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By CLAY BAILEY

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dain Dainja had 22 points and 11 rebounds, PJ Haggerty also scored 22 and No. 22 Memphis sprinted past Florida Atlantic in the second half of an 84-65 victory Sunday.

Colby Rogers added 15 points for first-place Memphis (22-5, 12-2 American Athletic Conference), which has won nine of 10.

Tre Carroll led the Owls (15-12, 8-6) with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Kaleb Glenn scored 15. Florida Atlantic lost its second straight after a five-game winning streak. Leland Walker finished with 14 points.

Memphis defeated Florida Atlantic 90-62 in the conference opener Jan. 2. The Tigers had trouble gaining traction early on Sunday, but a rally in the first half got them out of a hole and into a lead.

Takeaways

Florida Atlantic: The Owls enjoyed a five-game winning streak during the early part of this month before a loss to Wichita State last week. Awful free-throw shooting and a couple of Memphis runs spelled defeat this time.

Memphis: The Tigers needed a win after an overtime loss at Wichita State a week ago dropped them eight spots to No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll.

Key moment

Florida Atlantic had a lead in the first half before Memphis went on a 14-0 run keyed by offensive rebounding. A 12-0 Tigers spurt early in the second half put the game out of reach.

Key stat

Florida Atlantic entered shooting 71% at the free-throw line this season, but went 5 for 18 (28%) in this one.

Up next

Both teams play at home Wednesday. Florida Atlantic faces North Texas, and Memphis hosts Rice.

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MILWAUKEE — Over the past month, Erik Spoelstra has shown a patience to allow rookie 7-footer Kel’el Ware to play through mistakes. But now that Ware is a month into an elevated role as starter, there also has been a line drawn by the Heat coach regarding what still has to be earned.

So entering Sunday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, Ware found himself coming off just 20:40 of action in Friday night’s overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors, including just 6:54 after halftime, and no playing time in the fourth quarter or overtime.

“What I appreciate about Kel’el, particularly as I’ve gotten to know him, he’s intelligent, he takes accountability, he wants to learn, he wants to impact the game and impact winning,” Spoelstra said of last June’s No. 15 pick out of Indiana. “He doesn’t want to just be out there and he has a work ethic that also matches that ambition and his intentions. So if you have a young player that has those qualities, you do appreciate it. You want to work with them and help them get better, and he will.

“Right now, the last few games, teams have been putting the four on him. He’s going to figure that out and then maybe it will swing back. Then he has to deal with the fives and Bam (Adebayo) will have to deal with the fours. Whatever it is, we have to find solutions.”

All while accepting that Ware, at 20, still has plenty of time for developmental gains in the areas of pick-and-roll defense, learning when not to chase blocked shots at the cost of rebounding or defensive positioning.

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“It’s another part of his development. That’s probably the next stage,” Spoelstra said. “Initially, we talked about it three months ago, it was trying to get him to rotate and go for blocks. That’s the harder thing to do. Now, there’s decision making with it and context of game and situation. If you overextend too much, especially when it’s not realistic and you don’t want to discourage it or not say that a guy can’t get to it, those can be deflating plays.

“And he’s starting to calibrate that. Those are decision-making positions. But his rebounding is a factor, his size is a factor. At least people know who he is now. They know that he’s down there. We can correct it.”

All while the teaching is ongoing.

“It’s important because all of these things are winning impact decisions just as much as spacing, screen setting, creating advantages offensively, offensive rebounding,” Spoelstra said. “Defensively, yeah, it’s not just pick-and-roll defense and where do you go when you’re in the action. But it’s help-side defense. That’s probably the hardest thing for young players to get is when you’re on the weak side to be alert and know that there likely is going to be an action. And the more you’re ahead of it, prepared for it so you’re not reacting to it late, the better off you are.”

The long run

Sunday night’s game was a continuation of a 27-day span for the Heat with just one home game. The run ends Monday in Atlanta, with a home game then Wednesday against the Hawks. The game also opened the 11th of the Heat’s 15 back-to-back sets. The Heat go into Atlanta on Monday night at 6-4 on the second nights of such pairings . . .

With Friday night’s double-double in Toronto giving him 30 for the season, it gave Bam Adebayo five seasons with at least 30, tying Rony Seikaly for the most such seasons by a Heat player. Hassan Whiteside and Alonzo Mourning are tied for third on that list, with three such seasons apiece with at least 30 double-doubles …

Sunday marked the birthdays of both the Heat’s Andrew Wiggins (30) and Pelle Larsson (24).

