By Gary Curreri

And just like that, Blanche Ely’s hopes for a boys’ basketball three-peat were squashed by a team that had its number all season. The Blanche Ely boys’ basketball team dropped a 61-54 decision in the Class 7A regional semifinal to host Boyd Anderson on Tuesday night, and, with it, vanished a spot in history.

Blanche Ely (21-5), which last season became the first boys’ basketball team to win back-to-back titles as it joined Dillard (2000-03) and Pine Crest (2008-09). They came up short in their bid to become the 12th in state history to win three consecutive titles.

Cobras’ guard Pitchon Pierre sank eight free throws in the fourth quarter as host Boyd Anderson (24-5) held off a late charge by the two-time defending Class 7A state champion to pull out the win. Pierre finished with 12 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds.

Blanche Ely (21-5), which had won 11 consecutive playoff games, closed to within two points at 45-43 with 6:24 left in the game, but struggled at the line and fell for the fourth consecutive time in five meetings against Boyd Anderson this season. The Cobras were 19 of 24 from the line, while Ely converted just 14 of 24 from the charity stripe.

“It was a well-fought game, and what killed us was we lost it at the free throw line,” said Tigers coach Melvin Randall. “We missed double digits at the line.

“You have to get to the line and knock them down and we didn’t. That was an important factor in the game. We have been shooting like that off and on the entire season. We had a couple of games this season where we shot 70-plus percent, but we made it hard in games this year by missing what we did at the line.”

Boyd Anderson’s Rodney Simeon had 17 points, while Nick Eubanks added 14 points and eight rebounds. Lance Tejada led Blanche Ely with 18 points, while Therell Gosier and Javon Heastie each had 11.

Boyd Anderson jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the first quarter as Simeon scored seven of his team-high 17 points and Dondre Duffus hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining in the period.

Blanche Ely battled back to take a 15-14 lead as it scored the first four points of the second quarter on two free throws by Javon Heastie and a basket off a steal by Gosier.

The host Cobras then went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good at 22-15 on two free throws by Diondre Wilson. Boyd Anderson led 27-21 at halftime and extended the advantage to 29-21 on a rebound and layup by Nick Eubanks. Tejada then got hot as he made a free throw and a short jumper and found Gosier cutting to the basket for a layup to trim the lead to 26-29 with six minutes left in the third quarter.

The Tigers were also dealt a blow in the third quarter when Gosier was whistled for two fouls in a 38-second span and had to sit with four fouls and Boyd Anderson leading 30- 28. Gosier had scored eight points, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots until then and didn’t re-enter the game until there was 3:02 remaining and the Cobras leading 51-46.

The game seesawed back and forth; however, the Tigers, which had won 11 consecutive playoff games, could get no closer than two points at 45-43 with 6:24 left.

“I am disappointed, but I am not upset or mad that we lost,” said Tigers coach Melvin Randall. “It would be selfish for me to bicker. Of course, I wanted to win; but, in looking back, I have been there six times and won five.”

By Gary Curreri

If Blanche Ely’s boys’ basketball team is to win its third consecutive Class 7A state championship, the road may lead through Lauderdale Lakes and District 14-7A rival Boyd Anderson.

Blanche Ely (18-2), the state’s third-ranked team in the latest Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC)-Source Hoops state rankings, has dropped just two games all season – both to the Cobras (17-3), who are ranked second in the state. Apopka’s Wekiva High School (19-3) holds down the top state ranking in Class 7A.

Blanche Ely opened the season with 13 consecutive wins including the prestigious Chick-Fil-A Classic in Columbia, South Carolina. Junior Therrell Gosier led his team to the Chick-Fil-A Classic II Championship with 24 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. The Tigers won 81-75 in overtime over South Pointe (Rock Hill, SC).

Less than a week later, Blanche Ely dropped its first contest of the year to Boyd Anderson in overtime at the D-Hop Classic at Palm Beach Lakes High School. The Cobras rallied from a 63-59 deficit with 49 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime. That loss ended a Blanche Ely streak of 46 wins in a row against Broward County opponents and 52 wins in a row against Florida teams.

