WEST PALM BEACH – Palm Beach Lakes and St. Thomas Aquinas face off in a regional playoff matchup.

Keishmy Ayuso and the Lady Rams would start out fast and take a early lead, but the Lady Raiders would tie the game at 5-all after a long three by guard Halie Murphy midway through the first.

Aquinas’s Jenna Laue would knock down two long range three-pointers that would force Lakes into a late first quarter timeout. St. Thomas would be up 14-12 at the end of the first.

Lakes would turn up its defense pressure early in the second quarter and cut into Aquinas’s lead after a three-pointer by Ayuso. The Rams surge continued in the second as they would go up 25-20 midway through the second.

Aquinas’s Chantel Gonzalez would give her team some much needed life in the second after an and-1 play. Laue would follow with a three pointer to inch Aquinas closer to the Rams.

Palm Beach Lakes would be leading 35-30, but Aquinas prove to be a threat with Murphy and Laue knocking down threes to keep their team in the game.

Murphy would come out the half firing by knocking down a three for Aquinas. Midway through the third frame, Aquinas would tie the game at 36-all after a hard charging layup by Toniyah Pluviose.

Aquinas’s surge would continue throughout the third as they were up 43-36.

The Lady Raiders would go up 50-41 midway through the fourth after another three pointer by Murphy. But Ayuso would give the Lady Rams some momentum after knocking down a three with a little over three minutes left in the game.

Despite Lakes’s suffocating defensive pressure throughout the entire fourth quarter, St. Thomas would ultimately pull away from and take a hard-fought 61-52 victory.

Top scorers for each team

Palm Beach Lakes: Keishmy Ayuso with 14 points

St. Thomas Aquinas: Halie Murphy with 20 points and Bella LaChance with 19 points