The American Heritage girls soccer team demonstrated this season why they are the top-ranked squad in the country, according to MaxPreps.

The Patriots (19-1) rolled to a 3-0 win over two-time defending Class 4A champion Orlando Bishop Moore in the Class 4A final at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. It was the Patriots’ third straight title, after winning back-to-back Class 5A championships and moving down a classification.

“We just came out ready to play and we got two more after [the opening goal]. I think that momentum helped us win the game,” said American Heritage coach Cindy Marcial, who won her eighth title and the school’s 14th, concluding a dominant playoff run where the Patriots outscored their five regional and state opponents 30-0.

“We just want to keep the winning tradition going,” Marcial added by phone. “If you come to play for Heritage, you are not just putting on the T-shirt and getting a ring, you are going to have to put the work in too. The way we have been playing, I was really confident.”

The Patriots struck the crossbar in the first minute, and after that, junior forward Allison Aleman wasted little time in giving American Heritage the only goal it needed when she received a pass from Emma Torres, juked a Hornets defender, and lofted a shot into the far post for a 1-0 lead against the Hornets (14-7).

It was the first of two goals on the night for Aleman, who finished the year with 14 goals and 18 assists.

“It was very exciting, and I am so happy,” Aleman said. “I knew I had to make a difference and score to secure our three-peat. It is such a great feeling. We were very confident, and we knew the other team was amazing, so we had to play hard. Most of us have played together since we were very young, so there is really good chemistry, and we clicked instantly. We are going to go for a four-peat next year.”

Senior Samantha Villaverde got on the end of a senior Courtney Caruso corner kick and scored her team-leading 20th goal of the season, and 10th of the playoffs to make it 2-0 in the 18th minute. Villaverde then struck a left-footed cross in the 27th minute and found Aleman inside the 6-yard box for the 3-0 lead.

“This is the most amazing feeling, and I am so proud of my teammates,” Villaverde said. “When I was watching the clock run out, there was a mix of emotions. I was happy to win another championship with my teammates and coach Cindy, but sad that I will never play for them again.”

American Heritage ended the season with 11 straight shutout wins.

Bartram Trail stuns St. Thomas in closing seconds of second OT

Senior Victoria Carstens couldn’t have picked a better time to score the first goal of her high school career.

The Bartram Trail central defender was pushed up on the corner kick with the clock ticking down in the second overtime and she headed the ball into an open net with 19 seconds left to give St. John’s Bartram Trail a stunning come-from-behind 4-3 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 6A state championship game in Auburndale.

With the game seemingly headed to a penalty kick shootout, sophomore Bella Abinsay floated the ball over the head of St. Thomas Aquinas senior goalkeeper Camryn McEwen, who attempted to punch the ball away with one hand. The ball bounced once past three Raiders’ defenders to a wide-open Carstens who nodded it into the open net.

“It was a crazy fight, and you could tell that both teams wanted it,” said first-year St. Thomas Aquinas coach Bryan Hantak by phone. “We talked about it all season — the first five minutes after scoring a goal is so incredibly important. We would score and they would score, and it just went like that. We just made some simple mistakes on free kicks, and they sent backside runners, and we lost our marks. Things happen.”

The loss by St. Thomas Aquinas (19-2-3), ranked No. 7 in the country, prevented them from padding its state-record 15 girls state soccer titles. It was the first state championship game appearance for the Raiders since winning the Class 4A title in 2017.

Bartram Trail (18-1-4) ranked No. 4 in the country by MaxPreps, has four state titles to its credit, also winning in 2020, 2021, and 2023.

It was a scoring frenzy in the first half as St. Thomas Aquinas fell behind midway through the first half, but battled back as the teams traded goals to snare a 3-2 halftime lead.

With Aquinas trailing 1-0, sophomore Sophie Barnes received a pass at the top of the box from sophomore Alexa Strickler and tucked a left-footed shot past Bears senior goalkeeper Lily Holden just inside the post to tie the game at 1-1.

Then, with 6:48 left in the first half, St. Thomas Aquinas junior Aniya Harriott sent a free kick to junior Claudia Timmer Rodriguez who slipped the ball to Bianca Raskin inside the area and she buried it with her left foot to grab the lead at 2-1.

St. Thomas Aquinas surrendered a goal just one minute later, but the Raiders made it 3-2 in the 38th minute when Barnes dropped a pass to Rodriguez who chipped a shot just over the outstretched arms of Holden.

