St. Thomas Aquinas ends BCAA Big 8 girls’ basketball drought with victory over Dillard
The fourth time was the charm.
Nearly a year after Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas’ girls basketball team finally reached the pinnacle, winning its first state championship, the Raiders scored another breakthrough triumph at the Broward County level that had long eluded them.
Led by senior Jada Green’s 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals, Aquinas defeated Fort Lauderdale Dillard 65-51 on Saturday night at the South Plantation High gym to secure the school’s first BCAA Big 8 tournament title.
The Raiders (20-4) ended a frustrating three-year streak of losing in the tournament final, which included a setback in 2019 against the Panthers (18-7).
“I’m really proud of our girls for staying resilient for 32 minutes,” Aquinas coach Oliver Berens said. “It means a lot after being the runner-up three years in a row. It’s a great feat and we just have to continue to get better from it as we move on to districts and regionals.”
Aquinas, the reigning Class 6A champs, beat Dillard for the second time in the past 11 days and for the fifth time in the past six meetings between the neighborhood rivals by double-digits.
Junior guard Karina Gordon was selected as the Marcia Pinder Big 8 tournament MVP. The award is named in honor of Pinder, the late, legendary Dillard coach who passed away this past June. Pinder led Dillard to 10 state championships.
Senior Breanna Gustave, who totaled seven points and six rebounds, and junior Alancia Ramsey, who scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, each made the All-Tournament team.
Markyhia Davis, the lone senior on Dillard’s roster, and eighth-grader Teriyah McFadden made the All-Tournament team for the Panthers.
Dillard kept the game close for a quarter before Aquinas took control led by Green and Maya Williams, who helped the Raiders score the first 13 points of the second quarter. Aquinas led by 11 or more points the rest of the game as its defense kept Dillard at bay.
“Losing three years in a row just fueled us,” said Green, who experienced all three of the Raiders’ previous losses in the BCAA Big 8 finals. “We just pressured with our hands and with our height advantage, we knew we just had to use our length and our height and our speed.”
Aquinas, ranked No. 1 in Class 6A and fifth overall in the state by MaxPreps, will enter next week’s District 14-6A tournament as the top seed and host either Boyd Anderson or Piper on Wednesday night in the semifinal round. Dillard is the third seed in the district, will face Nova in the first round Tuesday, and could end up playing Aquinas again if both teams reach Friday’s final. The Panthers would have to beat either Blanche Ely or Plantation in Wednesday’s semifinals, however.
