WEST PALM BEACH – The game’s outcome last night (Feb. 19) for Palm Beach Lakes was never in doubt.
Led by standouts Zaida Gonzalez (15 points) and Zuri Miller-Whiteside (11 points), they Lady Rams handled the Boca Raton Lady Bobcats with ease from start to finish in their 59-44 home win.
With the victory, Palm Beach Lakes (12-1) will move on to the Class 7A State Final Four Series in Lakeland.
“It feels amazing, especially when you set a goal in the beginning of the year,” Gonzalez said. “Everyday in practice, we ran our sprints, touched the base, and we said Lakeland. We just want to go back there and prove a point. Last time we went there and lost. We don’t want to feel that again. We want to win it all this time.”
When Palm Beach Lakes went to the State Final Four last year, they suffered a 73-64 loss to Plant (Tampa) to end its season with a 21-10 record. This time, the best girls basketball team in Palm Beach County will face off against Miami (14-8) on Friday, Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m.
“It’s a big motivator. We have a chip on our shoulder,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to go back and win it this time. It’s going to be a great feeling when we do.”
Going back to the Class 7A-Region 3 finals game against Boca Raton (9-3 final record), Gonzalez spoke to media members on how Palm Beach Lakes got it done.
“We struggled a little bit by getting in foul trouble,” Gonzalez said. “But it was about us being disciplined on defense. Don’t rush things. Just have patience. If we’re up, slow the ball down so we don’t have to force any bad shots. Just take good shots the whole game.”
Palm Beach Lakes made sure to keep Boca Raton at bay, even when its double-digit lead seemed to chip away at times.
“We just kept our composure,” Gonzalez said. “We didn’t want to get too ahead of ourselves. We just stayed disciplined on defense and kept doing what we’re doing.”
For Miller-Whiteside, this will be her first time going to the State Final Four with Palm Beach Lakes. She’s only a freshman, but she has a lot of potential that shined through last night against Boca Raton.
“I’m excited to go,” Miller-Whiteside said. “Since they couldn’t win (last year), we’re going to do it. We got this. We got this.”
Palm Beach Lakes head coach Cassandra Rahming spoke on this year’s team and how they overcame challenges to make it this far.
“This is a hardworking bunch,” said Rahming, who will be going to her fifth State Final Four as a coach with Palm Beach Lakes. “When we couldn’t do anything with them, they were doing their own workouts. They were doing beach workouts at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. They are truly a dedicated bunch.”
Rahming spoke of her returning starters, who were happy to be in Lakeland for the State Final Four last year.
“They made an honest statement in just saying that last year they were just glad to go,” Rahming said. “So this year, they have a different mindset. They want to go win. Their whole motto has been unfinished business. So in their minds, we gotta get back to finish the business that we left behind.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL IN PALM BEACH COUNTY: REGIONAL FINAL SCORES
CLASS 4A-REGION 4 FINAL: American Heritage (Delray Beach) 48, Monsignor Pace (Miami) 26
It was a total team effort from the Lady Stallions (13-4).
The next game for American Heritage (Delray Beach) will be the 4A State Final Four in Lakeland on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. against Lincoln Park Academy (19-1).
CLASS 3A-REGION 3 FINAL: Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate (Tampa) 76, Benjamin 39
The Lady Buccaneers (10-7) went up against the Lady Phoenix (17-5), who literally dominated the game from start to finish. They quickly found themselves in a hole with two 9-0 runs in the first quarter and were unable to catch up from there.
Regardless of the final score, Benjamin ends its season by going farther in the Class 3A playoffs than what many outside of its circle may have predicted. For that alone, the journey proved to be a very successful one for the Lady Bucs.
CLASS 2A-REGION 4 FINAL: Miami
Christian 67, Grandview Prep 32
The Lady Pride (7-5) ended its 2A playoff run in a humbling loss to the
Lady Victors (15-7).
Still, the Boca Raton-based girls team had an inspiring run by becoming the District 14-2A champions and winning two 2A regional playoff games.
Hats off to the Lady Pride for them making it this far.
PHOTO CREDITS: Brian Rowitz