Bartram Trail tied the game with 11:27 remaining in the game. St. Thomas Aquinas had allowed only nine goals all season until Saturday.

The Raiders opened the season with seven consecutive shutouts until a 1-1 tie with Cypress Bay. After its lone loss of the season to Stoneman Douglas, 2-1, in January, they rolled through their opposition outscoring them 38-1, with the goal coming against Cooper City in the district final. The Raiders were riding a four-game shutout streak and McEwen had 15 shutouts during the season.

The Bears were riding a seven-match shutout streak and had never given up more than two goals in a match until the title game. Bartram Trail had allowed just eight goals coming into the match.

Hantak said the last month they had been working on penalty kicks for 15 minutes at the end of practice and were writing down who would be taking the penalty kicks.

“I’ll always be a fan of the winning team, and they played outstanding,” Hantak added. “I can’t complain. I would have paid to watch that game myself. Of course, we would have preferred it went our way, but we made the mistakes, and we had to pay for them.”

Despite the loss, Hantak called the season a great year. He looks forward to returning to a young team that graduates just two senior starters.

“It was my first year, and I enjoyed getting to know all of the players and changing the whole culture of the program,” he said. “We get nine starters back including our entire back line, all but one midfielder, and all of our forwards, which is like 55 goals. We’ll take a few weeks off and start hitting the weight room.”

Snake-bitten Cypress Bay falls again in state title game

Once again, it was heartbreak for the Cypress Bay girls’ soccer team in the Class 7A state championship game.

The Lightning (18-2-1) reached a fifth state championship game in search of the school’s first state title, but, like they did previously in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, according to MaxPreps, came up short, falling to Lake Mary 2-0 in Auburndale.

A goal early in the game and one just seconds before halftime doomed the Lightning. Lake Mary (19-3-1), which moved up to No. 12 in the national poll this week, won its fourth state championship in school history.

“They scored off a corner in the last four minutes to win in the (state) semifinal, so we knew number 10 (senior Lindsey Sheets) was strong in the air,” said Cypress Bay coach Kate Dwyer by phone. “We actually practiced it, and she is a quality player, and we got bodied off the ball.”

Cypress Bay fell behind 1-0 in the game’s third minute when sophomore Kailey Susi delivered a corner kick towards the far post and Sheets headed it past Cypress Bay freshman goalkeeper Camila Bruederline. It was Sheets’ team-leading 21st goal.

The Lightning, ranked fifth in the country by MaxPreps, withstood an early onslaught by the Rams, and put together a few quality chances, both off corner kicks with senior Lake Mary goalkeeper Laura Walker equal to the task.

Lake Mary, winners of 13 of their last 14 games, extended the lead with less than a minute remaining in the first half to double the lead to 2-0 when junior Ava McKay scored her 17th goal of the season on a deft left-footed shot from just inside the box and just over the outstretched arms of Bruederline beneath the crossbar.

Cypress Bay, who entered the game on a 12-match winning streak, had back-to-back chances in the 59th and 60th minute when crossing attempts in front of the goal were intercepted by Rams’ goalkeeper Walker. She finished the game with six saves.

They were also thwarted by Walker on a long-distance shot by senior Gabby Sussman that she knocked away, and on the subsequent corner kick, Walker went high to snare the kick before anyone could get a head on it.

By NATACHA PISARENKO and RAMIRO BARREIRO

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — “Francis, the city prays for you.”

Those were the words projected onto Buenos Aires’ most iconic monument, the Obelisco, over the weekend as Catholics from across Argentina flocked to churches to pray for the recovery of Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope in history.

It comes as the pope, a native of Argentina, remains in critical condition Sunday with a serious lung infection in a Rome hospital, where he was admitted on Feb. 14.

In its latest report on Francis’ health condition, the Vatican reported Sunday that the pope was conscious but still receiving “high flows” of supplemental oxygen after going through a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions.

His precarious health has pushed people of faith from across the world to pray for his speedy recovery. But in Argentina, where he once served as a bishop, concern is especially high, even though he hasn’t returned to his country since his ascent into the papacy in 2013.

Among them was Catholic priest Lorenzo de Vedia, who said Francis was the “pope who made the Church return to the gospel” in during an evening mass on Saturday in Buenos Aires.

“He has had the great ability to spread the dream of Jesus: that the Church is poor and made for the poor,” he said.

