By Kennedy Rosendahl
The Ponte Vedra High School boys basketball team played in their first home games on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. First, they played the Menendez Falcons and won 87-63. After easily handling that game, they played the Bolles Bulldogs and won 74-52. These wins put the Sharks at a record of 3-0, a great way to start the season.
The Sharks were in control the entire game against the Falcons. They ended the first quarter leading 23-6, and clearly anyone can see the superiority of the Sharks. The halftime score was 48-27. While the Sharks defense let up a few more points in the second quarter, their offense was too dominant to let the Falcons back into the game. The Sharks dominated in transition, and outran the Falcons, despite their athletic ability and pressure in the front court. This showed in the Sharks’ 67 percent field goal percentage, which is very high, especially regarding how many points they had. They were just four points away from the school record of points scored in one game. Leading all scorers was senior, Israel Nuhu with 20. He dominated the boards and used his size as an advantage in the paint. Nuhu had an impressive night around the rim on both offense, with a dunk or two, and defense, getting up for a block. He was followed by junior, Sam Ritchie with 15, and seniors, Nathan Bunkosky and Ben Ritchie with 13. Nine Sharks players contributed to the high-scoring win. It was an impressive to start their 2022-2023 home games.
The next game was against the Bulldogs. This game was highly anticipated and accumulated quite the crowd. The energy from the crowd helped the Sharks’ impressive performance against the Bulldogs. The game started off slow, and at the end of the first quarter, the score was only 11-6, in favor of the Sharks. They maintained about a six point lead throughout the second quarter, but both teams stepped up on offense. At half, the score was 39-32, with the Sharks still ahead. In the third quarter, the Sharks defense got to the Bulldogs. They only allowed eight points from the opposing team, and the Sharks had basically sealed their win. The Sharks applied full-court pressure on defense for almost the whole game. This is an aspect that a lot of teams do not have, but the Sharks new head coach, Ben Wilson, made sure his team was conditioned and disciplined, evident in their defense throughout the game. The Sharks shot 42 percent from the three-point line and made 11 three pointers in total. Five of these three-pointers came from Ben Ritchie, who led all scorers with 27 points. Not only was the senior a threat from the three-point line, but a presence in the paint, and was very hard to guard. His field goal percentage was 77, and his performance was just overall impressive. Following Ben’s 27 was his brother, Sam Ritchie, who had 20 points. He was 4/6 from three- point range, and the rest of his points came from his ability to make a move and elevate his shot over his defenders inside the arc. The Ritchies were followed by Nuhu, with twelve points on the night. This helped the Sharks defeat the Bulldogs with ease.
Although the previous wins have seemed to come easy, the Sharks do not have an easy schedule. Nease, Oakleaf, and Fleming Island all have undefeated records so far, and they are all competition in the Ponte Vedra’s district. The Sharks’ next game is against the Poinciana Eagles, who are also undefeated. They play each other on Dec. 9. Hopefully, the Sharks can carry their success now into the rest of their season.
