At a time in the season when victories seem to take a backseat to growth and maturity, Nova's victory over Miami High in girls' basketball Saturday showed coach Jason Hively how much further his team has to go -- not how good it already is.

Led by 16 points each from Tonya Aaron and Dominique Jackson, Nova built a double-digit lead going into halftime on the way to a 51-40 victory at Miami Dade College.

But Nova (10-1) has higher aspirations than a first-round victory at the Junior Orange Bowl Classic. So if it wants to avenge a regional semifinal loss to Barron Collier in last year's playoffs, Hively believes his team must aspire to a much higher level of maturity.

And after losing two top-tier players, Jasmine Bradley and Jahkerria Harvey, to graduation, that concept is greatly magnified.

''I think [Saturday] we didn't make a commitment to defense like we needed to in order to be successful,'' said Hively, whose team will face Lake Mary in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Monday. ``We didn't play our best game [Saturday], but hopefully in the semis we start playing well.

``We have to be ready to play every night -- every quarter, every possession.''

Aaron's four three-pointers came in the first half, when Nova pulled down nine offensive rebounds to take a 27-15 lead going into the third quarter.

Nova then ballooned its advantage to 20 at the 5:30 mark of the third quarter after starting the second half on a 6-0 run.

But by the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter, it let Miami High (8-2) cut its lead to eight before finally pulling away.

Considering Nova can't get away with a defensive lapse like that in February and March, Hively isn't content with where his team stands.

''I see a team that has the ability to play well when we're determined and focused, but we have to be that every night,'' he said.

``We're just trying to preach a total team effort in order to get the job done.''

SOUTH BROWARD ROLLS

Asking four new starters to lead a defending state champion such as South Broward is never an easy task.

But when you have juniors such as Krystal Saunders and Alicia DeVaughn, the trials that come with featuring a freshman backcourt all of a sudden don't look so grim.

Such was the case in the Bulldogs' first-round game Saturday.

Saunders scored 26 points and DeVaughn dominated the glass with 18 rebounds as South Broward rolled to a 58-48 victory over Coral Reef.

The Bulldogs (10-1) advanced to a semifinal game against North Miami Beach (9-4) at 3:30 p.m. Monday.

''We're young, but we're gaining some good experience,'' said assistant coach Richard Walker, whose team is fresh off winning the Hawk Kreul Classic at Coral Springs. ``We're just looking for some leadership right now.''

Early on, that leadership came from Saunders, who scored 16 first-half points to help South Broward build a 17-point halftime advantage with a 14-0 run to close out the second quarter.

But Coral Reef stayed in it.

The Barracudas started the second half with a 7-0 spurt and, thanks to an effective 1-3-1 zone that made South Broward rely on the three-point shot, forced the Bulldogs to go just 3 for 17 from the field in the third quarter to make it an eight-point game going into the final eight minutes.

But South Broward got it together in the fourth, building a 15-point lead within the final four minutes and finally taking the Barracudas out of it.

BOYS' BASKETBALL

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