Fans of Monsignor Edward Pace High School basketball have had a lot to enjoy over the past few weeks, as both the boys and the girls basketball teams have carried their successes from the regular season into district and regional tournaments.
The Spartans boys basketball team went 17-9 in the regular season and were ranked #1 in their district. The team’s fast offensive style, which has earned them the moniker of the “Runnin’ Spartans,” has been led by senior guard CJ Fisher, the highest scoring playing in Pace boys basketball history.
On February 6, Pace defeated the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes 84-64 to become back-to-back District 15-4A Champions.
Pace then advanced to the Region 4-4A semifinal with a 61-46 upset win over Ransom Everglades last week. Pace played solid down the stretch, as Sebastian Jean scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and had six steals.
C.J. Fisher added 10 points and five assists to help the Spartans advance to the semifinal game.
The Spartans faced Booker T. Washington on Tuesday in hopes of advancing to the regional championship game.
At the same time, the Lady Spartans girls basketball team has had their own stellar season, racking up an overall 19-3 record and going 8-0 against district teams, including a 47-28 victory over Booker T. Washington on January 30 to win the District 15-4A tournament.
Since then, the Lady Spartans have run through teams in the 4A Regional tournament, led by players such as junior guard Destiny Wilson, who was recently profiled in a Miami Herald article.
However, in the 4A Regional finals, the Lady Spartans came up short against Cardinal Newman High School losing their quest to continue earning a state semifinal spot, 58-40, the first such loss since 2005. Cardinal Newman advanced to the final four for the first time in its history.
(Supplemented by Miami Laker staff.)