By Dave Brousseau
After south Florida came back with girls’ and boys’ basketball state titles during the first week of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Championships last week at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) schools are back at it again this weekend.
Playing over five hours from home, four area schools are taking advantage of talent and great coaching, moving into the finals.
SANGHA LEADS ST. THOMAS AQUINAS TO GIRLS’ CLASS 6A TITLE GAME
Senior center Isabella Sangha and Notre Dame signee has played an important role for the St. Thomas Aquinas girls basketball team this season.
Thursday in the Class 6A state semifinal game against George Steinbrenner High, she was completely dominant with a team high of 19 points and season-high 20 rebounds in leading the Raiders to a 69-46 victory at the University of North Florida.
The victory advances the Raiders (21-8) to the state championships against Bayside (23-8) on Saturday at 2:30.
Aquinas are seeking to win their fifth state title over the past six seasons.
Leading by three points after the first quarter, Aquinas dominated the middle two quarters 37-21.
A balanced offensive was key to the Raiders’ performance.
Ronniesha Thomas scored 16 points, while Catalina LaFreniere added 11 points, while London Thomas and Tyla Mori each had 10 points.
POMPANO BEACH BLANCHE ELY GIRLS ADVANCE TO CLASS 5A TITLE.
Defense has played a major role in leading the Blanche Ely girls’ basketball team to the Class 5A state tournament at the University of North Florida.
More of the same helped the Tigers pummel St. Petersburg 58-38 in their semifinal game on Wednesday.
The Tigers (21-5) advanced to Friday’s state championship, where they will face Booker T. Washington at 5:30 p.m. They are seeking to win their fourth state title and first since 2020.
All nine players that stepped on the court were able to score for Ely. Sariyah Sabb had 13 points, while Aniyah Gooden and Isyss Mims each had 10 points.
The Tigers defense recorded 21 steals, forced 32 turnovers and had 46-30 rebound advantage
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS BOYS MOVE A STEP CLOSER TO WINNING BACK-TO-BACK TITLES
The St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball team is in position to add to their 2026 state championship run.
After Thursday’s convincing 73-27 victory over Tampa Sickles at the University of North Florida in a Class 6A state semifinal, the Raiders put themselves in position to win back-to-back titles for the first time in school history.
Aquinas (27-4) will face Orlando Evans (23-7) at noon on Saturday at the University of Florida. The Raiders enter the title game on an 11-game winning streak.
The 27 points allowed on Thursday was the fewest since holding American Heritage to 19 against in the 2025-26 season opener.
The Raiders were led by Nate Accius’s 26 points, while team leading scorer Clarence Westbrook Jr. added 18 points.
PEMBROKE PINES CHARTER BOYS TO PLAY FOR A 5A STATE TITLE.
Anthony Walcott and Zacuras Dawson combined for 33 points and 13 rebound to lead Pembroke Pines Charter to a 65-32 victory over Lecanto in a boys Class 5A state semifinal game on Wednesday at the University of North Florida.
The Jaguars (21-6) will face Fleming Island (23-8) for the state title on Friday at 8 p.m. Pines Charter is on the verge of winning their third state championship since 2021.
Trailing 9-8 after the opening quarter, the Jaguars put the game away out scoring Lecanto 27-8 in the second quarter.
The 32 points allowed was the fewest allowed in the three seasons where Pines Charter advanced to a title game.
Adam Star added 11 points, while Robert Guishard pulled down 15 rebounds.
Dave Brousseau is a veteran journalist who worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a longtime BCAA Correspondent. Need to reach out to him? Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.