By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – During last seasons playoff run the Nova Titans girls basketball team completely relied on then sophomore guard Jaelynn Housey.
She averaged 24 points and seven rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. In two games in the BCAA Big 8 Tournament she scored 78 points.
During the 2024-25 season, the Titans aren’t all about Housey as others have contributed.
That was the case on Wednesday in the quarterfinal against Coral Springs at Fort Lauderdale High as three other players scored in double-figures during a 69-16 victory.
Nova (18-4) advances to the Big 8 semifinals against the Northeast/Pembroke Pines Charter winner on Friday at 4 p.m.
Housey was her usual self with a team leading 18 points. I’Yan Tyrell scored 15, while Ke’mora Evans added 14 and Nayell Firmin pitched in 10 points.
“She’s a special kid, both on and off the court,” Nova coach Jason Hively, said of Housey. “I think she is the best player in the state, and I mean that seriously.
We do have a little more support system around her this season, but the key has been the nucleus on defense. This has been a team unselfishly.”
Housey and support system was a big part of the Titans reaching Big 8 for the 19th time in 21 seasons.
“I do feel more comfortable on the floor this season because we are a more well-rounded team,” said Housey. “It’s definitely important with the help in scoring, but what takes a win is a win and I’m here for it.”
The Nova girls have reached the tournaments championship game 10 times, winning the title three times with the las time coming in 2018.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 68, CORAL SPRINGS CHARTER 19: Led by Sayaniz Zaldivar with 15 points and Ron’neisha Thomas with 14 points, the Raiders rolled to the easy victory.
Aquinas (14-7) advances to the Big 8 semifinal game against Thursday’s Blanche Ely/Cypress winner on Friday at 7 p.m.
The 49-point victory was the largest of the season and most since defeating Ocala Forest 94-53 (41 points) on Dec.28.
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Last weekend – while powerhouse South Dade (3A) and Mater Lakes Academy (1A) were taking home team wrestling titles, and Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy (2A) was doing what the Panthers do – there was another south Florida team who also made some news.
For the first time in school history, the Parkland Douglas Eagles’ wrestling team took part in the state dual championships at Osceola High School in Kissimmee.
This program, which has been competitive through the years with more than its share of elite competitors, had the opportunity to turn the program up a notch.
Head Coach Kenny Gendason and his team were one of 16 Class 3A programs who had the chance to showcase all 14 wrestlers as a team.
With the Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) championships being held in a few weeks, the Eagles showed why they will be right in the mix with Cardinal Gibbons and others for a team title when the individuals compete, preparing for a run at the district, region and state meet at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
What this team has done this season is use a mix of veteran wrestlers with plenty of young competitors – some competing at this level for the first time.
This is a program that has compiled a 29-9 record against elite competition.
They captured the Dual meet district championship as well as winning the District 13/14 dual meet regional title. The Eagles won the Palm Beach Classic Tournament, the Trichon-Myerson dual champions at Deerfield Beach, and the Celebration Storm Front Champions last weekend at Celebration High School, getting by Key West, a 1A state dual meet championship round team.
Among that senior (2025) class includes (113 Pounds - Rocco Duygulu, 34-3), unbeaten (126 - David Leiva, 34-0), (132 - Jimmy Messmer, 25-4), (144 - Jeremy Lopez, 19-8), (144 - Reid Kalvaitis, 9-8), (175 - Lucas Siqueira, 22-5), and (285 - Jackson Zajkowski, 32-8).
Setting the table for the future, the 2026 (juniors) have been making major strides with (106 - Bryce Siddens, 31-8), (120 - Arav Shintre, 13-4), 190 – Aaron Porudominsky, 17-9), and (215 - Dante Reynolds, 18-6).
The sophomore class (2027) has also been impressive and one of the reasons why the Eagles have been able to accomplish what they have so far. Versatile (113-120 - Timothy Carroll, 26-5) has been an incredible asset this season while Duygulu went up to 120. The class also has (150 - Jacob Balk, 38-6) and (165 - Keegan Lake, 34-4).