De Vedia was joined by many others who knew Francis and say the religious leader always put the church at the service of the most vulnerable.

Masses for Francis’ health were held throughout the South American country on Sunday. On Monday, a large Mass is planned at the capital’s Plaza Constitución, another of the sites where the pope, whose secular name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, once mingled in the streets with people affected by Argentina’s ongoing economic crisis.

Some of the region’s leaders also sent message to Francis. Colombian President Gustavo Petro called him “a true friend, one of those who fight all their lives.”

Francis thanked the well-wishers in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.

“I have recently received many messages of affection and I have been especially struck by the letters and drawings from children. Thank you for your closeness and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!” he wrote.

Q: Ira, knowing Jimmy Butler do you think it is guaranteed that he plays when Golden State visits in March? – Sandy.

A: I do, unless he is injured. With the game moved to national television, it falls under the NBA Player Participation guidelines of games that cannot be skipped for rest. And while Jimmy Butler mostly marches to the beat of his own drummer, I doubt he would want to create any drama for the Warriors during that visit to Miami, considering how every game will matter for Golden State down the playoff stretch run. The Warriors are off both the preceding two days and the following two days surrounding that March 25 game, so it’s not as if rest will be a factor. The most interesting aspect of that night will be the reception and the welcome by the Heat, who typically honor such a returning player who has helped lift the franchise to extended playoff success. Still, I also could see Jimmy feeding off the jeers, which seem practically assured.

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Q: What happened to Jaime Jaquez Jr.? Why the struggles? – Pipsy.

A: The league figured out his pump fakes and spinning moves in the lane, limiting his scoring options in that regard. The problem is that with such a shaky outside shot, a Plan B has yet to be put into place. Jaime needs to increase his scoring diversity in order to reestablish a rotation role. To his credit, he has shown the work ethic and dedication needed to take that next developmental step. I would view this more as a temporary setback. For the Heat to optimize their roster, they need Jaime back to something closer to last season’s form.

Q: I saw that you knocked down the Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors. But where there’s smoke isn’t there fire? – Anderson.

A: First, as previously noted, Giannis Antetokounmpo has re-upped at every previous contract window. So it’s not as if he at any point has turned his back on Milwaukee. But if you do want to get into speculation, also consider where the Heat currently stand at the moment. I’m not sure that any player would go from a roster where he has won a championship to a team that appears landlocked into the play-in round. The reality, is the Heat, at the moment, do not necessarily have a seductive roster, should an external player seek a trade.

Out of all of the foreign investment sources that have pumped cash into South Florida real estate, financial institutions, and new businesses over the years, Saudi Arabia is a nation that at best has a nominal presence in the region.

But this past week, amid a major public relations lift from President Donald Trump at a Miami Beach investment conference sponsored by the country’s Public Investment Fund, the oil-rich nation announced plans to locate an investment office in Miami, its second in the U.S. after Washington, D.C.

In addition to placing investments domestically, Saudi Arabia will use the office as a “gateway” to South America, Minister of Investment Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih told an audience at a Thursday panel discussion,  “Enabling Purpose: How to Create Resilient Economies for Uncertain Times.” The panel included Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez, who made the announcement official.

“It seems like it was just yesterday that I was in Riyadh announcing that FII was coming to Miami,” Suarez told the audience. “In line with the city’s emphasis on being the capital of capital, and strengthening its ties to the countries in the Middle East … today we are announcing the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia is opening an Invest Saudi office here in the City of Miami.”

In turn, Al-Falih thanked the mayor “for believing in the kingdom. The mayor has  been coming for a number of years. I met him for the first time in Jeddah. He met his royal highness; he has been a regular visitor and believer in Saudi Arabia. He has also demonstrated to us what leadership is like at the city level.”

“We’re opening a new pathway for inbound investment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also for facilitating outbound investment,” Al-Falih added. “We are confident that this office, once it is open, is going to be a key link for all of you investors from around the world into the kingdom and for us to know about the opportunities that are open through Miami.”

Possible economic impacts

One South Florida-based business analyst said the Saudi office could produce economic gains for Florida.

“The opening of a Saudi investment office in Miami may signal a strategic move to strengthen economic ties between Saudi Arabia and the Southeast U.S., as well as Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Danny Castro, tax market managing principal at the international accounting firm BDO.

