{"id":172474,"date":"2026-02-28T04:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/172474\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T04:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:41:09","slug":"orlando-area-teams-go-5-1-in-fhsaa-girls-basketball-region-finals-orlando-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/172474\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando area teams go 5-1 in FHSAA girls basketball region finals \u2013 Orlando Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five Orlando area girls basketball teams won region finals Friday night, coming close to tying a record for the most state tournament qualifiers<\/a> in a season.<\/p>\n

The only local team that lost was Colonial, which fell to Ocoee in a matchup of Orange County public schools.<\/p>\n

Bishop Moore, Gateway, Orlando Christian Prep and Lake Highland Prep join Ocoee in advancing to play Florida High School Athletic Association final four games in the next two weeks at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. That\u2019s a new venue for the tournament, which was held in Lakeland for the past 30 years.<\/p>\n

The area record of six state tourney teams<\/a> was set in 2022, when Dr. Phillips and LHP won state titles, and were joined by Bishop Moore, Colonial, Faith Christian and Wekiva.<\/p>\n

The FHSAA is scheduled to have rankings updated and state tournament pairings posted<\/a> on its web site on Saturday morning. A bit later in the day, game times for semifinals and finals should be included.<\/p>\n

LHP rallies<\/p>\n

Mayanna Hatchette scored 16 points, including four free throws in the final minute, as Lake Highland rallied to beat visiting Tampa Catholic 57-52 in the Class 3A Region 2 final.<\/p>\n

The win returns the Highlanders (24-6) back to the final four for the 10th time in 12 years (2015-26) after they fell short last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a resilient team,\u201d Hatchette said. \u201cAt the start of the season, we were a little shaky. I think all the ups and downs have led us to right now, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valeria Munoz, who scored 13 of her 20 points in the first half, broke a tie at the foul line with 33 seconds left, enabling the Highlanders to close the game with their defense.<\/p>\n

Lake Highland, No. 2 in the MaxPreps 3A rankings, trailed by three at the half but were able to take the lead late in the third quarter. They led by as much as five in the final quarter, but third-ranked TC fought back and tied the game with 1:18 to play thanks in large part to the work of Auburn commit Ashley Knox, who scored 13 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the Crusaders (16-11).<\/p>\n

But Knox committed a charge and had a turnover in the final minute. That allowed Lake Highland to control possession and win the game at the foul line.<\/p>\n

The Highlanders, with a young roster, forced 17 turnovers to make up for a slow shooting night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had young ladies stepping up that early in the season I wouldn\u2019t be too sure they would come through in the clutch like that,\u201d said longtime LHP coach Al Honor. \u201cThey have grown throughout the season. I\u2019m really proud of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Philip Rossman-Reich<\/p>\n

\"LakeLake Highland Prep coach Al Honor has his team in the state tournament for the 10th time in a span of 12 years. The Highlanders have seven championships in that stretch. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)
\nKnights\u2019 night<\/p>\n

Ocoee repeated as the 7A Region 1 champion with a 51-28 homecourt win against Colonial. Senior Gabriella Fortius led the Knights with 17 points and 11 rebounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with Gabby (Fortius) since the sixth grade,\u201d said Ocoee coach Marcus Spencer. \u201cI always knew she had it in her and we told her in practice, \u2018We going to ride you cause we know we have an advantage on the block.\u2019 I\u2019m so proud of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dakara Merthie, the Sentinel Player of the Year as a junior last season, had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists for Ocoee (24-5).<\/p>\n

The Knights outrebounded Colonial (22-6) and played stingy defense throughout the contest, building an 18-point lead in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

The Grenadiers got within 13 points before the Knights went on a 13-0 run to close out the victory.<\/p>\n