Freshmen (138 - Santiago Caro, 14-5) and (157 - Josh Lopez, 23-12) have also shown that the future is bright. Caro’s sister, Gaby, was a two-time undefeated state champion for the Eagles.
“Kalvaitis, Josh Lopez, and Reynolds were all first-year wrestlers for us. Gendason pointed out. “Both have made a valuable impact in our line up.”
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – After losing four of their previous five games, the Fort Lauderdale High boys basketball team needed a much victory with district play on the horizon.
Led by junior guards Antonio Bonami’s 18 points and Adler Olweean’s 17 points the Flying L’s held on for a 56-50 overtime victory over American Heritage at the Strand Basketball Classic at St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.
The Flying L’s (12-7) will finish the regular season at Coral Springs on Monday.
“The progression of our team this year are the guys are willing to play,” said Fort Lauderdale coach Reggie Nixon. “They’ve been developing over the season and though we’ve had bumps in the road, as long as they are willing to work hard, we’ll be fine.”
The Flying L’s got off to a solid start with Olweean’s five 3-pointers. Heritage fought its way back into the game, eventually sending the game into overtime.
Fort Lauderdale’s Reggie Cleveland had four points in the extra frame, while the defense held the Patriots to a lone free throw.
The Patriots (7-8) were led by Oju Daniel-Kalio with 15 points, while Dhiran Nara and Baqai each added 11 points.
CORAL SPRINGS 80, CENTRAL FLORIDA CHRISTIAN 61: Senior guard Alex Pierre-Louis led the Colts (13-8) with 20 points and was selected as the Player of the Game.
Joshua Pierre added 21 points.
, a 6-6 junior guard of Central Florida Christian (14-8) led all players with 25 points.
CHAMINADE-MADONNA 61, JOAQUIN GARCIA 47: Senior guard Isaac Mothersil scored 16 points and along with his aggressive defense led the Lions (18-4) to the win and was named the Player of the Game.
Jasen Lopez added 19 points, while Guiliani Blaise had 12 points.
Senior guard Drovinsky Ulysee had 17 points for the Bulldogs (12-8).
SOUTH PLANTATION 72, FORT PIERCE CENTRAL 68 (2 OT): Junior guard Travis Chin, who was named the Player of the Game, scored six of his team-high 24 points in overtime to lead the Paladins (19-6).
Lathan Coleman added 20 points, while Mark Vincent has 14 points.
The Cobras (14-8) were paced by Joseph Gayle with 24 points.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 74, MIAMI JACKSON 40: Sophomore guard Kellson Sandi scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers to lead the Raiders (19-2). He would be named the Player of the Game.
Clarence Westbrook Jr. added 21 points and Dwayne Wimbley 10 points.
Senior guard Leonard Clark had 31 points to lead the Generals (6-10).
COOPER CITY 75, PLANTATION 62: Senior guard Jamier Johnston dropped a team-high 33 points to lead the Cowboys (10-10).
Teammate Noah Rupert added 18 points.
Junior guard Jabari Washington of Plantation (7-13) led all scorers with a game-high 35 points.
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While the name Brandon will always be associated with championship wrestling in the state of Florida for over five decades of dominance, the past two decades have belonged to South Dade.
Under the direction of head coach Vic Balmeceda and his assistants Humberto “Duck” Reyna and Markel Shropshire, this program continues to reload and win at an amazing rate.
On Friday and Saturday, the program competed in the state dual championships, and when Saturday evening rolled around at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, the Bucs had won their sixth dual meet crown and 26th overall. That total includes 20 IBT (individual) titles, heading into this year.
Their convincing win against Wellington was just another accomplishment for this program that continues to build solid youth programs and get them ready for a career in high school and the collegiate level.
