By Dave Brousseau
CORAL SPRINGS – St. Thomas Aquinas junior guard Clarence Westbrook Jr. had one of those nights on the court he soon won’t forget.
When his Raiders teammates needed him most, he responded like a true leader on the court does.
Clinging to a one-point halftime lead, the Raiders rallied behind Westbrook’s game-high 33 points to defeat Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 79-58 during Saturday’s finale at the Kreul Showcase at the Coral Springs City Gymnasium.
His big night also included a special moment with 5:22 left in the second quarter when he became the second player in three days to record 1000 career points as an Aquinas boys’ basketball player.
“This feels good as I’ve worked hard for this,” said Westbrook on his achievement. “This is great and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.
I told my guys not to hold their heads done because we had a whole half to play. We are all accountable, because we the next play mentality. That’s what we had and why we were successful tonight.
In addition to Westbrook, Kellson Sandi and Nate Accius scored 17 and 14 points respectively to help put Westminster away in the second half.
“This is a testament on how we play,” said Raiders coach Julius Sandi, regarding two players 1,000-point achievement in the same week. I’m ecstatic for Westbrook.”
Drake Sandi accomplished the same plateau in a victory over Cardinal Gibbons on Thursday
D.J. Gaines led the Lions (3-2) with a team-high 24 points, while DeSean Clayton added 16 points.
CARDINAL GIBBONS 67, PALM BEACH CENTRAL 49: Justus Dylan-Herbert scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Chiefs (3-1). A.J. Ambrose added 15 points and Evan Wyche 13 points.
The Broncos (3-3) 13 points from Tariq Mcleod and 12 points from Ryan Waugh.
MIAMI NORTHWESTERN 48, WELLINGTON 44: Giovanny Desire, a 6’5 senior forward, led the Bulls (5-0) to victory with 12 points. Isaiah McKinney and Jayden Navarrete each pitched in with nine points.
Camden Wesley scored 12 and Canaan Gedeon 11 points to lead the Wolverines (4-2).
ST. ANDREW’S 64, PEMBROKE PINES CHARTER 52: Not only did the Scots outscore their opponent, statistically they won the 3-point shooting battle and free throw differential.
Lukas Buinevicius, a 6’6 senior forward, led the Scots (8-1) with 19 points, while Xander Gerard had 16 points Brendan Gerard added 14 points.
The Jaguars struggled from the foul-line making only 10 of their 25 attempts, while making four fewer 3-point attempts than St. Andrew’s.
Pines Charter (2-1) was led by senior forward Robert Guishard with 19 points. Zac Dawson had 10 points.
CORAL SPRINGS 67, CENTENNIAL 57: Craig Bryant Jr. and Matt Croissy each had 21 points to lead the Colts (3-2).
Their points helped Springs build a 37-25 lead at the half. Jamir Davis added 10 points.
The Eagles (3-4) were led by Jalen Bello with 14 points and Jayden Prosper with 13 points.
DWYER 59, BOYD ANDERSON 58: Torre Washington and Jordan Quince combined for 38 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks to help rally the Panthers (4-2) to the victory.
The Cobras (5-4) were led by Hatem Chehade with 23 points. Branden Jean added 13 points and four rebounds.
FORT LAUDERDALE 63, MIAMI NORLAND 60: Senior guard Adler Olweean scored a team-high 24 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Flying L’s (4-3) held off the Vikings for the victory.
Antonio Bonami added 12 points and five assists.
Omari Meda, a 6’6 junior, led all scorers with 26 point and eight rebounds to pace the Norland (5-1) offense.
MONARCH 42, BLANCHE ELY 33: The biggest thing about the Knights victory wasn’t about any individual performance.
Led by Jair Jimenez’s 10 points, Monarch defeated the Tigers for the first time in school history in boys’ basketball. Ely defeated Monarch 11 times dating back to 2008, including that last time they met in a 105-30 loss on Jan. 9, 2015.
Ladarius Baldwin had 11 points in the loss.
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.