GULFPORT - To win its third consecutive district title, Seminole had the daunting task of trying to beat rival Boca Ciega for the fourth time this season.
Victory No. 4 proved to the toughest.
Down by two late, the Warhawks played smothering defense and relied on clutch free-throw shooting from Chelsea Patterson to win 53-47.
Seminole (23-3) will host Largo in Thursday's region quarterfinals. The Pirates (17-10) will play at Clearwater.
"Beating a team four times in one season is always hard," Warhawks coach Dave Swanson said. "I knew Boca Ciega would be motivated for this game, and I told the girls to expect a close game."
It wasn't close early as Seminole opened a 9-3 lead. But then the Warhawks started telegraphing passes and left layups and 3-pointers on the rim.
Boca Ciega took advantage, using its considerable height advantage in the low post to grab rebounds and score in transition.
The Pirates went on an 8-1 run to go ahead 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.
With its offense sputtering, Seminole was desperate for production. Laura Palmeri provided it.
The senior guard hit two 3-pointers during the second quarter that helped the Warhawks outscore Boca Ciega 10-6 and lead 20-17 at the half.
"(Boca Ciega) was giving us some trouble with their size, and we really needed to hit some shots," Swanson said. "Laura came through. She scored nine points (all 3-pointers), and that's more than she's averaged all season."
The second half became a dual between Patterson and the Pirates' Tiffany Williams. Williams scored 27 points, including a layup midway through the fourth quarter that gave Boca Ciega a 45-43 lead.
Patterson took over from there. Of her game-high 28 points, 11 came during the fourth quarter, including seven on free throws.
"(Boca Ciega) played well the last time we met, and I'm sure that gave them some hope," Patterson said. "But I knew we had the game. We just had to keep our heads up and play defense."
5A-9: Clearwater stifles Largo
LARGO - Clearwater used its stingy defense to beat Largo 37-26.
Both teams scored early, but the offensive output did not last.
Largo's motion offense produced nine first-quarter points on 44 percent shooting, but it still trailed by three. Clearwater (24-2) opened the game with 60 percent shooting. Rachel Hammond and Karen Braden scored four of their game-high 10 points during the first quarter.
Baskets were hard to come by for the rest of the game. The teams combined to shoot 2-of-20 from the field during the second quarter. Neither scored during the final four minutes of the first half.
The drought was as much a product of good defense as poor offense. Clearwater committed multiple turnovers, and Largo (19-7) was plagued by poor shot selection.
"We were shooting too many (3-pointers)," Largo coach Leonard Williams said. "I wanted them to take it inside, but we couldn't do that."
Tashyra Feazell's 12-foot jumper with 5:30 left in the third quarter was a brief pause in Largo's offensive sabbatical. The Packers did not score again until the final seconds of the quarter.
Clearwater led 14-11 with when it held Largo to just six points during the next 16 minutes. The Tornadoes led 28-15 going into the final quarter.
"Our defense definitely carried the day," Clearwater coach Tom Shaneyfelt said. "It was kind of an ugly, scrappy type game. We kind of hung in there and did as much as we needed to on offense."
Sophomore Chelsea Simpson led Largo with seven points, all during the fourth.