Here is a look at some of the 2024-25 athletes who are paving the way:
106 – Prince Perry, Sr. 7-9
106 – Jose Callava, Fr., 23-5 #2
113 – Bryan Morales, Jr., 20-4, #2, State Champ (2024)
120 – Kaleb Williams, Jr., 28-7, #3, 3rd State, 2024
126 – Guillermo Jaramilo, Jr., 22-3, #3, 3rd State, 2024
126 – Cameron Haines, Fr., 25-8. #10
132 – Nathaniel Williams, Sr., 28-8, #3, State Runner Up, 2024
138 – Jovani Solis, Fr., 33-1, #1, 2 Time State Champion, 2023 & 2024
138 – Jordan Fearon, Jr., 5-2
144 – Elvis Solis, Sr., 28-0, #1, 2 Time State Champion, 2023 & 2024
150 – Armand Williams, So. 29-7, #4, 5th State, 2024
157 – Tyree Graham, , Jr., 30-4, #2, State Runner Up, 2024
165 – Willie White, Sr., 37-0, #1, 3rd State, 2024
165 – Jonathan Moreno, So., 16-3, #3, 5th State, 2024
175 – Matthew Abreu, Sr., 10-6
190 – Brandon Valdes, Fr., 11-5
215 – Jamie Freeney, Jr., 21-8, #6
285 – Daguy Massillon, Sr., 29-9, #5, State Qualifier
The Bucs opened the tournament with a convincing 66-3 win against Parkland Douglas. In the semifinals with Lakeland George Jenkins, they dominated again – setting up the finals against Wellington.
MATER LAKES WINS FIRST TITLE
They have been building toward winning a state title for several years, and this weekend, head coach Brandon Neifeld and his Hialeah Mater Lakes Academy program captured the 1A team title.
The Bears dominated the two-day competition with an impressive win against Naples St. John Neumann.
The victory will set the tone for the IBT individual championships next month at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
With assistants J.D. Ramsey, Mitch Li and Alex Noa leading the way this is now a program that is considered as one of Florida’s elites.
Here is a look at some of the talent that this team has boasted this season:
106 – Ron Stephens, 8th
106 – Ty O’Dell, Sr., #15
113 – Kellen Mesina, Jr., #1
120 – Keegan Mesina. Fr., #1
126 – Ethan Tran, So., #3
132 – Christopher Greene, So., #3
138 – Anthony O’Dell, Sr., #3
144 – Bruce Li, Fr., #4
150 – Mason O’Dell, Fr., #3
157 – Kenny Alvarado, Sr., #3
165 – Kalias Nazario, Jr., #3
175 – Richard Lugo, Jr.
190 – Darian Vargas, Jr., #20
215 – Damian Soto, Sr., #2
285 – Emiliano Solache, Sr., #10
In the opening round match against Key West, the Bears rolled to a 61-6 decision. That state semifinal contest against Merritt Island was indeed competitive, but they pulled away.
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
CORAL SPRINGS – For the first half of basketball, Coral Springs performed as well as could be expected against a tough Pompano Beach Blanche Ely side.
Down by nine at the break, the Tigers were victims of the Colts’ seven 3-pointers, while searching for answers to alter the momentum.
The combination of Kaleb Corbitt and Justin Snell’s 22 second half points and Ely’s stubborn defense, the Tigers rallied for a 76-68 victory in a non-district game on Tuesday.
“We didn’t turn the ball over and let Springs get out in transition,” said Ely coach Henry McNabb, about the second half comeback. “Coach Barta does a tremendous job preparing his guys. We mishandled their ball pressure and just needed to take care of the basketball.”
Ely diminished the Coral Springs lead tying the score at 48-48 on a 3-pointer by Jaden McNabb. The teams went into the final quarter with the score tied at 54-54.
Corbitt and Snell combined for 16 of the Tigers 22 points in the final quarter.
The comeback was keyed by the Colts’ inability to convert on all 3-point attempts in the second half.
“We didn’t make any outside shots, and they made a very good adjustment at halftime,” said Coral Springs coach Devin Barta. “They went into a half-court trap and though we had some looks we didn’t the shots.
Corbitt finished with a team-high 22 points with 14 from Jaylon McNabb and 13 from Jaden McNabb.
Alex Pierre-Louis led Coral Springs with 23, 16 coming in the first half when the Colts (12-7) built a nine-point lead at the break.
Josh Pierre added 15 points, while Tavien Nielie and Janai Henry each finished with 10 points.
The Tigers (11-8) victory was a solid tune-up for the BCAA Big 8 Tournament next week at Fort Lauderdale High.
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