BOCA RATON – As “25-1” chants rang through the student section that resembled a sea of white, the St. Andrew’s Scots had done the improbable but not the impossible.
They defeated the Oxbridge Academy Thunderwolves (25-1) by virtue of a 70-62 triumph in the Class 5A regional semifinals on Tuesday night (Feb. 26). They took down the state’s eighth-ranked team and extinguished Oxbridge’s dreams of an undefeated season in spectacular fashion.
From the opening tip-off to the final moments of crunch time basketball, it seemed as if everything was going right for the Scots. Whether it was a wide-open three missed by Oxbridge or an offensive rebound and floater hit by Jack May, St. Andrew’s coach John O’Connell recognized that it was a perfect storm.
“A lot of things went right today. It was an amazing team effort, and I think everyone contributed a lot,” O’Connell said. “The defense did a fantastic job. We lost our composure a couple times in the second half, but defensively we kept sending five rebounders to the basket.”
Despite leading by double digits for a majority of the third quarter, the Scots (25-4) saw their lead dwindle to a tie game at 60-all with just two minutes remaining. After that moment, the Scots experience in close games, including last week’s thriller against Cardinal Newman, took over as they closed the game on a 10-2 run.
“We know how to battle back,” O’Connell said. “We’re also experienced with having the lead and blowing it, which we have done a few times in the holiday tournaments. We’ve experienced it all.”
The Scots were spearheaded by a combination of juniors, which were led primarily by forward Jackson May. He led the team in scoring with 21 points, including 13 in the second half and 9 in the third quarter alone.
“I’m just trying to make open shots,” May said. “I’m not really trying to score a lot of points. I just want to win.”
Fellow Junior Yussif Basa-Ama also scored 15 points and was arguably the team’s most important player throughout the game with his electric defense. His defense against the likes of Dante Wilcox was especially critical.
“You can’t say enough about Yussif,” O’Connell said about Basa-Ama’s importance. “What he does offensively and defensively. The way he forces teams to change shots around the basket.”
Outside of May and Basa-Ama, Josh Minott added 17 points and Alejandro Ralat contributed 10. Kolby Pelissier, the final starter, also contributed 7 points.
In total, all five starters for the Scots scored the team’s 70 points.
For Oxbridge, A.J. Cajuste led the way with 29 points and hit multiple critical shots in the closing moments of the game. Dante Wilcox also scored 10.
The Scots trip to Lakeland can be booked on Friday (Mar. 1), when they battle Tampa Catholic (23-6) at home. The tip-off for tomorrow night’s Class 5A regional final is set for 7 p.m.
