Mariner boys basketball wins regional championship over Seminole

Gateway and Gateway Charter lost in the regional finals on Friday in other SWFL action

CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA -- Mariner High School in Cape Coral is the last boys basketball program standing in Southwest Florida. Here's a look a how the Tritions did it and a roundup of the other boys basketball regional championship games in Southwest Florida on Friday, Feb. 23:

CLASS 5A-REGION 3

Mariner 73, Seminole 56: Bus-loads of rowdy Warhawks fans made the two-hour, 125-mile ride south to Mariner to see Seminole play in its first regional final. And for 8 minutes, they were treated to a back-and-forth battle.

Then the host Tritons caught fire. Mariner (20-9) drilled five 3-pointers in the second quarter, then sank three more early in the third. Seminole couldn't keep up, and Mariner won its first regional title since 2017.

The Tritons got big contributions from their senior class, which has built cohesiveness of the past four years. Kelvin Jimenez and Corey Hunter led the way with 20 points each. Asher Hercek added 15 points. Marcus Kelley, Jr., had eight. All of them are seniors.

Seminole (18-8) was led by Lavant Burgress, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who had 18 points and 11 rebounds.Mariner knocked down 11 3-pointers and led by as many as 23 points in the second half. After coming out of the winter break with a 9-8 record, the Tritons have won 11 of their past 12 games.

Now the Tritons are headed to Lakeland where they'll face Miami Norland in the Class 5A state semifinals. Mariner, which has never won a state title, is looking to advance to the state finals for the third time in school history.

Mariner might have fortune on its side. The Tritons are coached by Ryan Hercek, who just so happened to be on the 1996 Mariner team that went to the state championship game for the first time.

CLASS 4A-REGION 3

Gibbs 71, Gateway 49: The host Gladiators used their considerable height advantage to lead the entire way and cruise to a comfortable regional championship victory.

Isaiah Medina, a 7-foot junior, wreaked havoc inside with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks. Medina is one of three Gibbs players standing 6-7 or taller. Gateway has just one player taller than 6-4.

FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL BRACKETS

Florida high school boys basketball playoffs: Scores, updated brackets from all FHSAA playoff games

The Gladiators (25-5) led by 4 points after the first quarter and were up 9 at the break. They held a 48-37 lead to start the fourth quarter, then outscored Gateway 23-12 in the final period.

Christopher Davis led upstart Gateway with 17 points. The Eagles are in just their third season since the high school opened and yet finished the year with a 22-4 record. Tavian Cook added 16 points for Gateway.

This is the second year in a row Gibbs has beaten Gateway in the regional finals. Last season the Gladiators lost to Mater Lakes Academy in the Class 4A semifinals in Lakeland.

CLASS 3A-REGION 3

Berkeley Prep 51, Gateway Charter 48: The Griffins' historic season turned into heartbreak in Tampa on Friday night.

Playing in the regional finals for the first time, Gateway Charter stormed out of the break and erased a 10-point halftime deficit. 

The Griffins grabbed a 48-47 lead with 23.4 seconds to go on a bucket by Gabe Timmons.

However, Berkeley Prep guard Matt Able owned the fourth quarter. He knocked down a jumper with 15 seconds left to regain the lead for the Buccaneers (23-6), then sank two free throws with 1.9 seconds left to ice the regional championship.

Able scored his team's final eight points, all of them coming in the final three minutes. He finished with a game-high 23 points.Timmons had 16 points for Gateway Charter (22-8), including 14 in the second half. Myles Jones had 12 points for the Griffins, and 6-foot-8 junior Patrick Johnson added 11.