The Immaculata-La Salle boys basketball team fired on all cylinders on senior night, willing their way to a 73-50 victory over Miami Beach.

In what’s been an unconventional season, senior night was no different. With limited fans in attendance, the Royal Lions held a socially distanced and masked ceremony for seniors Emilio Ramirez, Wael Harb, Anthony Yero and Michael Yero.

“Senior night went really well,” head coach Derrick De La Grana said. “We were able to get a victory over a good Miami Beach team and all four of our seniors were able to contribute and got significant minutes in the game.

Following a shaky first half, ILS came out of the huddle far more active, out-scoring Miami Beach 24-14 in the third quarter courtesy of their 9-15 (60%) shooting from the field and 6-9 (66.7%) clip from beyond the arc. The fourth quarter was no different, as the Royal Lions shot 11-12 (91.7%) from the field while holding the Tides to just 13 points in the period to seal the victory.

“It was the perfect time to have a game like that going into the playoffs,” De La Grana said.

Ramirez excelled in his final regular season home game, posting a team-high 32 points on 5-8 shooting from deep. Ramirez, who’s averaging 19.9 points per game, added five rebounds and four assists.

“We count on Emilio to score the ball because that’s what he does best,” De La Grana said. “You need somebody you can give the ball to get you a bucket.”

Junior Giorgio Saumat didn’t miss a single shot, converting on all seven of his shot attempts — including four threes — in his 18 point performance. Junior Delvin Espinosa tallied seven points, in addition to Anthony Yero and Harb’s three. Michael Yero registered two points, four assists and four rebounds.

ILS’ four seniors have all been in the basketball program for four years, and they look to utilize their experience and chemistry heading into the Class 4A District 16 playoffs.

“I told them the whole season that every other team had to deal with the same kind of weird season, and they did a good job just staying positive and working towards their goal of winning a district championship,” De La Grana said.

The Royal Lions have since captured a 58-39 victory over Gulliver Prep in the district quarterfinal, marking their first victory over the Raiders since 2015.

ILS now prepares for their district semi-final contest versus Key West on Wednesday. A victory would secure ILS a spot in the regional playoffs and send them to the district championship.