“With Miami’s position as a global business hub, this office could serve as a bridge for inbound investment in sectors such as real estate, technology, logistics, and infrastructure,” he said. “Given Saudi Arabia’s broader $600 billion investment pledge in the U.S., we could see capital flowing into large-scale development projects, financial services, and emerging industries aligned with Vision 2030’s economic diversification goals.”

The state of Florida’s foreign trade and investment apparatus does not appear to have any role in the operation. Select Florida, the state’s official international commerce organization, which maintains an office in Coral Gables, makes no mention of the proposed Saudi office or the FII Priority Summit on its website.

The agency did not respond to emailed and phone inquiries.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is credited by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for helping to foster a new investment office that is planned in Miami by the Middle Eastern nation. (Wilfredo Lee/AP file)

In a 2024 report on foreign direct investment in Florida, the agency concluded that the state of Florida ranked No. 5 nationally with 358,200 jobs generated between 2011 and 2021 by businesses that are  “majority owned” by foreign interests.

European-controlled businesses topped the list in providing employment with 216,300 jobs, Canada was second at 62,500; the Asia/Pacific region was third with 41,900; Latin America, the Caribbean and Mexico were fourth at 24,200, and the Middle East was fifth at 4,800 jobs.

Through their public-private economic development agencies, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties individually court businesses, foreign and domestic, with the objective of attracting regional corporate operations or the relocation of company headquarters.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the agency for Broward, said its most recent foreign investor projects included Ontic, the maker of aerospace parts, which announced an expansion in Miramar that will employ 88 people. Doroni, the developer of “flying cars,” employs 15 people in Pompano Beach.

El Al, the national airline of Israel that started flights to Tel Aviv out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last year, employs 44 people, the agency said. It also moved its U.S. headquarters to Broward from New York.

Investors see future with Saudis

For now, Florida’s Saudi connection appears to be centered in Miami-Dade County, the byproduct of connections established by Trump and the mayor.

The Future Investment Initiative conference, which started Wednesday with a command kickoff performance by Trump before a packed audience at the Faena Hotel & Forum on Collins Avenue, has evolved into a continuing effort by Saudi Arabia to expand its business connections with top corporate leaders in the U.S. In turn, many entrepreneurs and investors use the occasion to gain a foothold in the Arab nation.

“The FII PRIORITY Summit, powered by the FII Institute, is returning for its third edition with an important call to action for global leaders and investors: ‘Invest with Purpose,’” summit promoters said in advance notices to the media.

President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd as he speaks at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Miami Beach. (Pool via AP)

In his Wednesday speech, Trump touted his own successes as operator of the Doral golf resort in Miami-Dade and marketer of local condominium projects through his own name brand.

He thanked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the Saudi Kingdom, for hosting U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh to end the war in Ukraine. The prince has pledged to invest $600 billion in the United States. Trump is seeking much more, according to reports.

He called Saudi Arabia “a special place with special leaders.”

During Trump’s speech, billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who has been leading the president’s charge to cut the ranks of government, sat in the front row next to Yasir al-Rumayyana, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and past adviser who started a private equity firm with $2 billion from a sovereign wealth fund chaired by the crown prince, was also in the audience.

“In less than a single month the Department of Government Efficiency has already saved over $55 billion and we’re just getting started,” Trump said. “That’s nothing compared to the numbers we’re talking about, right?”

“We will rapidly grow our economy by dramatically shrinking the federal government and we’ll have to do it,” he said, adding he intends to reverse the “radical left’s wrecking crusade” against the oil and natural gas industries.

Aligning with Trump’s agenda

As they did last year, elites from technology, Wall Street and sports and entertainment made appearances. They included billionaire hedge fund operator Kenneth Griffin of Citadel, who is moving his company to Miami and who sat on the panel with Suarez and Al-Falih.

Griffin said he appreciated the Trump Administration’s focus on growing the nation’s economy and enhancing productivity through technology.

“The one area the Trump Administration is spot-on-right about is we have to grow our economy,” he said. “You talk about investing with a purpose: The nation that’s rich in financial resources and a nation that’s rich in intellectual capital, is a nation that can solve any problem. If you lack either of those two you are truly rudderless. The focus in America in increasing productivity is spot-on-the-right focus.”

Silvina Moschini, the Miami-based founder of Unicorns, is developing a digital platform designed to help entrepreneurs secure funding while providing investors with access to high-potential companies. She told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that she has visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Dubai and garnered support. But she said she was glad to see the Biden Administration leave office as its securities regulators were effectively blocking what she hopes to accomplish in the cryptocurrency field.

