Columbus basketball dominates Deerfield to continue quest for second state title in a row
Columbus defenders were a dense forest for Deerfield Beach, with tree-tall foes denying shot after shot en route to a 71-43 win in the Region 4-7A Final on Friday at FIU’s Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
Rampant rim protection, paired with phenomenal all-around play from forward Cameron Boozer, punched the Explorers’ ticket back to state. The Explorers, who won their first-ever state title in 2022, are now two wins shy of a second consecutive crown.
Columbus (24-4), ranked No. 10 in the nation, will face Orlando Colonial (24-6) in the state semifinals next Friday in Lakeland at 12:30 p.m.
“I expect to win,” Boozer said. “We went to Lakeland and won last year. I expect two rings. it shows how hard we work. Winning one time was crazy, but winning two would show a lot of discipline and dedication for the game.”
Boozer, the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2025, totaled 19 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and eight blocks for the Explorers. His twin brother Cayden chipped in 13 points. Garyn Bess and Kevin Noriega scored 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Jakwon Morris scored a game-high 21 points for the Bucks (24-5).
The Bucks, who appeared in their first regional final since 2018, didn’t score a point through the game’s first five minutes. Boozer and the Explorers zone defense forced ugly shots when they weren’t slamming the basketball back to the floor or into the crowd.
But the Explorers offense didn’t wake up until later. Columbus carried a 9-6 edge into the second quarter and led 21-11 at halftime.
“We made some adjustments and felt like we saw where we could get more,” Explorers coach Andrew Moran said. “We settled in and explained it at halftime and they really executed down the stretch.”
The Explorers outscored the Bucks 17-12 in the third before erupting for a 33-point fourth quarter.
“This could have been our last game,” Cameron Boozer said. “You want to give it all at the end of the day. The last 16 minutes we came out with a lot of energy. Our fans hyped us up.”
Bess scored 14 of his 15 points over the final 16 minutes. Noriega scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
The winner of the Columbus-Colonial matchup will meet Winter Haven or Oak Ridge in the 7A state final.
“We’ve had some ups and downs this season,” Cayden Boozer said. “We lost our first game and lost districts, but we just came together and have just gotten better. I’m so happy to be back.”
MORE REGIONAL FINALS
4-3A - Miami Riviera Prep 56, Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 54: The Bulldogs erased a 38-20 deficit in the first half thanks to Dante Allen who scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half including a game-winner with three seconds remaining. Riviera Prep (24-6) advanced to its third state final four in five years and will play Tampa Catholic at noon on Wednesday in a Class 3A state semifinal in Lakeland.
4-4A - Mater Lakes 58, North Broward Prep 53: Desmond McIntosh, Anthony Knowles and Ian Pascal each had 11 points to help the Bears (27-3) secure their first-ever trip to the state final four. Mater Lakes will face St. Petersburg Gibbs at 10 a.m. on Thursday in a Class 4A state semifinal in Lakeland. Knowles also had eight rebounds and four assists.
4-2A - Weston Sagemont 71, Miami Dade Christian 51: The Lions (27-4) advance to the state final four where they will face Jacksonville North Florida Educational on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Lakeland in a Class 2A state semifinal.
4-6A: Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 62, Pembroke Pines Charter 53
4-5A: Miami Belen Jesuit 70, Miami Norland 58
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 10:19 PM.