Miramar uses 18-point run to secure first spot in finals
FORT LAUDERDALE — Powered by a dominant second-half performance, Miramar is heading to the BCAA Big 8 finals for the first time in school history.
Trailing Blanche Ely by double digits in the third quarter, the Patriots turned it on as they ran off 18 unanswered points to top the Tigers 52-50 in the semifinals at Fort Lauderdale High School.
“We struggled in the first half and they just fought through it at the right time,” Miramar coach Tremaine Stevens said. “They had a couple of errors in the fourth, but I stuck with that same group and they earned it.”
After struggling to generate any rhythm in the first half, Miramar (22-3) started to find its groove in the second half as its defense locked down Blanche Ely’s offense. Down 38-30 midway through the third quarter, the Patriots went on an 18-0 run, holding the Tigers scoreless until the 1:11 mark in the final frame.
“We just stuck to our principles [defensively],” Stevens said. “We’re long and athletic. We want people to shoot over us. In the first half they were getting a lot of shots and we were late on stuff, but my kids picked it up, understanding their assignments and where to be at and the end result was a ‘W’.”
Senior Immanuel Crump led the Patriots with 17 points. Brandon Spaulding, Brayan Davis and Jamir Moore each chipped in with eight points. For the Tigers, Fab Five guard Michael Forrest went for a game-high 26 points.
Blanche Ely stormed out to a quick lead, behind a hot shooting performance from Forrest. The senior went 4-4 from three-point range in the first half to help propel the Tigers to a nine-point halftime lead.
In the second half, Miramar’s defense put the clamps on Blanche Ely, taking the lead for good in the fourth quarter. The Patriots led by six with less than 20 seconds remaining, but Blanche Ely didn’t give up easily. With 16 seconds left, Forrest connected on a four-point lead after being fouled on a three-pointer to cut the Patriots’ lead to 50-48.
Senior guard Damian Miller sank two clutch free throws on the ensuing possession to ice the game for Miramar.
With the loss, Blanche Ely will miss the Big 8 finals for just the second time in 10 years. The Tigers last won the tournament in 2015, beating Cardinal Gibbons. Ely fell to Dillard in the championship the past two years.
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