By Dave Brousseau

FORT LAUDERDALE – It took the St. Thomas Aquinas boys basketball team 28 years to win its first BCAA Big 8 boys championship last year.

With a chance to become a repeat champion the Raiders need only one year to become the eighth team to become a back-to-back winner.

Led by Junior guard Clarence Westbrook Jr., 22 points, the Raiders defeated Miramar 68-60 Saturday night Fort Lauderdale High.

Westbrook averaged 25.7 points through three games and was named the tournament MVP. He scored 30 points in the Raiders Big 8 opener against Boyd Anderson.

“We got off to a good start,” said Westbrook. “We set the tone and in the second half we felt the score was still 0-0. We played hard because Miramar is a very good basketball team. The chemistry we have here is unmatched. We work hard in practice every day for moments like this. That’s why we got the job done.”

Aquinas (21-4) got off to a fast start and outscored the Patriots 35-15 in the first half after all five starters for the Raiders combined for 21 second quarter points.

“Our guys are relentless and resilient and that’s why we were able to win back-to-back championships,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Julius Sandi. “We’ve been in multiple moments like this including last year’s state championship.”

Westbrook added 14 second half points to offset any Miramar (17-8) comeback Kellson Sandi added 12 points, Derek Sandi 11 points and Zane Elliot 10 points.

Now the Raiders will focus district and regional tournament play as the seek to defend their Class 6A state championship.

The Raiders defense did a solid job in preventing only one player to score in double digits.

Jayson Negin was Miramar’s biggest threat as the junior guard led the Patriots (17-8) with 22 points.

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.