It's playoff time, and Lake Wales had no trouble coming through when it counted. They had just enough and edged the Gateway Panthers out 55-52. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Highlanders have posted since January 5, 2024.

Dackjerlin Senior
02/13/25 vs Gateway | 3 |
02/08/25 vs Sebring | 1 |
01/17/25 @ Bell Creek Academy | 1 |
12/10/24 @ Lakeland | 1 |
12/03/24 @ Tampa Catholic | 1 |
Leading Lake Wales to victory were Tateyanna Mickel and Dackjerlin Senior. Mickel went 5-for-7 en route to 12 points and five steals, while Senior went 5-for-9 on her way to 10 points and seven boards. The dominant performance also gave Senior a new career-high in assists (three). Another player making a difference was Vanessa Squire, who posted ten points and three blocks.
Lake Wales is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a massive bump to their 17-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.9 points over those games. As for Gateway, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 20-7.
Looking ahead, Lake Wales will face off against Leesburg at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Leesburg's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six matches. Gateway does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps