Aquinas’ boys’ basketball shows off depth in rout of Chaminade to win first BCAA title
St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball coach Julius Sandi wants every player on his team to be an asset to winning.
His son, Drake Sandi, can attest to that.
“It’s what Coach hangs his hat on,” Drake Sandi said. “If everyone eats, no one will be able to stop us. We’ll be good in every game. Everyone is happy for everyone’s success.”
Anyone watching the Raiders’ performance on Saturday night against Chaminade-Madonna witnessed how well this philosophy is working for them this season.
Led by Sandi’s 20 points, Aquinas dominated the Lions en route to a 70-44 victory in the BCAA Big 8 tournament final at Fort Lauderdale High School.
Sandi, who was named the tournament’s MVP, was one of three players who scored in double figures for St. Thomas and four players who scored at least nine points.
The Raiders (23-2), who entered the week as the top-ranked team in Class 6A and third overall in the state per the Florida High School Athletic Association’s power rankings, won their first BCAA championship.
It was Aquinas’ first appearance in the final since 2002, ending a long drought in the event.
Next, the Raiders hope to end another long drought if they can secure their first state championship since 2001.
“We came in here and as a team we wanted to make history,” Drake Sandi said. “We all did it together and worked hard together. Our coaching staff pushed us so we knew what to do.”
Chaminade-Madonna (20-5) made its first appearance in a BCAA final and hung tough with Aquinas for a little over a quarter thanks to junior guard Jasen Lopez’s 22 points and seven rebounds.
Lopez, who transferred from True North and starred at wide receiver on Chaminade’s state championship football team this past fall, has elevated the Lions’ basketball team to contender status in Class 2A.
But while the Lions got most of their offense from Lopez’s sharp shooting and an additional 10 points from senior Isaac Mothersill, the Raiders drew theirs from several sources.
“It’s something we strive for all the time,” Julius Sandi said. “We’ve had it multiple times this year. If we do that, we’re hard to beat. We try to make it where every guy in the program is an asset. The depth is beautiful.”
Dwayne Wimbley Jr. made his presence felt inside and on the perimeter with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Zane Elliott had nine points and seven rebounds.
Sophomore Clarence Westbrook Jr. also had 11 points.
“Sharing the basketball and just trying to play better than our last game,” Julius Sandi said. “Everything today was about us and trying to be better as a program and we’re very happy to come out on top against a great program like Chaminade.
“We had a thorough game plan and we decided we weren’t going to let two guys beat us basically. He’s a great player and hard to stop.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM.
