Calvary Christian flexes muscle as it cruises to back-to-back state titles
Almost every time a Calvary Christian player dunked or converted a layup and drew a foul in the paint on Wednesday night, they flexed their muscles for all to see.
The Eagles haven’t needed a physical gesture to prove to everyone this season just what a national powerhouse they have become.
For the second season in a row, Calvary Christian finished a season ranked among the nation’s best boys’ basketball teams.
And for the second season in a row, the Eagles were state champions following an 81-57 dismantling of The Villages Charter on Wednesday night in the Class 3A state title game at UNF Arena.
“Winning it for a second time and with a new team that people said couldn’t get it done feels great,” Calvary Christian junior Cayden Daughtry said.
The Eagles (24-1) finished with only one loss for the second consecutive season after going 22-1 last season and finishing with a No. 5 national ranking.
Calvary Christian lost McDonald’s All-American Shon Abaev off that team after he graduated.
They then lost FSU commit and 6-7 senior forward Collin Paul after only one game this season to an ACL injury.
Led by Daughtry, a four-star prospect and junior guard, the Eagles didn’t take a step back.
In fact, they took steps forward.
Calvary is ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps.
They scored a mercy-rule victory over The Villages, a team it went down-to-the-wire with in last year’s 3A final.
And next, the Eagles will compete in The Throne National Championship from March 19-21 in East Rutherford, N.J. as they hope to build their case to be crowned national champions. Calvary Christian is the top seed in an eight-team bracket, which also includes nationally-ranked Miami Columbus, who won a national championship last season at Chipotle Nationals.
Calvary could also receive an invitation to compete in this year’s Chipotle Nationals, which will be held April 1-4 in Fishers, Indiana.
“The amount of work we put into this paid off,” Daughtry said. “We just came in here and we knew we were playing for states but we’re out for even more than that. We had something to prove.”
Daughtry, a 6-foot, 155-pound point guard who has yet to commit, but has multiple D-I offers, showed off his complete skill set in leading the Eagles to the win.
Daughtry finished with 30 points on a staggering 11-for-16 shooting performance that included 5-for-8 from 3-point range. He also had a game-high seven assists and a game-high four steals, as well as four rebounds and a blocked shot.
“We’ve played in so many games the last few years, I just told them to breathe and have fun,” Calvary Christian coach Cilk McSweeney said. “(Daughtry) is going to go down as one of the best players in Calvary history. I’m so proud of him.”
Daughtry may lead the way for Calvary, but the Eagles showed off their depth on Wednesday night.
Senior forward Aiden Bolden was dominant in the paint, finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds. Senior wing Kenneth Francis Jr. had 19 points and five assists as well. And senior guard Jacob Zhu finished with nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
At one point in the third quarter, Calvary Christian put together a 16-2 run, during which it had four consecutive dunks on fast break scores.
Calvary Christian never trailed, and prompted the 35-point mercy rule after a layup by Bolden gave it a 77-41 lead with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter.
“I tell everybody that the ‘Calvary Way’ is building a championship culture every day,” McSweeney said. “If we don’t put our foot on people’s necks, they’re going to think they can hang with us. We knew how good we were this year, and we just have to dominate and show people how great we are. And I hope that sends a message to the entire country.”
