Three area girls basketball teams win regional championships, advance to state final four

West Orange and Southwest Orange County once again has shown that it is one of the most talent-rich areas in the state for girls basketball, as Ocoee High, Dr. Phillips High and Central Florida Christian Academy have all seen their lady hoopers claim a regional championship and advance to the state final four. 

In Class 7A, Region 1, the Lady Knights (25-3) made school history by claiming the program's first-ever regional championships and reaching the final four for the first time after beating Timber Creek High (25-5), 49-40, on the back of outstanding performances by Dakara Merthie — who scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds — Gabby Fortius — who added 20 points and 10 rebounds. 

“I am super proud of them," said Ocoee coach Marcus Spencer. "We lost 10 players from last year's team — eight seniors and two transfers — (so) for us to win our third district championship in a row and for the first time in school history be regional champs with a trip to Lakeland, is a testament to the girls we have.”

Sticking in 7A, Dr. Phillips (19-9) — the defending back-to-back-to-back state champions — once again booked its annual trip to the state final four after topping Centennial High (18-9), 74-41, to claim the region 2 title. 

The two area 7A teams will play in the state semifinals Friday, March 7, with the Lady Panthers facing off against Doral Academy (21-7) at 9 a.m. and Ocoee taking on Winter Haven (25-2) at 1 p.m. at the RP Funding Center. 

Flipping from the state's largest classification to its smallest, the Lady Eagles (21-8) were dominant in the 1A, Region 2 finals — beating Mount Dora Christian (18-10) by 41 points. 

The 67-26 home win booked CFCA a spot in the 1A final four against North Florida Educational Institute (19-12) at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 in Lakeland.