Port Charlotte defeated Wiregrass Ranch, 72-59, on the first night of the Lemon Bay Holiday Shootout Friday.
The Pirates won their seventh straight game, trailing only momentarily in the second quarter before putting away the Bulls in the second half.
It was a fast-paced game throughout, with both sides attempting to get out of transition and influence the pace. Port Charlotte took the lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 21-12 at the end of the session thanks to a 3-pointer by Quentin Andrade. However, Wiregrass Ranch caught up in the second quarter, courtesy to a couple of technical fouls issued on the Pirates.
“It got a little sloppy in the second quarter,” Port Charlotte coach Kip Rhoten explained. “I assumed we had just gotten away from ourselves. People began jawing rather than focused on what they needed to do to support the team. But after halftime, we regrouped, and as the second half progressed, I believe we imposed our will on them.”
The game was tied for the last time, 35-35. Another buzzer-beating corner three from Andrade put the Pirates up 51-44 at the end of the third quarter, and the Bulls never recovered.
Marcus Nestor and Kaden Suber kept the Bulls’ leading scorer, KJ Smith, in check in the second half. Smith scored 15 points in the first half and finished with 22, but he needed to make 14 of 17 free throws to get there. Ajayden Jenkins picked up the slack with 15 second-half points, finishing with 20.
Meanwhile, the Pirates distributed the score evenly. Dallas Lambert and Nestor led the way, both with 11 points. Isaiah Jenkins and Jaysin Presendieu both had ten, with Landon Lefresne and Andrade adding nine. Jenkins was the Pirates’ best rebounder, with eight, while Lambert had six. Port Charlotte had 21 assists on 28 made baskets, demonstrating their ability to move the ball effectively.
The Bulls, who are now 8-3, were rated eighth in Florida Class 6A heading into the Shootout.
“I’m happy with the win. “It helps us with the ranking situation,” Rhoten explained.
“Now we’ll refresh and come back tomorrow and play another one.”
Port Charlotte improved to 8-2 and will aim to continue its momentum against IMG White on Saturday.
“We held a team that’s averaging 80 points a game to 59 and kind of won going away,” Rhoten told ESPN. “So we had a terrific win today. I’m quite satisfied.”
Sharks’ Holiday Tournament
Imagine 58, Ida Baker. 26: Zahmir Jackson scored 19 points to help the Sharks progress to the finals of their own holiday tournament in North Port.
“Our defense was very good tonight,” Imagine coach Lee Taft remarked via email. “We forced numerous turnovers throughout the game by being aggressive in the passing lane and on the ball. Offensively, we were able to begin our transition.”
Imagine will play Parrish Community for the championship at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.