St. Thomas Aquinas erases late deficit, secures first boys’ hoops state title since 2001
St. Thomas Aquinas felt the pressure mounting.
But that was nothing new for the Raiders.
At a school known for its vast athletic success in multiple sports, Aquinas’ boys’ basketball team had felt the pressure of expectation to end the program’s long state championship drought all season.
So when the Raiders fell behind by 16 points in the Class 6A state championship game on Saturday night at the RP Funding Center, there was only one thing to do.
“We did what we had to do,” Aquinas sophomore guard KJ Sandi said. “It was win it or nothing. We had to stay calm, stay ready, stay locked in or it wouldn’t have worked.”
But it did and Aquinas erased that deficit with an impressive second-half comeback to secure a 71-63 win over Orlando Evans and clinch its first state championship since 2001 and second ever.
Raiders coach Julius Sandi even acknowledged after the game that his team faced the pressure of not just their own school’s history but South Florida as well.
Aquinas’ victory sealed a historic state tournament for Broward and Miami-Dade Counties as teams from South Florida secured all seven possible state championships for the first time since the FHSAA expanded to four or more classes. The last sweep by Dade and Broward teams of the available classes came in 1946 when there were only three.
“We created a tough schedule knowing it would prepare us for this moment to accomplish what we did today. We had a great year and built the pressure,” Sandi said. “Every team from South Florida had won a state championship and we had to make sure we got the sweep. We knew we had to be calm and do what we do.”
Aquinas (30-2) finished the season on a 14-game winning streak and outscored Evans 41-22 in the second half after overcoming its largest deficit of the postseason.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Sandi said. “We made history. This is the first time (for Aquinas) in a minute.”
Aquinas trailed 49-33 with 4:53 left in the third quarter after a layup by Arosco Dubois, who led Evans (25-7) with a game-high 31 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raiders began chipping away and trimmed the deficit to seven by the end of the third quarter. Aquinas then outscored Evans 22-7 in the final period.
Sandi keyed the comeback, scoring six of his seven points on back-to-back three-pointers, which leveled the game at 60 with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter. His brother, DJ, who finished with 13 points, then scored back-to-back layups to put the Raiders ahead 64-60 with 2:25 left.
Aquinas’ defense wouldn’t let Evans retaliate, led by Nate Accius, who finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and made two key steals during the late run.
Dwayne Wimbley Jr., who scored a team-high 22 points and collected a team-high 11 rebounds, converted a three-point play off an assist from Zane Elliott to give the Raiders the cushion they needed to close out the game.
“It’s the best feeling ever because this is exactly what I came here to do,” said Wimbley Jr., who transferred to Aquinas from Westminster Academy before the season. “This was our goal from the beginning and we did it. We’ve been in that situation, I don’t know how many times. That just shows the determination these guys have. I love these boys. Almost every tournament we’ve been in, we’ve been down. It shows you how bad we wanted it.”
For the Sandi siblings and their father, the victory was a milestone on a program-building road that began when Julius Sandi became Aquinas’ head coach in 2020. The Raiders have gone 112-30 since then, inching closer to a state title until this season’s breakthrough.
“I did it with a bunch of sons. I did it with 15 sons,” Julius Sandi said. “That’s who I do it for, not just the two that are mine. Those kids trusted me and believed and it’s amazing. This feeling right here is crazy. We’re champions. 30-2.”
Aquinas opened the game, shooting a dismal 3 for 14, which led to a 17-4 deficit with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. The Raiders didn’t recover from Evans’ opening salvo until after halftime when its defensive pressure began to flip the momentum and force the Trojans into tougher shots. Evans shot 7 for 28 in the second half after going 13 for 23 in the first half.
“We knew we couldn’t get it all back in one possession,” Sandi said. “We can’t let our offense dictate how we play defense. And we came out more aggressive. Our guys were resilient and I’ve got a tough bunch of kids. We’re in the history books forever.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 10:19 AM.
