The Ponte Vedra Sharks led for much of their state semifinal matchup against Bloomingdale High School but could not hang on in the end and lost 55-50 to the undefeated Bulls in Lakeland on March 7.
Despite the Bulls coming into the match undefeated with a record of 29-0, it was the Sharks that grabbed quick control of the contest as they jumped out to a 10-3 first quarter lead.
Senior Taylor Perce knocked down an early three-pointer for the Sharks and quickly set the tone that the Sharks were not fazed by what the Bulls were able to accomplish up to that point.
It also did take long for senior captains Morgan Gavazzi, Maya Richards and Kennedy Rosendahl to establish themselves in the game flow.
However, the Bulls began to come alive offensively in the second quarter, but the Sharks were able to keep pace and trade long range bombs and big shots through most of the second quarter, as the Sharks clung to a 25-24 halftime advantage and 37-33 heading into the final quarter.
After the Sharks defense limited the Bulls to just nine points in the third quarter, they were outscored 22-13 in the fourth quarter, as the Bulls grabbed only their second lead of the game with less than four minutes remaining.
Just like they had in the second quarter, the Bulls got on a scoring run late that was fueled by converting on their trips to the free throw line.
In the end, the Sharks won the first and third quarters, while the Bulls held the edge in the second and fourth quarters of the back-and-forth contest.
Having the lead for so much of the game and coming up just short of a trip to the state title is a tough way to end the season, but it does not take away from the run and the team chemistry on the court and off that the Sharks were able to capture this season.
