By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
DEERFIELD BEACH – In the second season under coach Teddy Lyons, the Chaminade-Madonna boys basketball team has made significant strides in competing with some of the best teams in South Florida.
Competing in the I Have a Dream MLK Challenge on Friday at Somerset Key Academy, the Lions put on a display of toughness in a 63-53 victory over South Plantation.
After nearly letting a half-time lead slip away to the Paladins in the third quarter, the Lions defense took control, outscoring their opponent by eight to earn a 63-53 victory.
The win improved the Lions to 14-3, already three victories better than last season with two weeks remaining before district play that begins on Feb. 3.
“We’ve been doing a great job closing late,” said Lyons. “There guys are showing a great mental toughness. When we get in situations where the game is turning on us, these guys have been able to make plays on both ends of the floor.”
Junior guard Jasen Lopez and senior guard Isaac Mothersill each scored 25 to lead the Lions. They also combined to score all 19 of the Lions points in the fourth quarter.
“This year to last is a massive improvement,” said Lyons. “Guys like Lopez and Mothersill are special on both ends of the floor. They complement each other and look like they’ve been playing together for years.”
Junior guard Travis Chin led the Paladins (14-6) with 20 points.
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
PARKLAND – The Douglas High girls soccer team’s biggest nemesis during the 2023-25 season has been scoring goals against many of the top teams they’ve faced.
The Eagles had fought through the regular season managing six ties that nearly matched their seven wins.
Thursday, they had one last attempt in a regular season finale against unbeaten St. Thomas Aquinas last Thursday.
With the score all even at 1-1 in the 66th minute, junior forward Breanna Gordon took advantage of open space scoring her fifth goal of the season giving the Eagles a 2-1 victory heading into district play.
“The goal was very special going into this game knowing that we were playing a hard opponent,” said Gordon. “We locked into the game and stay focused, so that last goals became very important.”
“It was nice to get a win,” said Douglas coach Laura Rountree. “We have struggled a little bit scoring goals and this was big for our confidence with scoring a late goal like that.”
The Eagles (8-1-6) took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when junior Alexa Jourdan successfully converted on a penalty kick.
With both sides playing solid defense, it took another penalty kick opportunity, this time by Aquinas to even the score.
Sophia Barnes evened the score at 1-1 on the PK in the 35th minute.
The chances were minimal on both sides, as each team’s keeper did their job when called upon.
“This loss was a humbling experience,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Bryan Hantak. “Maybe we should have worked harder. Douglas played well with high pressure, and we made a couple of mistakes that we paid for.”
Douglas (8-1-6) will take that pitch again when they face the Coral Glades/Western winner in a District 14-7A semifinal at Spanish River High on Jan. 24.
Aquinas (10-1-3) will host the District 15-6A Tournament. They will play the South Broward/South Plantation winner in a semifinal game on Jan. 27.
PHOTO CAPTION: Douglas senior Breanna Gordon (No. 22) scored the game winning goal to earn a 2-1 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in a girls soccer match.
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – Over the years when the St. Thomas Aquinas and Blanche Ely boys’ basketball teams met on the hardcourt, it was typically worth the price of admission.
Last Tuesday’s game at St. Thomas Aquinas was no different.
As the teams ventured into a second overtime, the Raiders trio of Dwayne Wimbley, Derek Sandi and Clarence Westbrook Jr. shared the responsibility of leading Aquinas to a 79-77 victory.
They combined to score 17 of the team’s 18 points in the two overtimes in leading the Raiders to their third straight victory over the Tigers. Ely had won 19 of the previous 21 meetings between the teams dating back to Jan. 2007.
St. Thomas (15-1), the state’s top ranked team in Class 6A, has won 14 consecutive games.
“We knew how to keep our composure when things weren’t going our way,” said Westbrook. “Coach always tells us about the next play mentality, and we had that in the two overtimes. We didn’t have that in the first half.”
Trailing 31-26 at that half, Westbrook scored eight of his 16 points in the third quarter to help put Aquinas up by five after three quarters.
“It’s huge win,” said Aquinas coach Julius Sandi. “We came into the game with a 13-game winning streak, and we were down two of our key guys.
We put ourselves in a hole with more turnovers than assists. I told the guys we had to take care of the basketball. I was happy that we did enough to get over the top.”
