St. Thomas Aquinas finally has its basketball team intact, and it's starting to show.

Aquinas pulled off one of its biggest victories by defeating defending Class 6A state champion Norland 70-44 in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Classic at Boyd Anderson on Saturday night.

Aquinas outrebounded Norland 36-19. Aquinas dominated on the offensive glass, getting three or four shots per possession, especially in the second half, when Dezmen Southward helped Aquinas pull away after it led 32-27 at halftime.

''[Norland] lost a lot of guys from last year,'' Southward said. ``We just wanted to come out and play hard. If we play hard, we can play with anybody. It makes a big difference. We've got a lot of skill guys on this team. The football guys bring mental toughness and physical toughness on the court. That helps a lot.''

It was Norland's worst loss under coach Lawton Williams III, whose team has won two of the past three Class 6A state titles behind its physical play.

Leading 45-34 going into the fourth quarter, Southward took over. He hit the glass hard, getting putbacks that took the wind out of Norland's sails. He got seven of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, and he finished with 10 rebounds. Danny Munoz led Aquinas with 17 points.

''If he gives us energy on the boards, I don't need him to score,'' St. Thomas coach Steve Strand said. ``I got a lot of other guys who can do it.''

Southward is one of four football players Strand was missing until the Kreul Classic. Strand said their presence helped to increase the team's intensity and toughness.

''You know, since we've gotten our football guys, we've gotten more depth and are able to keep guys fresher,'' Strand said. ``I thought in the second half, we had more freshness than they did, and we have a senior team, so no one is going to pressure us too much.''

It was never more apparent than Saturday night.

''We've been talking about toughness for six months, and the football guys, obviously they bring toughness. We have a chance,'' Strand said.

Norland (10-4): C. Roberts 2, Mincy 8, Jackson 8, Lynch 5, Brown 1, A. Roberts 7, Clarke 4, Baynham 9. St. Thomas (11-6): Munoz 17, Southward 15, O'Sullivan 15, Gaeta 2, Holmes 9, Zavertnik 6, Johnson 1. Half: STA 32-27. Three-Pointers: Munoz, O'Sullivan 2, Mincy, A. Roberts 2, Lynch. Rebounds: Southward 10. Assists: Munoz 3. Steals: Mincy 5. Blocks: Baynham, Delerme 2. Technical Fouls: Bailey.

• Miramar 66, Palmetto 47: Xavier Martin had 21 points for Miramar, which led 13-4 after the first quarter in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Classic.

''The biggest thing is, we wanted to make them uncomfortable trying to run anything,'' Miramar coach Kenneth Kelly said. ``We wanted to make sure every shot they took was contested and everything they did was going to be a struggled. We didn't shoot the ball well, so we had to make up for it defensively.''

Miramar's defense held Palmetto's top player, Tim Hardaway Jr., to eight points.

''The biggest thing was, we were trying to change defenders on him to make it as difficult as possible on him because when he gets in a rhythm, it becomes a much better game,'' Kelly said.

Miramar led by 11 points at halftime. In the third quarter, Martin had 11 points to help Miramar extend its lead to 49-30.

''He's super-fast,'' Kelly said of Martin. ``He's strong. He finishes around the rim. The good part is, he just disrupts the other person's point guard so much.''

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