FORT LAUDERDALE — Calvary Christian junior guard Caden Daughtry scored 13 of his team-high 21 points in the second quarter to break open a close game as host and defending state champion Calvary Christian Academy throttled St. Andrew’s 88-65 in a 3A boys regional final.
The Eagles (22-1), who defeated the Scots 80-66 on February 7, led 15-12 at the end of the first quarter, and jumped out to a 39-25 halftime cushion thanks to Daughtry’s heroics.
“The amount of work that we put in, I couldn’t let this team down,” Daughtry said. “We just stuck with it. I knew I had to separate the score, and I did. Our team is playing with all of the drive in the world. Right now, we are 22-1, and we’ve come too far to lose.”
The nation’s second-ranked team, according to MaxPreps, is headed back to state for a fifth time. The Eagles have won the previous four times (2017, 2021, 2022, 2025). Calvary Christian Academy will face the winner of the Cardinal Gibbons-University School regional final in the final four on March 9 in Jacksonville.
Qualifying for the state championship wasn’t the first thing on Eagles coach Cilk McSweeney’s mind. In the past two seasons, the Eagles haven’t lost to a South Florida team since a 50-48 setback against North Broward Prep in the regional semifinals on Feb. 24, 2024. They’ve won 23 straight against local teams during that span.
“In two years, we haven’t lost to a local team, so to me, that is big-time,” McSweeney said. “We have beaten some nationally ranked teams along the way, but the biggest thing is let’s dominate at home. We dominate at home among our peers and our community. We are about greatness. That’s been our culture.
“Our job is not finished,” he added. “For us, the biggest thing is we have to finish the job. Let’s dominate and get this done. It takes a lot of practice to develop the chemistry, and this is a special group.”
Calvary Christian senior forward Aiden Bolden had six points in the first quarter, including two impressive dunks, and senior guard Jacob Zhu scored six straight points as the Eagles seized a 9-2 advantage and were never threatened. Bolden finished with 17 points, off five dunks. The team finished with 13 dunks in the game.
“Getting those early dunks gets my team going,” Bolden said. “We just wanted to sign the game off early. We tried to come out here and make them not want to play no more.”
Senior wing K.J. Francis and Zhu each finished with 11 points for the Eagles. It also marked the eighth win in a row over the Scots, who finished the season 24-5.
St. Andrew’s senior guard Xander Gerard finished with a game-high 25 points, all in the second half when the game was already decided. He was the lone player to hit double figures for his team.
“The things we tried to do were eliminate turnovers, get back on defense, and make sure their guys didn’t leak out and score easy baskets,” said St. Andrew’s coach John O’Connell. “(Calvary) is an exceptional team, and you have to play perfectly to beat them. We didn’t do that today.”
Regional finals
Saturday
7A
3. Coral Glades at 1. Miami Columbus (n)
6A
3. Miramar at 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (n)
5A
2. Belen Jesuit at 1. Pembroke Pines Charter (n)
4A
2. Stranahan at 1. Suncoast (n)
3A
1. Calvary Christian def. 3. St. Andrew’s 88-65
2. University School at 1. Cardinal Gibbons (n)
2A
3. Benjamin at 1. Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic (n)
1A
2. Dade Christian at 1. Sagemont Prep (n)
