South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Riviera Prep handles Westminster in regional final
FORT LAUDERDALE — Junior guard Dante Allen totaled
10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as the defending Class
3A state champion Riviera Prep downed host Westminster Academy 75-60 in a 3A regional final matchup of the state’s top-ranked teams on Friday night.
Riviera Prep (23-8) ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 3A, and sixth overall is unranked nationally, according to MaxPreps. The Bulldogs won for the sixth consecutive time as they outscored the Lions 23-11 in the decisive fourth quarter.
It was the first loss to a Florida team by the state’s second-ranked Class 3A team, Westminster Academy (23-6). The Lions, ranked No.
7 overall and 41st in the nation, had won 12 straight games and 15 of its past 16 games.
Junior center Gustavo Guimaraes Alves scored seven of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and freshman guard Myles Fuentes ended up with 11 points as the Bulldogs are headed back to the state semifinals next Wednesday for a third straight season. They fell in the Class 4A state semifinals in 2019, and the state finals in 2022 before winning states last season.
Westminster Academy sophomore forward Alex Constanza scored 13 points in the first half and a team-high 21 for the game. Westminster won state titles in 2017-19.
Junior guard Alex Lloyd, who entered the game averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, was hampered by foul trouble and left the game with
5:56 left in the third quarter when he picked up his third and fourth fouls within 23 seconds. He didn’t re-enter until the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points, including six in the fourth.
“I thought the officiating changed the game,” Westminster Academy coach Ehren Wallhoff said. “It took Lloyd out of the game for 1 quarters, and it changed the complexion of the game.
“That was hard,” he continued. “He’s a guard that when you have him, he’s a 20-point scorer and it shouldn’t have wrecked the game like that. It’s a shame it comes down to that.”
Westminster Academy started on a strong note seizing an early lead in the first behind Constanza
and grabbed an 18-17 lead on a basket by DJ Wimbley with seven seconds left in the period. Riviera Prep grabbed a 34-33 lead at halftime on a steal and dunk by Allen.
The game see-sawed back and forth in the third with Wimbley giving the Lions their final lead of the contest at 45-44 on a layup with 1:32 left. Riviera Prep outscored the Lions 7-4 to close out the third and built an early lead of 61-53 in the final quarter.
Westminster Academy was able to pull to within 65-59 on two free throws by Wimbley with 2:19 remaining before the Bulldogs iced the game, closing the game out on a 10-1 run.
“It’s two good programs and two good teams with a lot of talented players,” Wallhoff said. “It came down to a couple of plays and obviously they made some plays down the stretch.
“Hats off to them, I thought they did a good job of getting it to their guys when they had to,” Wallhoff continued. “They had a couple of second-chance points
on the run they had which also hurt us. I’ve been on both sides, and it is about making plays at the right time, and they made them tonight.”