Boys Basketball

Despite great start for Ponte Vedra, Providence surge prevails

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The Providence High School boys basketball team prevailed over Ponte Vedra despite a great beginning for the Sharks.

Providence, trailing by four at halftime, fired in 20 third-quarter points while holding visiting Ponte Vedra to 5 to atone for a defeat from the Sharks from the previous season. The host Stallions tallied the first 9 points of the deciding third quarter and never looked back in front of a standing room only crowd at Providence.

The Sharks did get off to a promising start as they outscored Providence 14-8 in the opening stanza, and even took a 4-point lead at halftime thanks to a buzzer beating three-pointer from Brendon Hynes. That lead quickly dissipated as the Sharks could only notch a couple of field goals in the third quarter.

Israel Nuhu was the only Shark in double figures with a dozen points. Nuhu picked up three fouls in the first half sending him to the bench for much of the first half that limited his aggressiveness for the remainder of the contest.

The packed in 3-2 zone defense employed by Providence in the second half turned the tide for the 13-1 Stallions as the Shark offense was only able to score but 15 points over the final 16 minutes of action. Although limited to 4 points, Ben Ritchie, recovering from a bout with the flu over the holiday break, was a force on the boards for the Sharks with nine rebounds.

The Sharks still boast of a commendable 9-4 mark with the brunt of their tough schedule behind them as they began the second half of the season on Tuesday, Jan. 10, with a contest at Creekside before returning home on Friday the 13th when they host Palatka.