Ponte Vedra girls take their shot at unbeaten Bloomingdale in hoops state semis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A look at Thursday’s Class 6A girls basketball championship game between Ponte Vedra and Bloomingdale.

Class 6A state girls basketball semifinals

Bloomingdale (29-0) vs. Ponte Vedra (22-8)

Where: RP Funding Center, Lakeland

When: Thursday, 5 p.m.

Watch it: Game can be streamed through the NFHS Network. Cost is $11.99 for a monthly pass.

Winner gets: St. Thomas Aquinas or Wekiva in the Class 6A state championship on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Glance: The Sharks are in the state semifinals for the third time in program history (2018 and ‘19), and first under coach Jessica Spencer-Gardner. The unbeaten record of Bloomingdale might be daunting, but it shouldn’t be to the Sharks. Ponte Vedra has played a far more challenging schedule than the Bulls. Seniors lead the way for the Sharks, with the guard-heavy team paced by Morgan Gavazzi (15.4 ppg), Kennedy Rosendahl (12.2 ppg) and Maya Richards (9.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg). Those players are all multi-year leaders for the Sharks, with Gavazzi over the 1,000-point mark in her career. Junior G Noelle Mengel (20.8 ppg) is the big weapon for Bloomingdale. If Ponte Vedra can slow Mengel down there’s no way that its depth shouldn’t be able to overcome the Bulls. The Sharks are the last area girls team standing. University Christian, Providence and Bishop Kenny all saw their seasons end last week in Lakeland.