By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – The finals of the today’s 2025 boys and girls BCAA Big 8 basketball tournament at Fort Lauderdale High School are set to be intriguing.
St. Thomas Aquinas boys and girls team have each played for the championship, while the Northeast girls and Chaminade-Madonna boys will be making their first championship appearance.
The girls game will tip-off at 5 p.m., while boys game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Regardless, all four teams are talented with the potential to earn title.
The St. Thomas Aquinas girls (15-7) are making their seventh consecutive appearance in the final, winning championships 2022-23.
Key players to watch for Raiders, who have won four consecutive states title, are freshman London Thomas and senior.
Northeast (22-2) is clearly having one of the best programs in school history. They’ll be facing Aquinas for the first time since 2011 and are 0-5 against them dating back 2008.
Key players for the Hurricanes will be Nykeria Flowers and Yaniyah Young.
The Aquinas boys played in the 2000 and 2002 Big 8 finals, falling short in both by a combined total of 10 points
The Raiders (22-2) are loaded with talent among the starting five. That included Dwayne Wimbley, Drake and Kellson Sandi. Clarence Westbrook Jr. and Zane Elliott.
Chaminade-Madonna (20-4) is also very talented.
They are led by guards Jasen Lopez and Isaac Mothersil, who combined are averaging 40.1 points per game.
The Lions reached the title game for the first time after defeating Stranahan on Friday.
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By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – Stranahan, got a pair of strong second half scoring performances from Damari Foster and Isiah Brown to lead the Dragons to a 62-56 victory over Cardinal Gibbons in a quarterfinal game of the BCAA Big 8 Boys Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at Fort Lauderdale High.
Brown, a 6-9 junior center, had five slam dunks for a game-high 21 points to lead the Dragons.
Foster had 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, while David Neely also had 14 points.
Stranahan (18-6) advances to a semifinal game on Friday against the Western/Chaminade-Madonna winner at 5:30 p.m. The Dragons are still seeking their first Big 8 title, losing in the finals in 2018 and 2020.
“We had to change up the defense a little bit in the second half,” said Stranahan coach Edward Shuler. “We change to man coverage to put more pressure on Gibbons.
Brown is fully healthy now. He’s playing at a high level now to help us get where we need to get and that’s Lakeland.”
Down by three at the half, Stranahan held the Chiefs to six points in the third quarter to take a 39-35 lead heading into the final frame.
Gibbons (20-4) never led again.
“Our main focus coming out after the half was defense,” said Brown. “We focused first on defense and that helped us move the ball on offense. We just locked in.”
Senior guard Tao Schrieber scored a team-high 20 points to lead Gibbons. Evan Wyche added 11 points, while Justus Dylan-Herbert had 10 points.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 54, BLANCHE ELY 51 (OT): In the second overtime meeting between the two schools in just over two weeks the Raiders prevailed again.
This time senior forward Dwayne Wimbley scored a game-high 17 to help Aquinas to the three-point win.
The Raiders (21-2) advance to a semifinal game against the Coral Glades/Pembroke Pines Charter win on Friday at 8:30 p.m.
A Wimbley dunk with 1:25 left in the overtime period gave the Raiders a 53-51 lead and an added free throw by Drake Sandi (11 points) with 52.4 seconds left determined the final margin.
The Tigers (13-9) were led by senior forward Jayelen Jonas with 18 points, that included several dunks. Dylon Hanna added 15 points.
PHOTO CAPTION: AJ Ambrose (left) of Cardinal Gibbons is defended by Pradd Maurice (right) of Stranahan in a first round game of the BCAA Boys Big 8 Tournament on Wednesday.
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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.
Dave Brousseau can be reached on X at @dbrouss76 – or via e-mail at:
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