Gibbs catches up to North Broward Prep, wins in 4A state semifinal

The North Broward Prep boys basketball team delivered an impressive playoff run before falling short against St. Petersburg’s Gibbs 58-55 in triple overtime in a Class 4A state semifinal at RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Thursday.

North Broward Prep (24-8) had reached its first state final four in school history. The Eagles were poised to head to the state championship after jumping out to a 15-12 at the end of the first, 23-18 advantage at halftime and a 39-30 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Eagles had jumped out to their largest lead of the game at 37-25 with nearly 90 seconds left in the third. North Broward Prep led 45-36 with nearly 3:30 left before Gibbs (26-5) rallied with an 11-0 run, which included a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining in regulation. Paul Perez Ruiz scored for the Eagles on a layup to tie the score with less than a minute remaining. The two teams went to overtime at 47-47.

Enrico Borio, who had a gamehigh 30 points and 10 rebounds, stepped up with a basket to give the Eagles a 51-49 advantage with 1:45 left in the first overtime. Borio, a Jacksonville University signee, converted two free throws with 23 seconds left to make it 53-51. Bobby Crawford made two free throws for the Gladiators to tie the score with 10 seconds left to send into double overtime at 53-53.

Borio scored on a putback with two minutes left in the second overtime to make it 55-53. Gibbs tied the score on a pair of free throws with 1 minute left. Borio was called for an offensive foul with 20 seconds left. Gibbs missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer and it was 55-55 heading into the third overtime.

North Broward Prep failed to score in the third overtime. Borio committed a blocking foul outside the arc with 7 seconds left. Jacob Daniels hit a go-ahead free throw for the Gladiators. Daniels recorded a steal with 3 seconds left and converted both free throws. North Broward Prep’s missed on a desperation heave at the buzzer.

“The message to the team was that we made a nice run,” North Broward Prep coach Casey Wohlleb said. “It’s a really tough loss and it’s going to sting for a long time. We had played really well and had the lead. We made some critical turnovers and had some tough calls against us. We made a response and and we just came up a few plays short.”

Borio finished 12 of 18 from the field and 6 of 6 at the free throw line. Perez Ruiz had 11 points and five assists.

North Broward Prep had cruised past St. Brendan 74-49 in the regional quarterfinal. The Eagles went on the road and earned a 50-48 victory against Calvary Christian Academy in the regional semifinal. Borio had the game-winning basket on a tip-in at the buzzer. The Eagles stepped up again on the road with a 48-37 win against reigning state champion Mater Lakes Academy in the regional final. PerezRuiz led all scorers in the contest with 18 points and Borio added 12 points. North Broward Prep had avenged a loss to Mater Lakes in the regional final from last season.

Wohlleb had played at North Broward Prep from 2002 to 2004. He is in his 10th season as a head coach at the school.

Sagemont pulls away in second half in 2A semi:

Defending 2A state champion Sagemont got a combined 23 second-half points from Jordyn Kee (12) and Kevin Thomas as the Lions rallied from a 26-24 second-half deficit and surged past Imperial Christian Academy in the 2A state semifinal in Lakeland, winning 59-45 on Tuesday afternoon.

Sagemont, who advanced to face Orlando Christian Prep in the final for the third straight year, held on to edge the Warriors 67-66 last year after holding a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter. Orlando Christian, who will be in the school’s eighth straight state championship game, handled Sagemont 66-49 in 2022.

Kee led the Lions with 15 points, while Thomas added 13 and Patrick Liburd 11.