The game was dominated on the boards at both ends of the court by Palatka's Jonell Williams who accounted for 23 of their points. The Lady Sharks were led by Megan Piggott and Rachel Aspinwall who collected 14 and 8 points respectively. Ponte Vedra scoring was rounded out by Mandi Koski with six, Christi Begeman with three, and Brenna Storm with two points.
Closer to home on Thursday evening the Lady Sharks collected a satisfying second in a row triumph over rival Nease. The game was hard fought and close for much of the game. Nease jumped off to an early lead with Coach Jim Piggott substituting players as quickly as the winds can change. The first quarter eventually ended with the Lady Sharks on top at 14-9. Slowly through the second quarter the Lady Sharks built a more balanced offensive attack, going into the locker room with an eight point margin at 30-22. Nease stayed close through the third, actually narrowing the margin by a single shot at 46-39. In the fourth quarter the Lady Sharks gained the momentum by tiring the Lady Panthers, outscoring them 22-6 for the final 23-point victory at 68-45.
Three Lady Sharks offered double-digit performances with Piggott collecting 28, Mandi Koski hitting for 13, and Erin Landis adding 12 points. Christi Begeman offered eight, Rachel Aspinwall hit for a three-pointer, and Brenna Storm and Mirian Grant each added two points. Nease was lead by Sydney Searcy with 15 points, but she eventually fouled out, and then called for a technical when her frustration surfaced near the end of the game. Also in double-digits for Nease was Katie Sullivan 13 points. Alex Romanello hit for nine points. Kendra McKee had five points and Sarah Gray rounded out their scoring with three.
On Saturday afternoon the Lady Sharks ventured to Providence for another tough battle. Providence dominated the first quarter as they rushed to a 20-11 lead. By the end of the second quarter Providence had doubled the Lady Sharks output 34-17. The third quarter was played closer, as was the fourth, with the game ending with a victory for Providence at 66-53.
Again three Lady Sharks offered ten or more points with Piggott producing 22, Koski hitting for 13, and Begeman at 10. The balance of the Lady Sharks scoring resulted in three points for Michaela Hulihan, two each for Landis and Storm, and a free-throw by Grant.
The Lady Sharks will have two road games this week before taking the Christmas school break. Tuesday they travel to Pedro Menendez and Thursday the varsity travels to Clay and the JV team is away at Creekside.
Boys' Basketball:
Sharks bounce back with two home wins Ponte Vedra's boy's basketball team has now bounced back from a couple of tough losses to notch their third straight victory, including two decisive victories this past week at home.
The Sharks welcomed nearby St. Augustine to the Shark tank on Tuesday and posted a solid 52-40 win over the Yellow Jackets. On Thursday Ridgeview fell to the Sharks 51-37 in a game where coach Bud Beech was able to utilize his entire roster.
In addition to winning their second district game in the win over Ridgeview, the highlight of the evening came very early in the contest when Jackson Johnson's 3-pointer pushed him over the 1000 barrier in career points scored.
The game was quickly stopped when his proud coach Bud Beech called a timeout and presented Johnson with a game ball at mid court. Johnson joins coach Beech's son Beau as the second Ponte Vedra player to accomplish the feat.
Fittingly enough, Beau was present to watch his former teammate in action before the current North Florida star will board a plane to play former No. 1 ranked Michigan State in East Lansing next Tuesday.
The Sharks were a little sluggish in the first two quarters in their game with St. Augustine. The locals caught fire in the second half after trailing the Yellow Jackets by a point at halftime, outscoring the visitors 31-18 over the final two periods.
Johnson led the Sharks in scoring with 16 points but had a lot of help from his mates. James Crowther had his best shooting night of the season by tallying 15 points while Quinn Carey added 11, all of his points coming in the pivotal second half.
6'4 junior Ross McCarthy had a solid game for the Sharks with a team leading 8 rebounds, as well as 2 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists.
On Thursday Ponte Vedra hosted first year district opponent Ridgeview at the Shark Tank and were never threatened in the contest. The Sharks jumped into a 15-5 first quarter lead and never looked back to improve their season record to 5-2, 2-0 in district competition.
Nine Sharks entered the scoring column, as Coach Beech was able to substitute freely throughout the contest. Once again Johnson, Carey and Crowther were in double figures for the victors, tallying 15, 14, and 10 points respectively.
McCarthy and 6'4 junior Donovan Garrard each pulled down 7 rebounds while Johnson dished out 5 assists.
The Sharks will play two games in the upcoming week beginning with another district game at home Wednesday against Clay Co. The Sharks will then travel down 210 to take on one of the top rated teams in the First Coast area in Bartram Trail, before taking time off for the X-Mas break.
Boys' Soccer:
Varsity - The Boys Varsity Soccer record moves to a solid 12-0-2 overall still remaining undefeated. On Dec 9th, Ponte Vedra Boys Varsity Soccer played rival Nease finishing with a tie 2-2. Corey Johnson ripped a shot into the net to put Ponte Vedra up 1-0 with 23 minutes on the clock. It was evenly matched possession throughout game. Nease scored 12 minutes later on a one on one breakaway to even the score 1-1 going into the half. In second half, with 27 minutes on the clock, Munir Adamo took the shot which was deflected by the Nease goalkeeper and Corey Johnson got his foot on the ball to score the second goal. Within seconds though Nease came back and tied the game 2-2. Boys Varsity Soccer played Ridgeview on Thursday Dec 12 and mercy ruled them 8-0 . The team will be traveling to Tallahassee Dec 13 and 14 for a 3 game tournament.
JV - On Dec 12 the JV Boys soccer beat Ridgeview 8-0 also mercy ruling the competition, as did the varsity team. Goals by Alec Schoenguard, Carson King, Conor Brandon, Chris Howard, Ethan Penn (2) and Jack Bingemann (2). Another strong win was secured with a 6-0 shutout against Nease on Dec 9. Goals by Sam Nicholson, Aidan Kelly , Carson King, David Jones, Ethan Penn, and Jack Bingemann. Will Bomar and Easton Hensley spilt halves in the net.