By:  J. Daniel Pearson

Gateway’s goal all season was to get back to the FHSAA Final Four.

After Friday night’s convincing 67-34 win over Leesburg, only New Smyrna Beach (19-8) will stand in the way.  The Lady Panthers (25-3) will host that 5A, Region 3 Final on Friday night at 7 p.m.

“It’s hard to beat a good team twice in one season,” Gateway coach Justin Marino says of the NSB, a team Gateway defeated 51-46 two weeks ago for the District 7 Championship.  “They played us tough last time and number 11 (Iniya Reddicks, 21 points) had a great game.  I’m just glad we have them at home.”

A win in that game would give Gateway a second regional title in the last four years, matching the one they won in 2023 when they finished with a 24-7 record.

Despite a little sloppy play by Gateway early, Friday’s win over Leesburg was never in doubt.  The Panthers shot the ball well in the first half, hitting 45.4% of their attempts and forced 15 first half turnovers in building a 31-15 lead.

After a 6-0 run to start the third quarter, Gateway was able to get Leesburg in foul trouble – getting to the line 12 times and extending the lead to 44-26.  A 10-1 explosion to start the fourth put Gateway up by 27 with 4:03 remaining – allowing Marino to empty his bench.

“We’re never a team that worries about winning by 30,” the veteran coach said.  “Our only goal this time of year is to stay healthy, win and get to the next round.”

The Gateway defense posted some big numbers in the game.  They forced 28 turnovers in the contest and limited Leesburg to 22% shooting on the night (12 of 54) and just four of 28 from beyond the arc.

Still the Panthers had 20 turnovers of their own.  “I wouldn’t say we played down to the competition.  They are an athletic team and they did reach the regional semis,” Marino noted. “But I think they realized they would need to muck it up a little to have a chance and we sort of fell into their trap early.”

For the game, Panthers’ sophomore Ashlynn Davis led all scorers with 22, Bella Davila added 14, Andrea Sauzo had 10 and Alyssa Marino chipped in nine.  Miyauna Ross led Leesburg with 11.

Tonight, two more county teams will attempt to reach a regional final.  Osceola (22-5) hosts Plant (22-6) at 7 p,m, in a Class 7A, Region 3 semifinal; and over at City of Life, the Warriors (22-5) host Donahue Catholic (22-6) in a Class 1A, Region 3 semifinal.  A win by COLCA would give them their first trip to a regional final in school history.