Rams searching for more

After falling short at state last year, title’s the only goal now

WEST PALM BEACH — After beating Boca Raton in the regional finals last year, Palm Beach Lakes was one-and-done when it got to Lakeland.

The Rams fell in the Class 7A state semifinals last year, and they’re determined not to come right home this season. They will get their chance next week.

Lakes earned a berth in the state semifinals with a 59-44 victory over Boca Raton in the regional finals in West Palm Beach on Friday.

“It feels amazing, man,” senior Zaida Gonzalez said. “Especially [because] we put it as a goal at the beginning of the year. We put this as our goal.

“Every day at practice we run our sprints, we touch the baseline, we say, ‘Lakeland.’ We just want to go back there and prove a point. We went back there and lost, and this year we don’t want to feel that again. We’re going to go up there and win this time.”

The Rams took the lead over the Bobcats in the first quarter and never surrendered it. They outscored Boca

Raton 16-8 in the second quarter and took a 10-point lead into halftime.

Boca cut into that lead in the third quarter, getting back within six points at the end of the quarter. But Palm Beach Lakes built that lead back up in the final eight minutes, expanding it to 15 at the end of the game.

Cassidy Lowe led Boca Raton with 19 points. Gonzalez, the Rams’ leading scorer for the season and a Florida International signee, led Lakes with 17 points. Freshman Zuri Miller-Whiteside had 11 points, and senior Deborrah Seitu-Redmon added 10.

Miller-Whiteside is one of five Rams freshmen, and she’s looking to help the players who fell in the state semifinals last year get their rings.

“Since I’ve never been there, I’m excited to go,” Miller-Whiteside said. “Since they couldn’t win, we’re going to do it. We’ve got this.”

Palm Beach Lakes will face the winner of the Naples Gulf Coast-Miami High game in the state semifinals on Feb. 26.

“Last year, they were just glad to go,” Rams coach Cassandra Rahming said. “So this year they have a different mindset. They want to go win.” Regional finals Friday

7A

Palm Beach Lakes 59, Boca Raton 44

6A

St. Thomas Aquinas 67, Our Lady of Lourdes 37

5A

American Heritage 42, Miami Norland 29

4A American Heritage-Delray 50, Miami Monsignor Pace 30

3A Brooks DeBartolo 76, Benjamin 39

Miami Country Day 57, Westminster Academy 51

2A

Miami Christian 67, Grandview Prep 32 State semifinals in Lakeland 7A Palm Beach Lakes vs. Gulf Coast-Miami winner, Friday, Feb. 26, 2:30p.m.

6A St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Charlotte, Thursday, Feb. 25, 8p.m.

5A American Heritage vs. Clearwater, Thursday, Feb. 25, 4p.m.

4A American Heritage-Delray vs. Lincoln Park, Thursday, Feb. 25, Noon

SENTINEL JOHN MCCALL/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN Players from Palm Beach Lakes celebrate after beating Boca Raton during the regional final in West Palm Beach on Friday. The Rams advanced to the state Final Four for the second straight year.