She said she expects strong support from Trump’s administration, which has pledged to grow crypto’s usage in the economy.

Human rights abuses: “Whitewashed?”

Despite the conference’s emphasis on growing the economy and making improvements in education, healthcare and the environment, human rights groups would not let it pass without raising the kingdom’s track record for suppressing dissent and political opponents.

“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has used his unchecked control over the country’s nearly trillion-dollar Public Investment Fund to downplay and whitewash his abuses for years,” Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Hosting a glamorous investment conference in Miami is just the latest example of that kind of image laundering.”

The statement noted that a U.S. Senate subcommittee has investigated “Saudi influence in the U.S. via PIF investments and examining the risks of PIF investments in the U.S. economy.”

A conference spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

South Florida schools, once champions in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, are now reviewing their programs and curricula to ensure they don’t face backlash from the Trump administration, which has taken aim at what it see as “wokeness” in education.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights issued a letter to school districts and universities on Feb. 14 warning that certain diversity programs may violate federal law. Institutions and agencies were given 14 days to comply or potentially face a loss in federal funding.

“Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights for the U.S. Department of Education Department, wrote in the letter.

Some South Florida school officials insist they aren’t engaging in areas highlighted in the letter, such as “race-based preferences” for school admissions and services. They said they don’t expect any major changes right now as a result of the federal government’s anti-DEI push.

“The district adheres to all applicable state and federal laws, as well as relevant regulations,” a spokesman for Palm Beach County schools said. “We are continuously monitoring legal developments and will update School Board policies and district operations as required to ensure compliance.”

Broward Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he sees no changes needed right now for his district.

“We actually reviewed the letter and reviewed our systems, protocols, departments, and it doesn’t have any impact on us,” Hepburn said. “We don’t use any race-based strategies to support any decision-making that we do for our students and our staff.”

But some school officials also acknowledge the guidance they’ve received from the Trump administration so far has been limited and vague, so they may not have a full grasp of what areas the federal government may target.

“I am worried,” Broward School Board member Allen Zeman said, adding, “41% of our budget is from federal sources, which is a ton, and much of it is for the most needy students and schools.”

For years, efforts to promote racial diversity were common in school districts and even required by federal court orders. Busing was a common practice in the 1970s to achieve racial balance in schools. Race was a major factor used in school boundary decisions through the 1990s. And magnet and choice schools continued to factor race into their admissions policies into the 2000’s.

In recent years, the Broward school district has championed diversity efforts, such as offering a staff training program called “Courageous Conversations About Race” and using materials in schools opposed by many conservatives, such as the New York Times essay about slavery called “The 1619 Project.” Those efforts largely ended around 2021 after the state passed laws and regulations banning practices it viewed as “critical race theory.”

But local districts still maintain some diversity programs, including programs to promote minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as school clubs such as the Black Student Union, Latinos in Action and Gay-Straight Alliance.

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Hepburn said he doesn’t see the new orders affecting student groups, since the district isn’t creating them.

“Most of those types of groups are actually student-generated and student-led,” he said. “Students have the opportunity to create affinity groups to address certain needs that they see fit.”

At Wednesday’s Broward School Board meeting, Zeman asked General Counsel Marylin Batista whether the district’s efforts to recruit minority businesses runs afoul with any orders from the Trump administration.

Batista said the orders “have not touched upon businesses as of yet. We are certainly very aware of what is happening and how these executive orders are affecting student admissions, but so far, there hasn’t been anything that has percolated to that level.”

It’s also unclear whether any school department or job with words like equity and diversity in them could be challenged.

Palm Beach County has a position called “chief of equity and wellness,” currently held by Keith Oswald. But the division he leads, the Division of Wellness, focuses mainly on behavioral and mental health, rather than racial issues.

“There are no immediate changes to personnel or policies at this time,” a Palm Beach County spokesperson said.

Broward also has a department called “Equity, Diversity & School Climate.”

“These are long-standing departments in our school district and in many school districts,” Hepburn said. “And most of the actions that I interpret out of that letter, those departments do not do. They support students for student services issues such as mental health and things like that.”

It’s a trend that’s been building for a few years now.

Books by predominantly Black authors are being banned around the country. School curricula have been amended to skip the history lesson on slavery and racism. Critical Race Theory (CRT) — and anything that vaguely looks like it — is under attack. And the concept of “wokeness” has been misconstrued and weaponized.