Colonial\u2019s scoring leader, junior Yanelya Pedraza, had 13 points. She averaged about 18 in the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re lacking bigs and knew that was going to be a challenge for us,\u201d said Colonial coach Cindy Richardson. \u201cWe tried our hardest and we missed a lot of wide open looks that we normally hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ocoee, ranked No. 4 in 7A, has eight seniors and is deeper than it was last season \u2014 when it was beaten by Winter Haven 65-41 in a state semifinal.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year\u2019s team, we were young and we had some inexperience, but we had a great player in Dakara Merthie,\u201d Spencer said. \u201cBut this year we brought in four seniors to help us get over the hump. I think our depth is going to help us a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Jean Racine<\/p>\n

Hornets sting<\/p>\n

Bishop Moore\u2019s Hornets lived up to their mascot name, swarming all over Eustis from start to finish in a 56-20 win in the Class 4A Region 2 final on Friday night.<\/p>\n

Freshman guard Kylee Trent led Bishop Moore (24-4) with 16 points. Jaiden Peterson, a sophomore, added 11 points to go along with 4 assists.<\/p>\n

The Hornets, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, rode a suffocating full-court press, resulting in turnovers that turned into fast-break opportunities and a 30-9 halftime advantage against the Panthers (21-6).<\/p>\n

For one member of Bishop Moore\u2019s team, a milestone was also achieved. Senior Alex Wolsonovich reached 1,000 career points when she made a 3-point shot in the first half. She ended the game with 6 points and 4 assists and was honored for her achievement at halftime.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been the key to our team. I\u2019ve known her for the last six years, before she even got to Bishop Moore,\u201d said Bishop Moore head coach Rickey Claitt Jr. \u201cShe plays so hard. It\u2019s a great way to send off a senior to (Jacksonville).\u201d<\/p>\n

By Chris Martucci<\/p>\n

Panthers power<\/p>\n

When Kissimmee Gateway hosted New Smyrna Beach in a district final three weeks ago, the Panthers eked out a five-point win.<\/p>\n

In Friday\u2019s rematch, Gateway made sure there was very little drama in the 5A Region 2 final.<\/p>\n

The Panthers roared out of the gate with a 14-2 run in the first five minutes and never looked back in a 61-51 victory to reach the state final four for the second time in four years.<\/p>\n

With Gateway\u2019s third-leading scorer, Yaya D\u2019Amore (10.6 points per game), out with an injury and senior point guard Alyssa Marino held well below her 14 points per game average, it was up others to pick up the slack behind leading star sophomore Ashlynn Day, who had 19 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. .<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aren\u2019t built as a one-person team,\u201d Gateway coach Justin Marino said. \u201cOther players stepped up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophomore Andrea Suazo came off the bench to score 14 points and grab 7 rebounds for the Panthers (26-3). She drained four 3-pointers from the corner, all off drive-and-dish passes from Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she was playing with a broken knuckle on her shooting hand tonight,\u201d Marino said.<\/p>\n

Evana Rivera added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.<\/p>\n

Iniya Reddicks led NSB (19-9) with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.<\/p>\n

By Steve Gorches<\/p>\n

\"OCPOrlando Christian Prep ninth grader Brianna Nolan (1) would not surrender the ball to North Tampa Christian defenders in OCP’s region victory on Friday. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)
\nOCP\u2019s balance<\/p>\n

Orlando Christian Prep defended its home court against North Tampa Christian Academy, winning 68-51 in the 1A-2 final.<\/p>\n

The Warriors will play a semifinal Thursday in Jacksonville in their first final four appearance since 2019.<\/p>\n

OCP trailed 15-11 going into the second quarter. Opalo Velez knocked down a big three pointer that helped her squad go on an 8-2 run. The Warriors (20-7) never looked back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked all week and had a really tough schedule this season,\u201d OCP head coach Stephanee Velez said after the win. \u201cWe really only play with six players so we got this if we continue to play together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five players scored in double digits, led by 6-3 senior Breyanna Blount, who had 8 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. Two more seniors, Boniyha Simpson (13 points) and Brakayla Anderson (12), joined Velez (11) and ninth grader Brianna Nolan (10) in the scoring column.<\/p>\n

By Jordon Lawrenz<\/p>\n

Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.<\/p>\n

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