South Miami boys roll over Norland to win second GMAC title in a row
Having suffered through the frustration of four state semifinal losses in the past six years, the South Miami boys’ basketball team appears to be setting itself up for another run at Lakeland.
That became clear on Thursday night as the Cobras dominated Norland from the opening whistle to the final tick of the clock, cruising to a 69-57 win over the Vikings in a GMAC championship game at South Miami High School that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicates.
It marked South Miami’s second GMAC title in a row and third in the past four years. Norland, which was trying to win its first title since 2016, fell to 16-9.
If the Vikings had any thoughts of an upset, they disappeared quickly as junior guard Arturo Dean and Brandon Sanders proved to be virtually unstoppable all night.
Dean scored more than half of his team’s points in the first half (21) and led all scorers in the game with 28. Sanders had only six points, but the lanky 6-9 center with long arms was virtually a human flyswatter as he dominated in the paint with nine blocked shots, seven in the first half alone.
Even when he didn’t block a shot, he altered them as the Vikings were virtually helpless trying to work the ball inside all game.
“We just wanted to come out and dominate tonight,” said Sanders, who also led all rebounders with 10 and who has more than a dozen Division I offers but has yet to commit. “We’ve been getting up to state all these years and not getting it done and this is my last year, so I’m hoping we can bring it home this time.”
The biggest moment of the night and showed just how well the two work together came midway through the third quarter when Dean had a midcourt steal and easy layup. But when he spotted Sanders coming behind him, he bounced the ball off the backboard and Sanders slammed down a thunderous dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
“I was about to lay it in and then I saw Brandon coming from behind so just wanted to give one up for him,” Dean said. “He deserved it the way he was playing D out there. We work really well together, and we need to keep doing that if we want to try and make another run to state.”
The Cobras (20-4) led 39-22 at the break and the lead ballooned to as much as 64-37 before South Miami coach Robert Doctor started emptying the bench at the start of the fourth.
As frustrating as it has been for Doctor and his kids in Lakeland over the year, just making it this year might be a major accomplishment. That’s because with all of the reclassifying that took place, South Miami (now in 6A) is in the same region with Mater Academy, Doral, North Miami and Broward powers Blanche Ely and Dillard. All six of those teams were in the regional finals a year ago.
“It’s going to be a tough road to get there this year,” Doctor said. “But I would rather go through a tough gauntlet like that and earn our way up there than any kind of an easy path.”
SM – Dean 28, Pujols 11, Colton 8, Sanders 6, Ferrell 6, Miller 4, Middlebrooks 4, Britton 2. NOR – Akinwole 14, Bush 14, Smith 13, Siggers 7, Johnson 6, Joseph 3. Half: SM 39-22. 3-pointers: Dean 3, Colton 2, Pujols, Middlebrooks, Smith, Siggers, Joseph. Rebounds: Sanders 10. Assists: Miller 4. Blocks: Sanders 9
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
▪ Palmer Trinity 48, Coral Shores 28: PT – A. Waldman 14, Azcuy 8, James 6, Fumagalli 6, Thomas 5. Half: PT 27-19. 3-pointers: Castillo 2, Bradman, Rodriguez. Rebounds: A. Waldman 7. Steals: A. Waldman 4. Assists: McCray 3, Robertson 3. PT: 12-7
▪ Ransom Everglades 75, International Studies 43: RE: 22-2.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
▪ Krop 78, Miramar 57: KR – Weingard 20, Michel 14, B. Knowles 12, Mills 10, Hornstein 10, Magana 6, Walker 6. 3-pointers: Weingard 2, Hornstein 2.
BOYS’ SOCCER
▪ District 16-4A semifinal: Ransom Everglades 1, Palmer Trinity 0.
▪ District 16-6A semifinal: Miami Beach 3, South Miami 1: Ethan Sogocia 2 goals, William Garzon 1 goal, Daniel Granda 2 assists. MB: 12-5.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
▪ District 16-6A championship: TERRA 8, Killian 0: Megan Garriga and Brianna Gonzalez 3 goals each and 1 assist each. Dani Stanfield 2 goals, 2 assists. Madisen Maysonet, Natasha Sequeira and Alexandra Ortega 1 assist each.
MRSA INFECTION HITS
BROWARD SCHOOLS
Broward County Public Schools had to sanitize every high school’s gym and locker room after learning multiple student athletes had contracted MRSA, a staph bacteria that is often resistant to antibiotics.
The seven schools were Cooper City, Taravella, Miramar, Monarch, Nova, West Broward and Western, according to multiple reports.
School district spokesperson Kathy Koch said Tuesday that “several student wrestlers” were suspected of having been infected. All wrestling matches and basketball games last Friday as well as weekend practices were postponed.
“The District immediately began implementing measures to clean equipment, weight rooms, locker rooms including shower areas, gymnasiums and wrestling areas at all high schools,” Koch wrote in an email.
Although it’s unclear where the infection originated or how many students were affected, the outbreak appears to have started after a recent wrestling match involving seven schools. The district notified parents who had children who participated in that match.
According to the Mayo Clinic, when MRSA occurs in healthy people, it begins as a painful skin boil. As it is spread by skin-to-skin contact, it often affects wrestlers.
Koch recommended that parents consult a physician to verify that their child does not have a staph infection.
Although it can be resistant to several antibiotics, MRSA is a treatable, bacterial infection usually found on the skin, according to the district letter sent to parents. It can spread through skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces, like towels, clothing or razors.
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