By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
NORTH LAUDERDALE – The Cardinal Gibbons boys basketball team looks to be shaping up toward another playoff run.
Saturday at the I Have a Dream MLK Challenge at Somerset Prep, the Chiefs used a 20-11 fourth quarter run to defeat Miami Country Day 71-61 on Monday at Somerset Prep.
“Country Day shoots the ball really well,” said Cardinal Gibbons coach Bill Mallon. “They made some threes, and we stayed with it and made a run to get back into the game.
We had a real hard practice the other day and I think today we showed up. I’m happy right now.”
Coach Mallon typically uses six players in rotation and said on any given night they are capable of scoring 20 points.
On Monday, Justus Dylan-Herbert scored a team high 17 points, while A.J. Ambrose and Evan Wyche each contributed 15 points to lead the Chiefs.
M.J. Perrier added 13 points and Tao Schreiber finished with 12 points.
Chaim Galbut led the Spartans (15-4) with 17 points. Fernando Romero added 14 points.
NORTH BROWARD PREP 66, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 64: Max Gressle made a pair of free throws with three seconds left in regulation as the Eagles snapped the Raiders 15-game winning streak.
The Eagles victory was the second straight over Aquinas, winning last year’s meeting 55-51.
Ryan Baxley led North Broward (10-11) with 15 points. Jayden Smith added 13 points, while Luigi Borio and San Cano each had 12 points.
Dwayne Wimbley Jr. scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the first quarter for Aquinas (16-2). Clarence Westbrook Jr. and Kellson Sandi each finished with 15 points.
CHAMINADE-MADONNA 66, THE ROCK 55: Jasen Lopez scored 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to lead Chaminade (15-4).
Isaac Mothersill added 16 points and Giuliani Blaise had 15 points.
Evan Sterck had 15 points and Isaac Jacobs 12 points for The Rock (15-6).
TAMPA NORTH PREP 54, MIRAMAR 42: Toni Bryant, a 6-9 junior power forward, had a game-high 22 points to lead the Titans (16-6).
Caleb Sanders added 12 points, 10 coming in the first half.
The Patriots (14-7) were led by Martel Smith with 14 points and Siah Blot with 13 points.
SOUTH PLANTATION 65, TARAVELLA 56: Lathan Coleman scored a team-high 20 points and Travis Chin scored 17 points to lead the Paladins (16-6).
The Trojans (9-9) were led by Nick Florea, who had five 3-pointers for a game-high 27 points.
Santana Henderson added 10 points.
MIAMI TRU NORTH 73, PLANTATION 64: The Titans (11-10) were led by Lloyd Swan with a game-high 25 points. Ryan Rodriguez finished with 16 points, while Quincy Douby added 14 points.
Jabari Washington and Sahmaj Alcime each had 21 points for the Colonels (7-11).
CYPRESS BAY 61, CORAL GABLES 53: Lucas Almonte led the Lightning (12-8) with a team-high 19 points. Christian Leone added 10 points.
The Cavaliers (8-10) were led by Gael Chueng with 13 points and Marco Molinet with 10 points.
FORT PIERCE CENTRAL 64, SOMERSET ACADEMY 56: Joseph Gayle led the Cobras (11-7) with a game-high 22 points. Christian Maxon added 19 points in the win.
Christian Smith scored 19 points on the Panthers (12-9) loss. Jahlon Blain added 11 points.
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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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