FORT LAUDERDALE — Nova senior Jaelynn Housey believes her team has the goods to go all the way to Jacksonville and win a state championship.

Housey delivered an outstanding performance, earning the Marcia Pinder MVP award at the BCAA Big 8 tournament. Her 20-point effort propelled Nova to a 56-52 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship game held Saturday night at Fort Lauderdale High School.

“This game gets us ready for the districts and the stretch run,” Housey said. “We just have to keep the pressure on and keep playing like this. I believe we can go all the way to Jacksonville. Definitely. We came out with intensity from the jump.”

The Raiders, ranked one spot ahead of Nova in the state poll at No. 11, are likely one of the teams standing in the way of a Class 6A state championship that will be played next month at the CSI Companies Court at UNF Arena (University of North Florida in Jacksonville).

“It’s a heartfelt moment,” Housey added. “We haven’t done this since 2018. It’s big. It’s a surreal moment, and it is especially impactful for the seniors.”

St. Thomas Aquinas (15-8) was playing in its eighth consecutive Big 8 championship game, and had won two titles in 2023 and 2022.

Nova (19-4) grabbed a 29-28 halftime edge as both teams struggled to make baskets in the paint. The Titans’ Ya’Niyah Young scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half, while Housey added eight points in the first half. J’Yan Tyrell scored 11 points, while Ke’mora Evans (10) also scored in double figures in the contest.

Senior power forward Isabella Sangha led the way for St. Thomas Aquinas with 24 points, including an 11-point outburst in the second quarter. London Thomas scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half and was held scoreless in the decisive fourth quarter.

Nova stretched the lead to double digits twice in the third quarter, but the Raiders chipped away and closed to within 53-52 as Sangha made five of six free throws in the final 3:18 of the game. Her miss came with 36.9 seconds left, and Housey ran down the rebound and was fouled, converting one of two shots from the free throw line to extend the lead to 54-52.

London Thomas had a good look to tie it, but was off the mark, and Housey forced a turnover by Sangha with 1.3 seconds left and drained both free throws to ice the game.

The Raiders had won four straight and seven of the past eight following a 59-56 loss to Grandview Prep. The St. Thomas Aquinas girls avenged last year’s Big 8 defeat to Northeast 76-29 in the opener and then topped Dillard 63-24 in the semifinals.

“We talk about slow starts all season,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Emily Williams, whose team was shorthanded with senior guard Ronneisha Thomas out with an injury. Thomas is the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. “We fell behind early, and you can’t do that against a quality opponent.”

Williams called it a “learning testimony,” especially for the younger players who are new to high-pressure environments.

“We just dug ourselves a hole too early,” Williams said. “The better team won tonight.”

Nova (19-4), ranked No. 12 in the state, opened the tournament with a 68-34 win over Stoneman Douglas and followed that with a 64-39 dispatch of Blanche Ely to advance to the final. The Titans have won four straight games following back-to-back losses to Blanche Ely and Grandview Prep.

Nova coach Jason Hively said his team has been putting in the work, and this is the deepest team he’s had since the 2018 team, which won the Big 8 with a 48-42 win over Dillard. It’s the Titans’ third Big 8 title as they also won in 2014.

“We’ve been in that gym, working really hard these last couple of weeks, and this type of moment is what you look for heading into the postseason,” Hively said. “Jaelynn shows up every day, every night, and has been doing this her whole career, and she’s the reason we’re winning this tonight, obviously, along with the rest of the team.”

 

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/01/31/houseys-20-points-carry-nova-to-the-bcaa-big-8-championship/