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St. Thomas Aquinas comes back to upset Orlando Evans in Florida 6A state title game

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•03/08/25•

bykeeganpope

Syndication: Ocala StarBanner
St. Thomas Aquinas Dwayne Wimbley Jr. (0) won the MVP award. Gibbs High School played St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship game of the Kingdom of the Sun at Vangaurd High School in Ocala, FL on Monday, December 30, 2024. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Raiders 80-64. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]

For nearly all of the first three quarters of Saturday’s Florida 6A high school basketball championship game, Orlando Evans was in control and looked poised to take home a title for the first time in 50 years.

The Trojans led by as many as 14 points midway through the third quarter and were up by seven as the final frame started. But a furious comeback from Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas thwarted Evans’ quest, as the Raiders outscored them 22-7 in the fourth quarter to take home a 71-63 victory.

STA’s victory caps off a 30-2 season and brings home the program’s first state since 2001 — after reaching the regional finals last season and the regional semifinals the two seasons before that. And leading the way was none other than senior wing Dwayne Wimbley Jr.

The Florida State signee led the way with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists, hitting 9 of his 18 field goal attempts. He was one of four Raiders players in double figures, joined by Clarence Westbrook (15), DJ Sandi (13) and Nate Accius (10).

That quartet was able to overcome a career game from Evans’ Arosco Dubois, who finished with 31 points while playing all 32 minutes. It ultimately wasn’t enough to hold off STA though, which has been one of the Sunshine State’s top teams this year and ranks among the top-40 programs nationally.

Late surge propels Raiders to title

Evans jumped out to a 17-8 lead after one quarter, buoyed by a flurry of scoring from Dubois. The Raiders, meanwhile, hit just 3 of their first 14 attempts and struggled to get going offensively. STA warmed up in the second frame, but couldn’t slow down Evans as the Trojans built an 11-point lead at the break.

The tides started turning in the third quarter though, as STA outscored Evans 19-15 to cut into the lead and bring the game within double-digits. They were able to slow down the red-hot Dubois, who was one of only two players to reach double-figures for Evans. The Trojans hit just 5 of 17 from the field in the third frame, and headed into the fourth quarter leading by seven.

St. Thomas Aquinas fully flipped the script in the final eight minutes though, outscoring Evans 22-7 and holding the Trojans to just 2-for-11 shooting. The Raiders finally broke through and took the lead with 3:20 to go and never looked back.