Fast-forward to February 2025, and there’s been a doubling down on these attempts to erase Black history. President Trump’s anti-DEI, anti-“woke” rhetoric has led major companies and even many federal agencies to avoid observing Black History Month.

Tracey L. Rogers is an entrepreneur and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant. (courtesy, OtherWords)

As I consider the president’s campaign promise to “make America great again,” I wonder if he means to make America “white” again.

From failing to condemn white supremacists for their violent march in Charlottesville, Virginia, during his first term to blaming “diversity hires” for January’s plane crash in Washington, D.C., this year, Trump and his allies seem to have a difficult time acknowledging the diversity that actually makes this country great.

This has been especially true for Black people feeling the brunt of his executive orders. These haven’t just eliminated recent diversity and inclusion initiatives — one even rescinded an executive order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to end discriminatory practices mostly aimed at Black Americans.

During a speech at Howard University in 1965, Johnson said that Black Americans were “still buried under a blanket of history and circumstance.” Following widespread protests, it was Johnson who signed the landmark Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law. Now, both historic milestones are under threat by the attempts of Trump and many others to erode the social and economic gains made by Black Americans.

It’s as if we are reliving the nadir of race relations in America — the period after Reconstruction, when white supremacists regained power and tried to reverse the progress Black Americans made after the emancipation of enslaved people.

Today, from the U.S. Air Force removing coursework on the Tuskegee Airmen to orders by many federal agencies, including the military, canceling Black History Month celebrations, these extreme rollbacks will set a new precedent impacting all minority groups.

I can’t help but return to sentiments shared by The 1619 Project founder Nikole Hannah-Jones: “The same instinct that led powerful people to prohibit Black people from being able to read,” she wrote, is also “leading powerful people to try to stop our children from learning histories that would lead them to question the unequal society that we have as well.”

There is nothing comfortable about the history of Black Americans — it’s a history that shatters the myth of American exceptionalism. Nevertheless, Black history is American history. Instead of banning it, we must teach it.

It would be impossible to erase the legacy of Black people in this country. Ours is a legacy that endures — one that will continue to endure no matter who’s in the White House.

One thing Black people are going to do is to be Black — and proud. We don’t need a month to know that we stand on the shoulders of giants.

Having overcome enslavement, Jim Crow and more, our striving to thrive in a country with so-called leaders who would prefer to keep us living on the margins only exemplifies the America we aspire to. And it’s a fight that’s made this country better for struggling people of all races.

Like it or not, Black history is every day.

Tracey L. Rogers is an entrepreneur and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant in Philadelphia. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.

As a personal injury attorney specializing in in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo cases, I have witnessed the devastation of couples who have lost their future children due to medical negligence. These are not just cases of property loss or medical mishaps; they are stories of dreams shattered and families mourned before they even began.

Now, with recent immigration policies leading to increased deportations, a new and deeply troubling legal and ethical complexity arises for IVF clinics and the families they serve. Consider the following not from your personal beliefs about abortion and the beginning of personhood that blare from the news, but rather from the perspective of couples’ hopes for a family and their loss when it is not to be.

Andrew Rader is the founder of Rader Law Group. (courtesy, Andrew Rader)

What happens when legal immigrants, who have banked embryos in the United States with the hope of one day starting or growing their families, are suddenly forced to leave? What becomes of their embryos, the very essence of their future lineage, if they are denied access to them due to their legal status?

IVF is already a highly emotional and legally intricate process. With evolving definitions of embryo personhood and an increasing number of state-specific reproductive regulations, the forced separation of individuals from their embryos adds another distressing layer to an already fragile situation. Unlike material assets that can be transported across borders, embryos are subject to strict regulations, and international relocation often involves significant legal, medical and ethical hurdles. Deportees may find themselves in an impossible situation — unable to retrieve or use their embryos, potentially losing them forever.

Florida law explicitly treats pre-embryos as property. The state’s IVF statute stipulates that their disposition must be set forth in a contract in the event of an “unforeseen circumstance,” which presumably includes deportation. Additionally, Florida case law and judicial precedents in divorce cases classify embryos as assets, subject to legal distribution. However, this legal framework does not currently address the specific challenges that arise when individuals are deported and left unable to exercise their parental rights.

