Punta Gorda boys, Ainger girls capture middle school titles

PUNTA GORDA — Marcari Blandin scored 15 points and King Sosa added nine Friday afternoon, as Punta Gorda Middle’s boys basketball team capped an undefeated season with a 53-47 victory over Murdock in the Charlotte County Middle School finals at a jam-packed Charlotte High School. Blandin, a 5-foot-9 seventh-grader, helped the Eagles (8-0) recover from a slow start and tie the game at 21-21 with eight of his points coming in the second quarter. Chandler Lynch, a 5-foot seventh-grader, led the Mariners (5-3) with 15 points — all coming on 3-pointers during the first three quarters. Murdock trailed only 41-39...