Six boys basketball teams in Southwest Florida hope to keep seasons alive

Schools from Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties playing in regional semifinals

The FHSAA boys basketball playoffs roll on this week, and six teams from Southwest Florida continue to march toward the state finals.

Six teams from Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties play Tuesday in the regional semifinals. Three of them get to host home games, while the other three have to hit the road (and it's a long road trip for some).

Here's a rundown of this week's regional semifinal games involving Southwest Florida teams. Each team's seed in its region is listed in parentheses:

Class 6A-Region 3

(3) Palmetto Ridge at (2) Wharton: The Bears are one of those teams taking a long bus ride. It's a two hour trek to Tampa to face Wharton. After going 12-14 last season in the first year under new coach John Solak, Palmetto Ridge is 22-3 this year. With a win the Bears can advance to the regional finals for the first time since 2016. Senior Iago Stanback scores 20.5 points per game and made the game-winning free throws in the first round.

(8) Palmetto at (4) Charlotte: The Tarpons get to host thanks to a massive upset in the quarterfinals. Palmetto beat No. 1 seed Leto, 74-68, and became the only No. 8 seed in the boys or girls state tournaments to reach the second round. Charlotte came into the district tournament with a losing record, however the Tarpons played a very strong schedule (hence the No. 4 seed). The Tarpons are led by 6-foot-6 senior John Gamble who averages 19.1 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Class 5A-Region 3

(5) Mariner at (1) Barron Collier: This is the only matchup of Southwest Florida teams in the second round. Barron Collier (22-5) and Mariner (19-9) both boast impressive records, and both are district champs. However, the Cougars won their regular-season matchup 84-42. In that game both teams made 11 3-pointers but Mariner made just three 2-pointers (Barron had 17). Barron Collier made it to the regional finals last year (losing by two points), while Mariner whent in 2018.

Class 4A-Region 3

(3) Brooksville Central at (2) Gateway: Central wins the prize for longest road trip among any team in these Southwest Florida games. The Bears (22-6) must travel 183 mile south, which likely will take at least three hours. Central made it to the regional finals last season and lost by four points. Gateway, in eastern Lee County, earned its first state playoff win last week. The school has only been open two years, but the Eagles have won district titles each of their first two seasons. Junior guard Tavian Cook averages 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds to lead Gateway.

Class 3A-Region 3

(4) Gateway Charter at (1) Tampa Catholic: Gateway Charter is still alive in the playoffs thanks to a massive comeback in the first round. The Griffins (23-5) trailed by 17 points in the first half and were down 10 with 1:10 left before winning in overtime. Senior Jahmari Johnson had 38 points. Gateway Charter's reward is a two-hour trip to powerhouse Tampa Catholic. The Crusaders (17-10) won a regional championship last season. Crusaders junior Karter Knox (6-6) is ranked in the top 10 in his class nationally and averages 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds.

SCHEDULE

Regional Semifinals

Tuesday

Class 3A-Region 3

(4) Gateway Charter at (1) Tampa Catholic

Class 4A-Region 3

(3) Brooksville Central at (2) Gateway

Class 5A-Region 3

(5) Mariner at (1) Barron Collier

Class 6A-Region 3

(8) Palmetto at (4) Charlotte

(3) Palmetto Ridge at (2) Wharton