Our Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Thursday, February 22, is James Pope of the Eastside (Gainesville) boys’ basketball team.
Pope helped lead the Rams to a 70-59 win against visiting Ponte Vedra in a Class 6A-Region 2 Quarterfinal.
The junior was one of four players in double figures for the Rams, scoring eight of his 13 points in the second half, as Eastside (23-5) won for the 11th time in its past 12 games.
Pope was able to get to the free throw line frequently. He finished 9-of-13 from the line, including 4-of-6 in the final quarter.
For the game, Eastside was 28-of-45 from the free throw line, which was good for 62%. However, during the fourth quarter, the Rams shot 71.4% (15-of-21).
With the win, the Rams advance to the Class 6A regional semifinals and will travel to Palatka on Tuesday in a match-up of state-ranked teams. Palatka is third and Eastside is ranked 10th in 6A, according to MaxPreps.
Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.
