Lakewood Ranch headed to regional final

The Lakewood Ranch High boys basketball team is moving on. 

For the first time in school history, the Mustangs are headed to the regional finals after beating Fort Myers Riverdale 57-44 in the Class 7A-Region 3 semifinals Feb. 16. 

Holding a 28-24, Lakewood coach Jeremy Schiller subbed out four of his starters three minutes into the first half, as has become routine for the Mustangs. Evan Spiller, who was playing with a heavy heart following the passing of his grandmother on Monday, scored a basket, forced a turnover and then scored on a layup while also drawing a foul for a 3-point play. 

Lakewood went on a 12-5 run in the final five minutes of the third quarter and was able to build enough of a lead down the stretch to hold off Riverdale. 

Sophomore guard Damien Gordon finished with 17 points and four steals. Junior guard Sam Hester added 10 points and five rebounds. Junior guard Devin Twenty contributed nine points. Sophomore Jack Kelley hauled in eight rebounds. 

Lakewood will travel to St. Petersburg High, a 79-55 winner against Bloomingdale, for the regional finals Feb. 19. The winner will advance to next week's Final Four, in Lakeland.