Senior guard Dylon Hanna, who had six of his team’s 11 three-pointers, led the Tigers with 26 points, helping them stay withing striking distance of the lead.
Jayden McNabb, Justin Snell and Kaleb Corbitt each had 10 for Ely (9-7).
“Obviously a great game and was good for the game of basketball,” said Ely coach Henry McNabb.
“We would have liked to be on the winning side of it. Our guys kept fighting and competing and that’s all I can ask.”
Aquinas also had balance with its scoring.
Sandi led the Raiders with 20 points, eight coming in overtime, while Kellson Sando added 18 points and Wimbley with 16 points.
GIRLS
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 47, BLANCHE ELY 39: Freshman London Thomas scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Raiders. Sara Blair added 13 points and Nyla McFadden points.
Aquinas outscored Ely 18-2 in the fourth quarter.
Teriyah McFadden led the Tigers with 18 points
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
DEERFIELD BEACH – Senior guard Ayden Mclean scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lead Douglas to a narrow 58-56 victory over Deerfield Beach in a boys’ basketball game on Tuesday.
The Eagles (6-6) victory snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Bucks dating back to Jan. 10, 2017. Six of the last seven games have been decided by three points or less.
Junior guard Ryan Reckley led the Bucks (8-4) with 17 points but failed to score in the final quarter in the teams’ comeback attempt. Junior guard Vasney Prospere added each of his 10 points in the second half.
Brady Kuebler and Zack Story each added 11 points for the Eagles.
Douglas faces a tough test against Coral Glades on Thursday, while Deerfield Beach plays at South Plantation.
The Deerfield Beach girls team rallied to earn a 57-53 overtime victory over the Eagles.
MSD (6-6): Kuebler 4-2-11, Mclean 8-5-22, Scheidt 2-3-8, Slack 2-1-6, Jean 1-0-2, Story 5-1-11.
DB (8-4): Prospere 3-4-10, Reckley Jr. 7-0-17, Hardy Jr. 4-1-9, Brown Jr. 1-0-2, John 1-0-2, Miller 2-1-5, Linder 0-2-2, Jewell 1-1-3, Dumerjean 3-0-6.
3-pointers: Mclean 2, Kuebler, Scheidt, Slack, Reckley 3. Half: D 30-24.
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – The Cardinal Gibbons and Wellington wrestling teams have arguably been among the very best in Broward and Palm Beach counties for many years.
Each had the opportunity to become the Gold Bracket champion of the third annual Bobby Stanley Duals at Cardinal Gibbons High on Saturday.
The Wolverines won six of their first seven matches against the Chiefs to build a 29-point lean enroute to a 44-33 victory for the tournament title, while snapping Gibbons’ two-year run.
“The big difference today as we’ve been talking about it all weekend, we put three kids on our back early on and won their matches,” said Wellington coach Travis Gray. “We’ve been preaching to the kids that every point matters and don’t get pinned.
Mark Bonfante (120), Sam Honzik (126), Jacob Pellecer (132) and Tyler Gray (138) collectively won the Wolverines first four matches for a 22-0 lead.
“In some of our lower weights we could have won those matches, they didn’t wrestle with confidence,” said Cardinal Gibbons coach Jamel Morris. “Our guys will develop as the season goes on.
Overall, we did well today. It’s tough to lose, but it’s part of the process of getting better.”
Live Oak Suwannee, which defeated Gibbons in its first match of the Gold Bracket, finished second, while Gibbons was third.
State champion brothers Peter and Michael Mocco won all three matches they wrestled for Gibbons, five by pins.
The Chiefs lost to Suwanee 41-36, then defeated Coral Reef 68-12 with the chance for the team title. Wellington beat Coral Reef 42-39 and Suwanee 42-26 before defeating Gibbons.
In the Silver Bracket, Braden River finished first, with Southwest Miami was second and Douglas third.
WELLINGTON 44, CARDINAL GIBBONS 33
106: Geiger (CG) by forfeit; 113: Williams (W) d. Garcia 9-0; 120: Bonfante (W) p. Warner 1:15; 126: Honzik (W) d. Arneson 16-7; 132: Pellecer (W) p. Peugh 4:25; 138: T. Gray (W) p. Jaramillo 2:32; 144: Isek (CG) t.p. N. Gray 20-2; 150: Gonzalez (W) p. Delgado 5:09; 157: Kosza (W) p. Fayer 1:56; 165: Florio (CG) p. Mitton 0:54; 175: Winter (CG) d. Snelgrove 15-6; 190: Perez (W) p. Ramirez 5:17; 215: P. Mocco (CG) p. Jones 1:30; HWT: M. Mocco (CG) p. Higgins 1:19.
