Latest news with #CalvaryChristian
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lady Buccaneers finish historic season for Bay County
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – North Bay Haven's softball team ended its season with a 6-4 loss to Calvary Christian in the Class 2A state championship on Wednesday. The Lady Buccaneers made Bay County history by being the first team to make it to the 2A state championship. The Lady Buccaneers finished their season with a record of 25-4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Calvary Christian's Shon Abaev is the Broward 3A-1A Boys' Basketball Player of the Year
Calvary Christian senior forward Shon Abaev had long been considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation. But a state championship had been missing from his resume. That changed this past season when Abaev stood at the forefront of a return to prominence for the Eagles' program. 'That was huge. It felt good to end my high school career as a state champion,' Abaev said. Abaev capped an outstanding high school career with that title and led the Eagles to an impressive 22-1 record and a No. 5 national ranking by MaxPreps. As such, Abaev is the Miami Herald's Broward County Boys' Basketball Player of the Year for Classes 3A-1A. Led by Abaev, Calvary Christian won its fourth state title overall and first since 2022 after prevailing in a nail-biter, 66-64 in the Class 3A final against The Villages. Abaev then went on to earn McDonald's All-American honors and participated in the recent McDonald's All-American Game, an event which has featured some of the game's greats for decades. Abaev played for the East squad during the contest on April 1 in Brooklyn, which also included Cameron and Cayden Boozer from Columbus and several other top prospects. 'McDonald's was a big-time opportunity for me,' Abaev said. 'A lot of big names have been in that one. I felt blessed to be able to be another one.' Abaev, a 6-7 small forward, is next headed to play for the University of Cincinnati in the fall. He is rated a five-star prospect by multiple evaluators and regarded as one of the best and most polished scorers in this year's class. His work ethic, however, is what his teammates and coaches at Calvary Christian rave about. 'It's a different game in college. The speed and physicality gets tougher and I've got to prepare for that,' Abaev said. 'We played a lot of games with the shot clock at Calvary so that prepares you too. The schedule we played helped too because it's a lot of the guys I'll be playing against. 'I just have to keep focused and not get distracted. Just go over there and win, and help (Cincinnati) make it to March Madness next year.'
Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
STA, Ely, Stranahan, Calvary, Sagemont coaches share Boys' Basketball Coach of the Year
It was a banner year for Broward County boys' basketball. County teams finished with an all-time record five state championships as St. Thomas Aquinas (Class 6A), Blanche Ely (5A), Stranahan (4A), Calvary Christian (3A) and Sagemont (1A) all brought home the hardware. In such a historic season, we salute the architects of those title runs. In Class 7A-4A, St. Thomas Aquinas' Julius Sandi, Blanche Ely's J.R. McNabb and Stranahan's Edward Schuler share Miami Herald Coach of the Year honors. And for Classes 3A-1A, Sagemont's David Roe and Calvary Christian's Cilk McSweeney share that award. Sandi has spearheaded a restoration process at St. Thomas Aquinas for a program, which has reclaimed its place among the state's best. The Raiders put together a dramatic comeback from a double-digit deficit against Orlando Evans in the 6A state final to secure their second-ever state championship and first since 2001. This followed a dominant 30-2 season during which they also won their first BCAA Big 8 title. Blanche Ely had a revival of its own in Class 5A. Under McNabb, who had been coaching the school's girls' program in recent years, the Tigers defied the odds and won their first state title since 2019 and their ninth overall with their third different coach, which set a Broward County record. Ely grinded its way to a 44-38 win over Ponte Vedra in the 5A state final after beating a pair of defending state champions - Pembroke Pines Charter and Miami Norland - in the regional playoffs. Stranahan found its way back to the top once again, under Schuler, in Class 4A. The Mighty Dragons, who put together an impressive title run of three state titles in four years from 2019-2022, won their fourth this season with one of the most dramatic comebacks ever at the state finals. Stranahan erased a six-point deficit with 16 seconds remaining to beat St. Petersburg Gibbs 63-62. On the first weekend of the state championships, Calvary Christian returned to the top after two years away with its own thrilling finish to win the 3A state title. In a game that went back and forth throughout, the Eagles edged The Villages 66-64 and capped a 22-1 season with their first state title since 2022 and fourth overall under McSweeney's leadership. Calvary Christian finished the season ranked fifth nationally by MaxPreps. Roe's Sagemont squad didn't return this season since it hasn't moved from the top for the past three seasons. The Lions are in the midst of the greatest run in their school's history as they capped this latest championship with a dominant performance against Lakeland Victory Christian in the 1A final to secure state title No. 5 for the school and their third in a row.
