Box Score GAINESVILLE – In a season filled with close losses, Tuesday's contest with Santa Fe College seemed like a fitting end for Polk State Basketball. After using a pair of treys to take the lead, Jalen Speer banked one in at the buzzer to give the Saints an 82-81 victory.
Santa Fe was in control most of the way and led 45-36 at halftime. With just over a minute remaining, the Saints held an 80-75 lead, but back-to-back triples from
George Pridgett and
Jordan Smalls put Polk State in front with just 36 seconds to play.
Up 81-80, the Eagles managed a key stop, but
Alex Vertus missed the front end of a 1-and-1. On the game's final possession, Speer, who may have gotten away with a travel, drove into the lane and hoisted one up that hit glass and fell through.
After a sluggish first half, Polk State shot 50% from the field in the second half. Polk State finished at 45% for the game compared to Santa Fe's 42%, but the Saints shot twice as many free throws and committed three fewer turnovers.
Polk State finishes the season with a record of 11-18. Half of the Eagles' losses this season came by eight points or less. With Tuesday's win, Santa Fe took the season series over Polk with two wins to one for the Eagles. The total combined margin of the three games was just eight points with the last two decided on a banked shot with triple zeroes on the clock.
"I just hope this group of young men is able to take away some true life lessons from all the challenges we faced and went through this season," Head Coach
Brandon Giles said. "That's as important as the wins and losses."
In his final game at Polk State, Pridgett finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-for-19 shooting to go with six assists and two steals.
Ashton Howard, another sophomore, added 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Dominick Nelson finished with 10 points despite a rough shooting night.
The win will likely give Santa Fe an at-large berth in the FCSAA Tournament. Kordell Brown led the Saints with 24 points and nine rebounds. Nikolaos Noumeros and Cole Deptula added 22 and 20 points, respectively.