WELLINGTON 42, SUWANNEE 36
106: Jolicoeur (S) by forfeit; 113: Williams (W) p. Miller 0:46; 120: Bonfante (W) t.p. Milian 17-0; 126: Phinney (S) p. Honzik 3:41; 132: Pellecer (W) p. Dykes 3:05; 138: T. Gray (W) p. Gonzalez 0:38; 144: N. Gray (W) p. Garcia 4:00; 150: Kosza (W) d. Vanderpool 6-2; 157: White (S) p. Gardner 4:38; 165: Middleton (S) p. Mitton 1:54; 175: Snelgrove (W) d. Johns 12-1; 190: Slater (S) p. Perez 3:27; 215: Jones (W) p. Smith 1:42; HWT: Corbin (S) p. Higgins 0:46.
SUWANNEE 41, CARDINAL GIBBONS 36
106: Jolicoeur (S) p. Garcia 1:39; 113: Bajor (CG) d. Miller 18-8; 120: Milian (S) p. Warner 1:55; 126: Arneson (S) p. Cardoza 2:39; 132: Peugh (CG) d. Dykes 11-5; 138: Jaramillo (CG) t.p. Gonzalez 20-4; 144: Garcia (S) p. Isek 1:08; 150: Vanderpool (S) p. Delgado 1:44; 157: White (S) t.p. Fayer 16-0; 165: Florio (CG) p. 1:28; 175: Johns (S) p. Winter 3:01; 190: P. Mocco (CG) p. Slater 1:11; 215: M. Mocco p. Smith 0:16; HWT: Corbin (S) p. Flack 2:48.
CARDINAL GIBBONS 68, CORAL REEF 12
106: Garcia (CG) t.p. Chavez 20-2; 113: Bajor (CG) by forfeit; 120: Arneson (CG) p. Paul 3:30; 126: Paguaga (CR) p. Warner 2:15; 132: Armas (CR) p. Peugh 2:57; 138: Jaramillo (CG) p. Perez 1:29; 144: Isek (CG) t.p. Calderson 23-7; 150: Delgado (CG) by forfeit; 157: Simmons (CG) p. Sanabria 0:58; 165: Florio (CG) p. Rodriguez 0:27; 175: Winter (CG) Goday 0:23; 190: P. Mocco (CG) p. Agreda Nonzik 1:30; 215: M. Mocco (CG) t.p. Gonzalez 19-4; HWT: Flack (CG) t.p. Pena 17-1.
WELLINGTON 42, CORAL REEF 39
106: Chavez (CR) by forfeit; 113: Williams (W) by forfeit; 120: Paul (CR) p. Ferreira 2:52; 126: Paguaga (CR) p. Honzik 1:33; 132: Armas (CR) p. Pellecer 1:01; 138: T. Gray (W) p. Perez 1:49; 144: N. Gray (W) p. Calderon 1:41; 150: Gonzalez (W) by forfeit; 157: Kosza (W) p. Laureles 1:23; 165: Mitton (W) p. Sanabria 1:18; 175: Snelgrove (W) p. Rodriguez 2:49; 190: Agreda (CR) d. Agustin 5-4; 215: Gonzalez (CR) p. Lombardo 0:47; HWT: Mena (CR) p. Larrosa.
SUWANNEE 57, CORAL REEF 23
106: Jolicoeur (S) p. Chavez 0:13; 113: Miller (S) by forfeit; 120: Milian (S) t.p. Paul 15-0; 126: Paguaga (CR) p. Phinney 0:48; 132: Armas CR) t.p. Dykes 17-1; 138: Gonzalez (S) p. Perez 1:41; 144: Garcia (S) d. Calderon 14-6; 150: Vanderpool (S) by forfeit; 157: Laureles (CR) p. Dear 2:48; 165: Middleton (S) p. Sanabria 2:30; 175: Lindblade (S) p. Goday 0:40; 190: Slater (S) p. Agreda 4:36; 215: Gonzalez (CF) p. Smith 1:37; HWT: Corbin (S) p. Mena 0:27.
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