St. Thomas follows the lead of Hession

Raiders turn aside Blanche Ely to keep four-peat bid alive

POMPANO BEACH — The quest for a four-peat is alive.

Khadee Hession scored 29 points, including 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the final 16 seconds, to lead St. Thomas over Ely 55-47 and back to the state semifinals for the fourth year in a row, where they have won three consecutive state championships.

“I knew this team was special and we executed our game plan and stayed together for 32 minutes,” said St. Thomas coach Oliver Berens. “We wanted to make sure we stayed disciplined, played together, and continued to play St. Thomas basketball and that’s exactly what we did. We’ve excelled here in low-scoring style of games, and we did it again.”

St. Thomas (21-9) looked like it was going to pull away after breaking the game open in the third quarter and taking a 10-point lead into the fourth after Hession hit a 3-pointer to end the third.

But Ely (22-7) fought back and when the Tigers hit back-to-back 3-pointers from Arielle Facyson and Chardae Rumph, the lead was down to two, 49-47, with 2:32 to play.

Hession found Jaelyn Cardoza underneath the basket for a layup, giving St. Thomas a 51-47 lead with 44 seconds remaining. Ely couldn’t score on its next possession and was forced to foul, but intentionally fouled Hession with 16 seconds left, giving her two free throws and St. Thomas the ball.

She hit both free throws and was fouled again, where she buried two more to clinch the game.

“I came here last year, and I knew this was a championship team,” said Hession. “I know how hard everybody works in practice day in and day out and we worked so hard for this. From the start of the playoffs, we’ve been locked in and that has carried through every game.”

Kamryn Corporan added 10 points for the Raiders, who will face Bloomingdale (Valrico, FL) on March 7 in the state semifinals.

Gianna Corbitt led Ely with 20 points, including 18 in the first half, while McFadden added 11.

“Kudos to St. Thomas, they came in here, played well and executed when they needed too,” said Ely coach J.R. McNabb. “We just didn’t execute on both ends of the court like we usually do.”

Other results, schedule Dates and times according to fhsaa.com. State semifinals 6A Thursday, March 7 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Bloomingdale 5A Wednesday, March 6 American Heritage vs. Port Charlotte Other 7A-2A regional finals Thursday 7A 1. Doral Academy 72, 2. Boca Raton 50 5A 1. American Heritage 75, 2. Fort Pierce Lincoln Park 40 4A 1. Miami SLAM 84, 2. Somerset Academy Canyons 55 3A 1. Seffner Christian 47, 2. King’s Academy 42 1. Miami Country Day 52, 2. Somerset Prep 37 2A 1. Miami Christian 67, 3. Berean Christian 45 7A-2A regional semifinals Monday 7A 3. Oak Ridge 45, 2. Palm Beach Gardens 38 1. Doral Academy 85, 4. Western 82 2. Boca Raton 56, 3. Miami 47 6A 1. Blanche Ely 46, 5. Dillard 41 2. St. Thomas Aquinas 65, 3. Southridge 43 5A 1. American Heritage 61, 5. Norland 21 2. Fort Pierce Lincoln Park 66, 3. Boynton Beach 41 4A 2. Somerset Academy Canyons 58, 3. Cardinal Gibbons 56 3A 2. King’s Academy 62, 3. Windermere Prep 55 2. Somerset Prep 58, 3. Westminster Academy 39 2A 3. Berean Christian 55, 7. Pine 45 7A-2A regional quarterfinals Wednesday, Feb. 14 7A 2. Palm Beach Gardens 69, 7. Palm Beach Central 51 4. Western 63, 5. Cypress Bay 35 3. Miami 46, 6. Coral Springs 37 2. Boca Raton 36, 7. Palmetto 26 6A 1. Blanche Ely 71, 8. Seminole Ridge 25 5. Dillard 65, 4. Nova 39 2. St. Thomas Aquinas 75, 7. Atlantic 22 3. Southridge 51, 6. Dwyer 35 5A 1. American Heritage 82, 8. Jensen Beach 29 2. Fort Pierce Lincoln Park 69, 7. Suncoast 55 3. Boynton Beach 44, 6. Homestead 41 4A 1. SLAM Miami 60, 8. Coral Springs Charter 20 4. Monsignor Pace 53, 5. North Broward Prep 50 2. Somerset Academy Canyons 50, 7. Mater Lakes 24 3. Cardinal Gibbons 76, 6. Pine Crest 53 3A 2. King’s Academy 62, 7. The First Academy 48 2. Somerset Prep 73, 7. St. Andrew’s 21 3. Westminster Academy 77, 6. Somerset Academy South Homestead 36 2A 1. Miami Christian 73, 8. Donna Klein 44 3. Berean Christian 45, 6. Atlantic Christian 15 1A regional semifinal 1. Wildwood 95, 4. Pahokee 10

GARY CURRERI St. Thomas Aquinas senior guard Khadee Hession, left, dribbles past Blanche Ely sophomore guard Teriyah McFadden during Thursday’s Class 6A girls basketball regional final. Hession scored a game-high 29 points as the visiting Raiders stunned the state’s top-ranked Tigers 55-47.