WINTER HAVEN – Polk State Basketball's improbable comeback came up one shot short on Wednesday night. Tre Jackson had a shot at the buzzer to win it, but his 35-footer was short as Miami Dade College survived, 85-83.

It looked as though Miami Dade had the contest wrapped up as it led 85-78 with less than 20 seconds left. After a Jackson jam and a missed Miami Dade free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1, Josh Pitts was able to knock down a 3-pointer and draw contact with six seconds to go to cut the deficit to 85-83.

Pitts missed the free throw as the Eagles scrambled for the rebound, but the Sharks ultimately came away with it. After Randy Smith missed another front end for Miami Dade, Polk State took timeout and had one last chance. Jackson's desperation heave, however, never hit rim.

For most of the second half, the contest was back-and-forth. The last lead for Polk State came with five minutes remaining as Jackson knocked down a contested 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 75-74 advantage. Miami Dade scored the next 10 points to go ahead for good, thanks in part to a Polk State scoring drought that lasted nearly four and a half minutes and two big 3-pointers from Miami Dade sharpshooter Jacopo Van Der Knapp.

Polk State (4-23, 0-14 Citrus Conference) finished the first half strong, closing on a 16-7 run to take a 46-39 lead to the locker room. Moises Valdez hit consecutive 3-pointers to start the run before Pitts capped it with a trey of his own just before the first-half buzzer sounded.

The Sharks hit four 3-pointers during a 12-2 run to open the second half to take a 51-50 lead. From there, the contest featured multiple times and several lead changes.

Jackson finished the night with a career-high 22 points to lead Polk State. Isaiah McCray and Eric Dailey added 14 and 13, points, respectively. At one point in the second half, Dailey converted a four-point play and three-point play on consecutive possessions.

Valdez added nine points while Polk State's Ethan Simon led all rebounders with 11. Van Der Knapp led the Sharks with a game-high 25 points.

Just two games remain in the 2025-26 season for Polk State. The Eagles will aim for that elusive first Citrus Conference win on Saturday when they host Hillsborough College at 2 p.m.