With a playoff win on the line, Port Charlotte rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They managed a 62-56 win over the St. Petersburg Green Devils. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 49th, while the Green Devils are ranked 188th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jesslymar Santa
| 02/18/25 vs St. Petersburg | 27 |
| 11/19/24 vs Booker | 23 |
| 02/06/25 vs Fort Myers | 21 |
| 12/19/24 vs Venice | 19 |
| 12/09/24 @ North Port | 18 |
Port Charlotte found their leader in sophomore Jesslymar Santa, who went 11-for-21 en route to 27 points along with five assists and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Santa has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaitlyn Rittenhouse, who posted nine points.
St. Petersburg lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Shaw Summer, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and ten boards. Her evening made it nine games in a row in which she has scored at least 15 points. Quay Curry was another key player, going 8-for-16 to rack up 17 points and four steals.
Port Charlotte has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points over those games. St. Petersburg has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 18-10 record this season.
Port Charlotte will take on Clearwater at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Clearwater sitting on four straight victories and Port Charlotte on ten. St. Petersburg does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