“There were some great teams in the D-Hop with Boyd Anderson, and Palm Beach Lakes in our region,” said Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall. “I think there are some pretty good teams in Central Florida, but the best teams reside down here in South Florida.”

The state rankings bear that out with Palm Beach Lakes (16-5) fifth in the poll and Dwyer (18-5) sixth in the FABC-Source Hoops state rankings.

Just three weeks later, Boyd Anderson handed the Tigers its second loss of the season as it battled back from a ninepoint deficit in the third quarter to pull out a 65-57 victory.

Randall said he expects his team to improve for the stretch run and credited the leadership of seniors Lance Tejada II and Joshua Floyd, in addition to Gozier.

“Their leadership is helping raise these young ones to William Nightingale get to where we need to be,” said Randall, whose team defeated Boyd Anderson, 78- 75, in overtime on Nov. 30. “I think they are doing a tremendous job.”

Floyd was at Westminster Academy last year, while Javon Heastie transferred in from Dillard. Boyd Anderson has two transfers of its own in Rodney Simeon from Miami Central and Dondre Duffus from Wellington High School.

Both teams were competing in the BCAA Big 8 tournament where Blanche Ely is the defending champion. Results of Wednesday night’s games were unavailable at press time. The District playoffs begin next week.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach High boys’ basketball coach Kenny Brown believes this could be the best team he has had in his five years at the school.

“I think this year’s team compares favorably to the teams we’ve had in the past,” said Brown, whose team defeated Cypress Bay, 54-34, behind Marcus Owens’ game-high 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in the regional semifinal on Tuesday night. “I think this year’s team is deeper. We have a sense of urgency because these guys are seniors. Many of them have been on varsity for all four years. It’s been a long time coming. They deserve what they can get.”

The Bucks (27-4) are the top-ranked Class 8A team in the state and are hoping to reach the state final four. The team lost in the regional final last year to Spanish River, 67-61. Until then, Deerfield Beach hadn’t reached the state series since 2004.

“It hurt immensely,” said Brown, whose team will host Jupiter on Saturday night in the regional final. “It hurt a lot, but at the same time, we used it as a learning experience of what it takes to get to where we want to get to. We know this is a small stepping stone to where we are trying to get. I can always reference back to last year and say if you don’t like that feeling, make sure you do everything you need to do.”

The Bucks are hopeful of winning a state title they first won in 1997.

They won again in 1999 under then coach Melvin Randall, who now coaches at Blanche Ely and led the Tigers to the Class 7A championship last season.

Two of Deerfield Beach’s four losses this season were to Blanche Ely, another was a loss to Sagemont and the fourth was a 5-point defeat to Ballard (KY) in the Kingdom of the Sun holiday tournament in Ocala.

“This is fun, but we want more,” said senior guard Terence Johnson, who leads the team with 17.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. “We want the state championship. The seniors know this is our last year so we are more hungry because we want to go out on top. There isn’t really any pressure. We know we are the favorites and we don’t want to let anybody down, especially ourselves so we are going to try and win it all.”

The Bucks have also received solid performances this season from senior guard Owens (16.1 points, 6.2 RB), senior center/ power forward Joshua Huntley (7.2 points, 7.8 RB), junior guard Vanderbilt Carpenter (9.4 points, 6.1 assists) and senior small forward Javaris Jenkins (9.4 points, 7.3 RB).

“I think we are good enough to be a state championship team,” Owens said. “We just have to play hard and have no let ups. We have to play 32 minutes of Bucks basketball.”

Brown said playing a team like Blanche Ely this season is a benefit.

“Those games definitely helped us down the road,” Brown said. “The competition level … the intensity … the amount of focus you need the entire game. There was no let up.”

Brown smiled when asked if they could win a state championship. “Stay tuned!” he said.

By Gary Curreri

Highlands Christian Academy’s boys and girls’ elementary school teams swept through the South Atlantic Coast Conference (SACC) and captured the championships in their respective divisions. Sydney Blackburn scored eight points for the Knights, who defeated Zion Lutheran in the championship game, 22- 14, and finished the year with a record of 4-3.