Miami Herald
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Calvary Christian boys' hoops comes full circle with dramatic state championship victory
Calvary Christian's boys' basketball team came full circle. A year ago, the Eagles were left on the court feeling the pain of a season-ending loss to rival North Broward Prep in the regional finals with three-tenths of a second left on the clock. On Saturday night in Lakeland, it was Calvary Christian's turn to flip the script. Junior guard Kenneth Francis Jr.'s fall away jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining ended up being the game-winner, which secured the Eagles a thrilling 66-64 victory over The Villages in the Class 3A state championship game at the RP Funding Center. After a timeout, Villages guard Adyn Corbin's desperation heave from halfcourt at the buzzer was an airball and Calvary Christian players and coaches ran onto the court to celebrate a moment of redemption a year in the making. 'Hats off to Villages, they were awesome,' Calvary Christian coach Cilk McSweeney said. 'Every zone trap we did that's worked against every team we faced, they broke it and made shot after shot. We just had to find a way. This was one of the toughest games we had to dig out a win for sure. It's all about perseverance and being resilient and keep fighting.' As Calvary Christian celebrates its triumph, it also hopes to receive an invitation to the Chipotle Nationals April 3-5 in Fishers, Indiana and an opportunity to compete for a national championship. The Eagles (22-1), who are ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps, won their third state title since 2021 and made it back to the top after a two-year gap. Calvary Christian made the choice to go independent for the 2022-23 season and a play a completely national schedule, but struggled to a 7-15 record. Last season, it appeared the Eagles were primed to win another state title, but suffered the aforementioned heartbreaker. Calvary Christian used '0.3' as its motivation this season. It led the Eagles all the way to Lakeland on Saturday where they found themselves in another dicey situation, which also could have ended in heartbreak. Tied at 64 with 16.1 seconds left, senior guard, Cincinnati signee and McDonald's All-American Shon Abaev held the ball behind the 3-point line as he looked for the final shot. He drove to the basket and put up a solid attempt that barely rimmed out. But Francis Jr. surged in and grabbed the rebound and quickly turned and fired his shot as he fell away from the basket. 'I just knew I had to attack the rim just in case (Abaev) missed it,' Francis Jr. said. 'We've been in this spot many times before so I knew I had to do it. It was a very intense game and I love these types of games.' And so Calvary Christian players and coaches relished the other side of the spectrum of emotions after a dramatic roller coaster game, which was tied 11 times and had 19 lead changes and neither team able to stretch a lead over seven points. 'It's amazing because we played in a lot of close games against a lot of tough teams (this season),' Abaev said. 'We stayed calm the whole time and had a little outburst, but we believed in ourselves, we stuck to the game plan and came out on top.' Ironically, Francis Jr. picked up his teammates in the game's most important moment after a quiet night on the scoresheet. After scoring 25 points in the Eagles' semifinal win over Cardinal Gibbons, he finished with six points and five rebounds. Abaev recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Colin Paul came close to a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. But one of the most clutch performances that helped Calvary keep pace with The Villages (26-6) throughout the game and eventually prevail came from sophomore guard Cayden Daughtry, who shot 7 for 12 from the field, 2 for 5 from 3-point range and 7 for 7 from the free throw line and finished with a game-high 23 points. 'We played some of the top teams in the nation, but this game was definitely one of the hardest,' Daughtry said. 'They played their hearts out and we had to bring out all our effort to win this one.' Twice, the Buffalo threatened to build a big lead when they got ahead by five in the third quarter. Each time, Calvary Christian responded. A trying moment in the game came when junior Sam Hallas was ejected after drawing a technical foul with 6:16 left in the third quarter. Aaron Britt Jr., who had 14 points for The Villages, proceeded to hit both free throws and moments later, Jared Thompson scored to push the Buffalo's lead to 39-34. Abaev answered at the other end with a layup and a free throw after drawing a foul. The Villages extended the lead back to five and Daughtry answered with five consecutive points to tie the game at 42. 'We should have won it last year,' Daughtry said. 'The fact that we came back after all that adversity, got to where we wanted to be and won it.'
