In a game befitting a championship, Gateway finally broke free of a scrappy St. Cloud team in the fourth quarter to win, 55-49, in the Orange Belt Conference girls basketball title game Friday at Celebration High School.
The Panthers (18-4) and Bulldogs (13-7) had met in the prior two OBC championships, with under-Dog St. Cloud winning them both. And early on Friday, it looked like a three-peat might be in order as St. Cloud took the first-quarter lead.
But behind big buckets by Panther point guard Alyssa Marino, who led all scorers with 22 points, and the post presence of Evana Rivera, who matched 13 rebounds with 16 points, the two juniors and third-year varsity players pulled Gateway, which already has a Class 5A regional title, its first-ever OBC championship.
"I'd say this is elation and relief," said Marino of how her Panthers hung on to the lead at the end. "We're more of a fast-moving team and I think they made us work in the halfcourt and we had to really work to be able to play our normal game. Everybody worked as a team, it makes me feel like we'll be better come the playoffs."
Rivera said the Panthers' first-half struggles -- they trailed as much as 14-8 early in the second quarter -- was a lack of rotating on defense against a quick Bulldog offense that was getting open shots.
"We know that's not us," she said. "But we communicated and we came together, and this is as sweet as (going to the 2023 5A Final Four as a freshman) because we worked hard for this to be our turn (to win the trophy)."
The first have was played to a 28-28 tie and was full of runs:
Gateway, 8-2 to start the game.
St. Cloud, 12-0 over the next six minutes, into the second quarter, keyed by Savannah Kroener, who led the Bulldogs with 19 points.
Gateway, 14-3 for the next four minutes, when Marino hit a pair of deep three-pointers and Andrea Sauzo drilled one to put the Panthers up, 22-17.
St. Cloud, 9-2, on three-pointers by Kroener and Ava Sanchez to push SCHS to a 26-22 lead.
Gateway 6-2 to close the half on layups by Rivera and freshman Ashlynn Day to tie it at 28-28 entering halftime.
And, St. Cloud scored the first 8 points of the third quarter on 3s by Vanessa Vohs and Arianna Rivera and a layup by Kroener.
It was buckets by Rivera and Marino and free throws by Ashlynn Day that helped Gateway tie it at 39-39 heading into the final eight minutes. It was the opening 2 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter where Gateway likely won the game. Marino hit a jumper and a three-pointer, and Day followed a steal with a layup off a feed from Jalissa Yarbrough; while St. Cloud could only counter with a lay-up from Kroener, and it was 49-41 with 5:34 left.
St. Cloud got no closer than three, 50-47, after Viera's bucket with 1:09 left, but Marino stepped to the line and made two clutch free throws with 58.3 seconds left. Gateway sealed it with defensive plays; a Yarbrough steal, Andrea Souzo's rebound of a missed free throw, and a Rivera block with six seconds left and Gateway up five.
After the trophy presentation, a weary GHS Coach Justin Marino called the game, "Crazy."
"They weren't giving Alyssa any space, she couldn't even get a dribble hand off to her," he said. "But I know in big moments she can shine, and Evana did a great job doing the dirty work. We pressed a little like my teams in the past didn't do, and it got us some turnovers that gave us some life. These kids have no fear of making mistakes; pressure is a privilege and they embraced that tonight."
Viera (14 points, nine rebounds, three assists) and Syani Berrios (seven points, 10 rebounds) gave St. Cloud gutsy performances.
"He's got a team mirrors Justin as a coach, and they just don't get scared of much," SCHS Coach Chad Ansbaugh said of the Panthers. "They were awesome."