Jason Thomforhde scored 15, while Ben Middlebrooks added 13 for Highlands Christian Academy, which defeated Coral Springs Christian in the championship game, 45-35. The Knights defeated Zion Lutheran in the semifinal, 33- 16, to advance to the final. Highlands Christian finished the season at 11-2.

The South Atlantic Coast Conference is composed of six teams – including Highlands Christian, Zion Lutheran, Coral Springs Christian, Sheridan Hills Christian, Hollywood Christian and Westminster Academy. Not all these teams had elementary programs, but may have junior high or junior varsity divisions.

Highlands Christian Academy offers several elementary sports for the fourth and fifth graders.

In the fall, there is an elementary volleyball team and elementary soccer team. Highlands Christian also won the volleyball and soccer championships back in October.

“In the winter, we have elementary basketball for the girls and then also the boys,” said Jim Good, who is the Highlands Christian Academy Athletic Director and Boys Varsity Basketball coach. “I’m so glad to be a part of a school that supports us having an elementary athletic program. It gives the kids the opportunity to compete against other schools and enjoy all the benefits that team sports have to offer.”

By Gary Curreri

Melvin Randall believes his Blanche Ely High School boys basketball team could be the most talented he has ever had at the school.

“They can be better than last year’s team,” said Randall, whose team is the defending Class 7A champions after defeating Oak Ridge, 78-46, in last year’s state championship game. “They show little spurts of it. They have to be consistent. On paper, we have five Division 1 players on this team, but they have to play like it night in and night out. They can run the table and they can be better than last year’s team. I have to keep pushing them and motivating them.”

The host Tigers (15-1) got a game-high 27 points from senior guard Darrion Allen as it defeated Deerfield Beach, 72-60, at home before a standing-room only crowd.

Deerfield Beach (21-3) was led by forward Marcus Owens, who scored 18 points, including 10 in the first quarter as the Bucks stormed out to a 15-5 lead to start the game. Khalil Thomas scored 18 points for the Tigers and Richard Lee added nine points. Vanderbilt Carpenter tallied 16 points for the Bucks.

Getting off to slow starts in games this year has been a problem for Randall and his Tigers.

“We work so hard and they are taught and they know against any team, whether it is a strong team or the less fortunate teams, we are going to have a target on our backs, that teams are going to get up to play Ely because of the success we had last year,” said Randall, who graduated five from last year’s team. “Two were off and on starters, and we added a couple of guys (Lee, transfer from Northeast, and Lance Tejada, a Miramar transfer) who are pretty good.”

Randall said it has been a work in progress. He said he’s been trying to get everyone on the same page because of the pressing style that they like to play.

“It’s different,” Randall said. “It is like another country to them and they are beginning to understand and it is going to take some time. I gave them an expiration date in the middle of January where everybody should be on the same page. They come from a different style and a different philosophy on playing defense. We play an uptempo pressing defense rather than sitting back in a 2-3 zone.”

Senior Dallas Cameron, who committed to American University one week after his 18th birthday in September, said it has been a difficult transition.

“It is really tough to put everything together,” said the 6’ 3”, 175 lb. guard. “The team we had last year had been together for 2 to 3 years, so everyone was committed. That’s why we had so much success last year. This year, with new people coming in, they have to learn the system and defense. They have to learn the system quicker.

“We are getting there,” Cameron said. “We still have a long ways to go. We have come out flat in a lot of games. We have to pick it up because that is going to catch up to us.”

Cameron said it would be huge to win another state title.

“Nobody in Ely history has ever won back-to-back championships,” Cameron said. “There have only been three state championships in Ely history. To go back-to-back would be huge.”

By Gary Curreri

The Highlands Christian Academy boys’ basketball team had nowhere to go but up after it limped through the worst season in school history last year.

So far so good, as the Knights have already doubled their win total of a year ago. Highlands Christian entered the week at 4- 6 overall, but 0-3 in the difficult District 14-3A standings.

