The Ponte Vedra Lady Sharks (4-7) traveled to Tampa to compete in the Keswick SunCoast Classic basketball tournament recently. They opened up against the Warhawks of Seminole High School (3-7) Dec. 27, 2019.
The Lady Sharks came out with a game plan of full court defensive pressure and a high-paced motion offense. The plan paid off as the Lady Sharks used their 3-point shooting and slashing guard play to go into halftime with a 30 to 13 lead. Ponte Vedra kept the pressure on the Warhawks in the second half and ran away with the game finishing with a 62 to 27 win.
Ponte Vedra’s guards, Trish Balser and Olivia Lee, each had 15 points in the contest. They used a combination of ball fake dribble drives and three pointers to establish the tempo of the game. Guard Paige Hulihan had a strong game, adding 8 points, and Reeghan Mayer and Tori Balser also added 7 points apiece in the Lady Sharks' victory.
The Sharks (5-7) played in the semi-finals of the Keswick SunCoast Classic Tournament in Tampa Dec. 28, 2019. Their opponent was the highly-ranked Tornados of Clearwater High School (7-3). The size of the Tornados surprised the Ponte Vedra team early as they dropped to a score of 0 to 13 in the first 5 minutes. The Lady Sharks regrouped, sped up the tempo of the game and closed down the paint to claw back to a 23 to 25 halftime score. Ponte Vedra kept the pressure on the Tornados and finally pulled away in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, finishing with a 41 to 36 win.
Ponte Vedra’s freshman forward Tori Balser led the Lady Sharks with 10 points, while PV’s guards Reeghan Mayer (8 points) and Sophia Fraga (8 points) pushed the pace of the game. Junior Lauren Bing and Tori Balser shut down the interior play of the taller Tornados team, and kept their center and forwards off balance for the last three quarters. After Trish Balser’s 5-point last minute burst (3 pointer and left handed layup in traffic), Reeghan Mayer was able to knock down both of her last second free throws to seal the victory.
The Sharks (5-8) made a run to the finals of the Keswick SunCoast Classic Basketball Tournament in St. Petersburg. They battled the Tennessee Clarksville Academy Cougars (6-6) for the title on Dec. 30, 2019.
The Lady Sharks came out fighting and playing aggressive defense to shock the larger Cougars and take a halftime lead of 20 to 16. The Cougars made defensive adjustments at halftime, and the PV offense stalled in the second half, but they clung to a 25 to 24 lead going into the final quarter. In the end, the Cougars hit some key 3-pointers and made their free throws down the stretch to take the title with a final score of 38 to 30.
Ponte Vedra was led by the inside presence of Tori Balser, who led all PV scorers with 13 points. PV’s guards Trish Balser, Reeghan Mayer and Paige Hulihan had 5 points each in the losing cause.
The Lady Sharks saw Senior Guard Sophia Fraga and Freshman Forward Tori Balser garner All-Tournament First Team honors.
May 23, 2026
