Calvary Christian reaches regional final after comfortable win over North Broward Prep

Calvary Christian basketball coach Cilk McSweeney noticed while watching game film that his defense did not do a good enough job of closing down North Broward Prep’s shooters the last time they met.

Those issues were corrected on Tuesday, with a smothering defense paving the way for a comfortable trip to a championship game.

Calvary Christian, ranked No. 3 in the nation by MaxPreps, advanced to the Region 4-4A final after defeating North Broward Prep, 53-41, in a lively sold-out affair in its home gym. The Eagles (21-2) will next host Mater Lakes on Friday at 7 p.m. in the regional final.

The home side won the battle of the Eagles thanks in large part to an intense defensive effort, with North Broward Prep taking the lead just once in the game.

“I believe defense won this for us tonight,” McSweeney said. “They had 26 points when it really mattered. They finished with 41, but we were able to stop them in every type of way.”

The only time North Broward Prep (27-3) jumped in front on the scoreboard was very early on in the second quarter when a contested shot from Guilherme Tesch gave the visiting side an 11-10 lead.

“Their defensive intensity was incredible,” said North Broward Prep coach Casey Wohlleb, whose team also suffered a 51-49 loss to Calvary Christian earlier this month.

While Calvary’s defense played well, so too did junior guard Marvel Allen on offense. He scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half, including the game’s first score with a drive into the lane.

“We expect that out of him,” McSweeney said. “Obviously, he is highly-ranked and he is good, but we expect him to make shots in big moments. That is what he does well, and he has done that all year for us.

“He made some shots at the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter that kind of opened it up.”

Also contributing a healthy amount of points were senior forwards Gregg Glenn and Taylor Hendricks. Glenn finished with 11 while Hendricks chipped in with 10, including a pair of alley-oops that sent the fans into delirium.

For North Broward Prep, senior guard Michael Kalina led the way in scoring with 14 points.