“It took us to January last year to get to two wins and we have two before December, so we were feeling real good,” said Highlands Christian coach Jim Good, who is in his eighth year as head coach and has already improved on last year’s 2-21 mark.

“Last year was frustrating, but going into that year, I knew what was to be expected. We knew going in that we are really a 1A school playing 3A.”

Good said his team graduated eight seniors from the team that won back-to-back district championships in 2010 and 2011.

“Last year, we had no returnees and we were basically a JV team trying to get better and trying to improve and I can honestly say that they are maturing,” said Good, who has three seniors, including two starters this year. It’s coming. It’s a process.”

The Knights opened the season with a preseason victory over Berean Christian and then a victory over Community Christian in the squad’s home opener.

They suffered back-to-back defeats in the 35th annual Highlands Christian Holiday Classic basketball tournament earlier this season.

“We have everybody back from last year,” Good said. “We graduated one senior and have seven returning. It is an inexperienced group and now this is their second year on varsity. We are startinganeighthgrader(Herman Robinson) who still has to mature. He is our point guard and putting things into perspective, heshouldbeonourmiddleschool team. We are just investing six good years in him.”

Good said the team is a tough district with Sagemont, Coral Springs Christian and Westminster Academy. He said the team is looking forward to a “featured game” against Community Christian on Dec. 22 at the American Airlines Arena. Following the game, the Knights will take in a Miami Heat game against the Utah Jazz.

“There is a lot of stuff we have to work on,” Good said. “Maybe the idea will set in that they don’t want to lose. We are going to lose games. You play sports and it is very rare that you go undefeated. I want them to work hard in practice and I want to get better.”

Simply soccer coming to town

One week after Santa Claus hits Pompano Beach, Simply Soccer will return city and hold a soccer camp from Jan. 2-4, 2013. Registration is being held at the Pompano Beach Civic Center. The camp is for boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels, who are taught a variety of soccer skills, from dribbling to shooting. There are three sessions each day ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., extended hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a Tiny Tot program kids ages 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. Campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. For more information, call the city of Pompano Parks and Recreation Dept. at 954- 786-4119 or 954-786-4111.

By Gary Curreri

For nearly three decades, Highlands Christian Academy has combined fun and instruction with outstanding results at its annual summer basketball camp.

Now, in its 27th year, Highlands Christian Academy hosted more than 100 players in two separate sessions.

The first session attracted the older students (7th through 12th graders) who met from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There were a total of 55 players.

The younger athletes (2nd through 6th graders) met from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the second session. There were 50 that week.

Jim Good, the school’s athletic director and boys’ varsity basketball coach, said a typical day included morning devotion, warm-up runs, stretches, ball handling, dribbling and Gatorade contests. Each day, a certain competition was done: 1 on 1, 2 on 2, free throw competition and hot shots competition.

“We went to lunch at Chick-fil-A and CiCi’s Pizza,” Good said. “In the afternoon, we played 5 on 5, full court games. Reg Cook started the camp back in 1985, and it is our most popular athletic camp at HCA.

Other athletic camps the school provides include cheerleading, softball, flag football, indoor soccer, volleyball and golf.

The head coaches for the two weeks of camp were Jim Good (boys varsity), Luke Still (boys’ JV), Josh Good (boys’ junior high) and Kelly Fichtner (girls’ varsity).

Several varsity athletes at the school also helped out during the second week to earn community service hours.

Soccer camps slated

Simply Soccer has two summer camps remaining in the city of Pompano. The dates are July 23-27 and August 13-17. Registration is being held at the Pompano Beach Civic Center. The soccer camp is for boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels, who will be taught a variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting. There are three sessions each day, ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (cost is $100 weekly); extended hours camp is available: from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $125 each week, and a Tiny Tot program is offered for kids ages 5 and 6 from 9 a.m.to noon for $55 weekly.

Campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. For more information, call the city of Pompano Parks and Recreation Department at 954-786- 4119 or 954-786-4111.