Miami Herald
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Calvary Christian tops Cardinal Gibbons in rare state semifinal duel of Broward teams
Both Fort Lauderdale-based schools - Calvary Christian and Cardinal Gibbons - are trying to restore their boys' basketball programs to greatness. Three years may not seem like a long time to most, but to Calvary Christian, which won back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022, it feels like forever. Cardinal Gibbons might scoff at that as it's been a decade since it last hoisted a state championship trophy. Only one would earn a chance to get what it wanted on Friday when the two squads would square off in a rare Broward vs. Broward matchup at the state final four. Led by Kenneth Francis Jr.'s 25 points, it was the Calvary Christian Eagles, who broke open a close game in the second half and emerged with a 72-58 over the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs in a Class 3A state semifinal at the RP Funding Center. It was the first game that had one Broward team facing another in a state semifinal since Fort Lauderdale Dillard faced Coconut Creek in a semifinal in 2002. Deerfield Beach also beat Blanche Ely in 1999 in the Class 6A state championship game. The Eagles (21-1), who are ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps, advanced to play The Villages on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the 3A final as they chase their program's third state title overall. 'I haven't played for a state championship yet so I'm excited and just ready to do whatever I can do to help this team win it,' Francis Jr. said. The Chiefs (25-5) made their first state semifinal appearance since winning their lone state title in 2015. 'We've had four people in double figures almost all year,' Cardinal Gibbons coach Bill Mallon said. 'It's what we preach to play - team ball. And nobody can do certain things against us. So for this group to go 25-5 is amazing.' Following Calvary Christian's back-to-back titles, it elected to make a run at a national title during the 2022-23 season and decided to play independent of the FHSAA series. The Eagles struggled to a 7-15 record that season and returned to FHSAA play last season. But that campaign ended in heartbreak as a promising squad fell in the regional finals on a buzzer-beater tip-in with 0.3 seconds left against Coconut Creek North Broward Prep. The loss served as fuel for the current Calvary Christian squad. 'We came up short and we never let that feeling go the whole year,' said 6-8 senior guard and McDonald's All-American Shon Abaev, who has signed with the University of Cincinnati. 'The job is not done. Once it's done, we'll let it go. But for now, it's the same energy, the same mindset the whole way.' Abaev finished with 11 points and five rebounds while Cayden Daughtry had 12 points and four rebounds and Collin Paul had 10 points and five rebounds for Calvary. Gibbons, which has climbed its way back among the county's best in recent years, spent most of this season defying the odds with a young team which had only two seniors - point guard Tao Schreiber and forward Marcus Perrier. The Chiefs made it to Lakeland thanks to a collective effort and used that same formula on Friday to flirt with an upset for over a half. Gibbons' starting five all scored in double figures led by Perrier's 14 points. Schreiber and juniors A.J. Ambrose and Evan Wyche each had 11 points and junior Justus Herbert had 10 points. The five accounted for all but one of Gibbons' points. And that lack of depth hurt the Chiefs in the second half. 'We're six deep and we had a big part of our team end up in foul trouble, and our point guard had to sit in the second quarter and then our other point guard picked up his fourth foul,' Mallon said. 'It was rough, especially against who we were playing against. But we had the lead at halftime and we played really well. The talent just took over.' Herbert's three-pointer with just over five minutes left in the third quarter gave the Chiefs their last lead of the game at 38-37. Calvary Christian's Cayden Daughtry answered quickly with a triple of his own and the Eagles used an 8-0 run to begin to separate. A couple more fast break dunks and back-to-back triples by Francis Jr. to end the quarter extended it to an 18-4 surge and grew the lead to 13, putting Calvary well on its way to victory. 'I feel like we came out nervous and missed a bunch of layups, but their game plan worked as far as being patient and trying to handle the traps,' Calvary Christian coach Cilk McSweeney said. 'I felt like we weren't penetrating their zone and just looking to pass it. So we talked about it at half and it was a different story in the second half.'
