A tough final quarter sunk the Ponte Vedra girls basketball team in the state semifinals on Thursday night.
Unbeaten Bloomingdale roared back in the final eight minutes to shock the Sharks 55-50 in the Class 6A final four at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Ponte Vedra led 37-33 entering the fourth quarter but saw the Bulls close on a tear to earn a spot in Saturday’s championship game.
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The loss stretches the drought for area girls basketball teams to another year. The last championship won by an area school was Ribault’s 72-31 rout of Lakewood in the Class 6A title game in 2017.
Ponte Vedra (22-9) led by 10 in the second quarter before Bloomingdale (30-0) chopped that down to 25-24 at the break. The Bulls controlled the game in the paint, outscoring Ponte Vedra 30-18. The Sharks struggled against pressure, turning it over 12 times to Bloomingdale’s four.
Maya Richards led Ponte Vedra with 14 points. Taylor Perce followed with 11. Morgan Gavazzi and Breah Usry added nine apiece.