Men’s softball league begins

The city of Pompano Beach’s summer softball league began on July 9. The league, which plays its game at the Pompano Community Park 4-Fields Complex, offers games on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights from 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Teams with a little more experience play on Wednesday nights. All-star events such as a Home Run Derby and special prizes will be offered throughout the season. There is a fully operational concession stand.

For more information, call 954-786-4119 or visit www.leaguelineup.com/ pompano.

Pictured (L-R) (back row): Assistant Coach Joseph Harrigan, Nash Williams, Justin Nobles, Chris Judge, Brogenskee Polynice, Jephthe St Fleur, Jordan Strowbridge, Brandon Bornelus, Assistant Coach Scott Rosado, head coach Francis Bornelus; (front row): Coulton Yanulevich, Joshua Forde, Noah Rosado, Adrian Johnson, Preston Piltoff. Submitted photo.

By Gary Curreri

While the Zion Lutheran Middle School boys’ basketball team may not have come home with the gold from the recent National Lutheran Basketball Tournament in Indiana, the Lions turned heads and made some history in the process.

Eighth graders Brandon Bornelus and Brogenskee Polynice were selected to the All Tournament Team after helping the Lions to a runner-up finish in the weeklong, 32-team tournament at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Zion Lutheran was the lone boys’ school to have two members of its squad named to the All-Tournament team.

Zion Lutheran, which placed 12th in last year’s national tournament, opened this year’s event with a 50-41 victory over St. John, S. Euclid, Ohio and followed that up with three consecutive one-point victories to reach the championship game against Our Redeemer from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, where it dropped a 54-39 decision.

Francis Bornelus was the team’s head coach and was assisted by Scott Rosado and Joseph Harrigan. The coaches nicknamed the players, The Cardiac Kids, following their narrow, lastsecond victories. Bornelus hit two game-winning baskets for the Lions.

“The kids were really, really super resilient and executed late game situations pretty well,” said John Guion, the school’s director of basketball operations and the assistant athletic director.

He is also the head varsity basketball coach. The team had lost in the state finals to St. Paul of Boca Raton, 48-47, last month.

“Chris Judge was huge for us,” Guion added. “He was a kid who didn’t have more than 10 points all year in a game and he had 16 in one of the games. Chris was so impressive. He just stepped up at the right place at the right time. He was huge for us. Polynice averaged a doubledouble for us in every game and Preston Piltoff hit a key 3-pointer in just about every game.”

Zion Lutheran also defeated Pilgrim (Green Bay, Wisconsin), 33-32, Shepherd of the Hills (San Antonio, Texas), 48-47, and Salem (Orange, California), 43-42, to advance to the title game.

“Honestly going into the tournament, we weren’t sure where we stacked up,” Guion said. “We knew we had a pretty good team. We were second in the state of Florida and we knew that St. Paul (Boca Raton) was strong. As soon as we got the first win, it just snowballed from there.

“The kids treated it as a business trip,” Guion said. “It wasn’t about having fun, it was about accomplishing something.”

Guion said the team lost in the final to a better team, but said the players handled the adversity very well and showed good sportsmanship.

“It was disappointing to lose in the final initially, but when they realized how they had come a long way,” Guion said, “it was a good result. There isn’t too much to be disappointed about. They did a great job of competing.”

Guion said it bodes well for the future of Zion Lutheran. The Lions varsity team finished the season at 16-6, but suffered a first-round loss in the district tournament.

“I expect these kids to move up and help the varsity next year,” Guion said. “Those kids that moved up from last year were pretty good players and helped my team as freshmen. Hopefully, that success works its way to me.”

By Gary Curreri

Everybody loves a parade and what better way to celebrate Blanche Ely’s Class 7A boys’ basketball state championship than with a ride down victory lane on Saturday?

Blanche Ely’s boys recently punctuated a stellar season with a 78-46 victory over Orlando Oak Ridge in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship game as senior 6-ft., 6-in. star forward Clide Geffrard scored a game-high 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to power the Tigers to thier third state title in school history.

