SLAM girls roll, stand one win from returning to state basketball
Located on the seventh floor of its school’s building near downtown Miami, the SLAM girls’ basketball team enjoys a beautiful view of the city on each side of its home gym.
And once the sun sets, one of the top squads in the state takes over.
The Titans have made the venue they affectionately call “The Penthouse” a tough stop for opponents in recent years.
On Monday night,
SLAM gave another demonstration as it dominated visiting Monsignor Pace for a 66-25 win in a Region 4-4A semifinal.
The Titans (22-3) scored the game’s first 15 points and prompted the 35point mercy rule midway through the third quarter on their way to securing their first regional final appearance since 2019.
SLAM will next try to reach the state final four for first time in five years and third time in program history when it hosts Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Titans beat Somerset Canyons, 61-55, on Dec. 19.
“It really shows the hard work we’ve put in the past two years,” SLAM coach Krystal Cabrera said. “It all really took off in that game. The chemistry on the court comes from what we have off the court. This is a very united group. These girls are sisters. They love each other and you can see those friendships they have shine on the court.”
Cabrera, who was hired as SLAM’s coach at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, has helped rebuild the program almost from scratch after that difficult season. The Titans had only two players returning in 2020 from the prior season, one of whom was junior point guard Jim’miyah Branton, who has since become a cornerstone of the team.
Branton began playing for SLAM in the sixth grade and is now in her fourth year as a starter. She scored a game-high 21 points Monday, showing her all-around skills at both ends of the floor.
SLAM has become a cohesive group that can score at an up-tempo pace and defend well. Adaya Montalvo finished with 13 points while Sam Vales had 12. Sam Bautista added 10 points. Catherine Guillaume led the Spartans with 18 points.
Region 4-5A semifinal — American Heritage 61, Norland 21: Around this time last year, American Heritage girls’ basketball was experiencing heartbreak.
The Patriots, winners of the previous five state championships, were looking for a record sixth title — and fell one point short to champion Daytona Beach Mainland.
But top-seeded Heritage moved one step closer to reclaiming its crown Monday night. Junior Dezuray McGill led the charge with a game-high 15 points, and sophomore guard Jasleen Green had 14 points.
Heritage continues its quest for a state championship at 7 p.m. Thursday when it hosts No. 2 Lincoln Park Academy, which defeated No. 3 Boynton Beach 66-41 on Monday night.
Jasmine Johnson paced Norland, which didn’t score a field goal until midway through the second quarter, with nine points.
Defense was the key to the game. The Patriots came out in a full-court press, forced countless turnovers and held a 28-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, then a 42-11 halftime advantage. If Heritage wins another title this year, coach Greg Farias says it will be because of its defense.
“It’s been a focus,” Farias said of winning the state championship this season. “... My last eight years here, we’ve gone six times [to the state finals]. The expectation is there, and we fell short for the first time after five years of winning it in a row. It’s been tough, but our mentality has been one game at a time, especially on the defensive side. We have to play defense the way we used to in the past.”
Region 4-6A final — St. Thomas Aquinas 65, Miami Southridge 43: The Raiders on Monday inched closer to a fourth straight state championship.
Led by senior Kalie Harrington and junior Jaelyn Cardoza, who combined for 10 three-pointers and 32 points, the Raiders rolled to their 16th victory by double-digits this season.
“I thought it was a really great team win,” St. Thomas coach Oliver Berens said. “We had a lot of respect for Southridge and we were very prepared for them. For us it was about staying together and playing hard team basketball at the offensive and defensive ends for 32 minutes.”
Aquinas (20-9) advances to Thursday’s regional final against rival Blanche Ely at the Tigers’ home gym at 7 p.m. Ely is ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 6A, while Aquinas is No. 2.
Ely (22-6), which defeated Dillard 46-41 in its regional semifinal, has defeated Aquinas twice this season, including a 56-24 victory in the BCAA Big 8 final.
The Raiders, however, have defeated the Tigers three straight times in the regional playoffs on their way to three consecutive state championships.
The third quarter was the big difference for Aquinas on Monday as the Raiders created the separation to outscore the Spartans 20-8 for a 50-33 lead.
Kamryn Corporan finished the night with 12 points.
For the Spartans, Shanaii Gamble and Dianka Hardisson, the team’s leading scorers, combined for 18 first-half points to keep within striking distance. Together they only had nine points in the second half; that included only two made baskets.
Mya Johnson, a 6-2 senior center, also had a strong outing for the Raiders, finishing with 13 points.
Southridge (20-7), which entered Monday’s regional with a six-game winning streak and ranked No. 5 in 6A, hadn’t played in a regional semifinal since 2019 when it lost to Lourdes Academy, 55-40.
MORE RESULTS
Region 4-7A semifinal — Boca Raton 56, Miami High 47: The Stingarees (19-10) trailed by 19 at halftime before cutting the deficit to two at the end of the quarter. But the game slipped away in the fourth as the Bobcats snapped Miami High’s streak of six consecutive seasons advancing to the state final four in Lakeland.
Region 4-7A semifinal — Doral Academy 85, Davie Western 82 (2OT): The Firebirds trailed in the closing seconds of regulation and in each overtime period before prevailing to clinch their first berth in a regional final since 2017 and second overall. Doral will host Boca Raton at 7 p.m. Thursday in the regional final.
Region 4-4A: Somerset Canyons 58, Cardinal Gibbons 56.
Region 4-3A: Miami Country Day 78, Carrollton 30; Somerset Prep 58, Westminster Academy 39.
Region 4-2A: Miami Christian 62, Merritt Island Christian 48.