The victory gave Ely coach Melvin Randall his second state title at Ely (2006-07) and fourth overall, following two at Deerfield Beach (1997, 1999). The Tigers also won in 1993.

“The young men played very well,” Randall said. “Not taking anything away from Oak Ridge, but these young men did a very, very good job. For the seniors to go out in style like this is a plus … They deserve it because I know how hard we worked.”

It was a belated 49th birthday gift for Randall, who is 429-133 in his 20th year of coaching.

When asked to pick which team, the Class 7A No.1 Tigers or his 1999 Deerfield team (which went 34-1), was more dominant, Randall didn’t hesitate.

“You’re looking at it,” Randall said, “not just because this team won a state title. It’s the way they went about doing it, getting up Saturday mornings and hitting the beach … two-a-day practices and the intense workouts. Not saying the ’99 team didn’t do it, but the cohesiveness this team had consistently through-out made them better.”

The Tigers (30-2), winners of 18 consecutive games to close out the season, are ranked No.16 in the ESPN FAB 50 poll and have accepted an invitation to participate in the ESPNHS National High School Invitational at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, MD March 29-31.

The only blemishes on the Blanche Ely ledger are a one-point loss to ESPN FAB 50 No. 13 Bishop Gorman (NV) and 67-53 to ESPN No.14 Montverde Prep (21-3) on Dec. 30.

Geffrard, who scored 12 of his team’s 22 first-quarter points, felt he had to deliver on a promise.

“I wanted to keep my word I made in ninth grade when I told everyone we would win one before we left high school,” Geffrard said. “I guess I helped keep that word.”

The Tigers are also the third school in Broward – joining Deerfield Beach in 1999 and Dillard in 2003 – to win a state championship and win at least 30 games.

The 32-point margin of victory marked the 14th time this season the Tigers won a game by at least 30 points. It was also the 14th time the Ely defense held opponents under 50 points, including the state semifinal which produced a 62-29 victory over Saint Petersburg.

By Scott Morganroth

A year ago, the FAU Owls basketball team had a 21-11 record and were in first place in the Sun Belt Conference with a 13-3 mark. That earned them a trip to the NIT, where they would lose to the Miami Hurricanes.

What a difference a year makes. The Owls finished with an 11-19 overall mark and were tied for third place in the conference with Western Kentucky with 7-9 records.

FAU’s only chance to make it to the NCAA Tournament was to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Arkansas. But Arkansas State (13-19) put an end to FAU’s post-season aspirations by ousting the Owls, 70-55, Saturday Night.

Dennis Mavin led the 8th-seeded Owls with 12 points and Shavar Richardson had 11. FAU finished the season with a five-game losing streak. This was the last game for Richardson and his fellow senior Alex Tucker.

Richardson finished his career with 1,018 points, which is 9th in FAU history, while Tucker leaves as the all-time leader in assists with 538, which is also good for 7th all-time in Sun Belt Conference history.

FAU Coach Mike Jarvis’ career record at FAU stands at 52-71, while he is 371-273 overall.

After the Owls blew a double-digit lead to the Troy Trojans and lost an 83-82 decision, he had some critical comments about the way the season has gone, especially after the high expectations following last year.

“We’re still not ready to win and we may not be again this year,” Jarvis said. “This team should have been better, has the ability to win games and the games we lost were mostly mental. We haven’t played as hard as we can for 40 minutes all year. Until we do, we don’t deserve to win.

“We’re talented enough. I love my guys. They’re mature, but my children are not hungry enough like most teams in America.

“Last year’s team was much hungrier and this team lacks hunger. Lots of teams will go into their conference tournament, hoping the fairy godmother will get them to the NCAA Tournament.”

The players will be watching the NCAA Tournament like the rest of us on their couches or at sports bars.

During the Owls final home game against Troy, former FAU Baseball Coach Kevin Cooney was honored as the newest member into the School’s Sports Hall of Fame.

With basketball season over, this hasn’t been a good year for Men’s Producing Revenue Sports, as the football team finished with a 1-11 mark. In addition, the basketball squad reported an  underachieving year at 11-19.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.