The financial implications further complicate matters. Embryo storage incurs ongoing costs, and deported individuals still technically retain ownership of their property in the United States. But what happens when a deportee can no longer pay? Typically, abandoned embryos are removed from storage and discarded as medical waste. However, if embryos are considered more than mere property — if they are granted some form of legal protection — then the state may ultimately inherit them. No state, including Florida, has established a fund for indefinite embryo preservation. As deportations increase, will the state be forced to assume responsibility for these embryos? And if so, what will that responsibility entail?

This issue raises fundamental legal and human rights concerns. Should immigration status determine one’s ability to become a parent? Should government policies have the power to sever the ties between individuals and their future children? IVF clinics must now consider how to navigate these evolving challenges. Should they advocate for legal exceptions allowing embryos to be transported across borders with fewer restrictions? Should policies be enacted to protect individuals from being permanently severed from their right to parenthood due to shifting immigration laws?

These are not just theoretical questions — they are urgent, pressing matters that demand attention from lawmakers, legal professionals and the medical community. Reproductive rights extend beyond access to medical treatment; they include the ability to maintain custody over one’s embryos and to exercise the fundamental right to build a family.

No one should have to grieve a child they never had the chance to carry — not because of medical failure, and certainly not because of political circumstance. The ties that bind us to our future children should not be severed by borders or bureaucracy. We must demand better protections, better policies and, above all, a recognition of the humanity at the core of this issue.

The founder of Rader Law Group, Andrew Rader is within the top 1% of board-certified lawyers recognized by the Florida Bar in civil trial practice. In addition to the law firm’s other work, Rader handles cases related to reproductive negligence (embryo destruction) and unregulated behavior in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) sector.

A recent letter to the editor claimed that Trump has kept his promises, but the evidence says otherwise.

In his first campaign, Trump made four promises that he failed to keep or doesn’t seem to remember: reduce the debt, lower the U.S. trade deficit, fix our crumbling infrastructure and launch a new health care plan to replace Obamacare.

It’s especially noteworthy that, instead of reducing a burdensome national debt, Trump boosted it by about $8 trillion, mainly by raising military spending and cutting revenues with tax cuts that mainly benefitted his billionaire friends.

Trump seems likely to repeat these policies in his second term, further increasing the national debt. In the opening weeks of his second term, he also backed away from his pledge to immediately bring down high consumer prices, and he has not fulfilled a promise to end the Ukraine war on inauguration day or sooner.

Trump pictures himself as the peace president, and one may still hope that he will take meaningful steps in that direction. But his first bursts of global action are not very promising. Whatever his shocking style so far, and his many unkept promises, most people everywhere, including this writer, will applaud him if he actually helps pull the world back from the brink of World War III.

 Irwin Shishko, Delray Beach

The wrong solution

I agree that repealing in-state tuition privileges for the children of those who arrived in Florida illegally is unfair.

Allowing them access to in-state tuition until they all graduated from college — the so-called glidepath — would have been the right thing to do instead.

Or, as an alternative, at least make them contract to provide public service or military service after graduation for a period of time. That would be a fairer option. To pull the rug out from under these students is essentially punishing the children for the sins of the parents.

Osvaldo Valdes, Hollywood

The fox in the henhouse

I applaud any effort to eliminate fraud and waste in government spending.

But putting someone in charge of that who also receives billions of dollars from the federal government?

Who’s going to ferret out possible waste and fraud by that person? Oh, yes, I forgot — the inspector generals were fired.

J.D. Hirschel, Highland Beach

Bondi in sharper focus

Right out of the gate, Pam Bondi, Trump’s new attorney general, is living up (or down, if you prefer) to the low expectations she earned in Florida by staining her tenure with the shamelessness Trump spreads to everyone who serves at his pleasure.

The DOJ’s dismissal of federal corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York City is a thinly veiled quid pro quo deal by which the mayor will allow unchallenged immigrant purges in the city that sits in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.

The charges will be set aside with this dismissal, but anytime Trump wants Adams to deliver something, he can just dial up Bondi to pull them out of her desk drawer and wave them at Adams.

New York City, and by extension the United States, should now have a clear picture of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Carroll Billups, Fort Lauderdale

Please submit a letter to the editor by email to letterstotheeditor@sunsentinel.com or fill out the online form below. Letters may be up to 200 words and must be signed with your email address, city of residence and daytime phone number for verification. Letters will be edited for clarity and length. 

 

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Today is Sunday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2025. There are 311 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 23, 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised two American flags. (The second flag-raising was captured in an iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press.)

Also on this date:

In 1836, the siege of the Alamo by Mexican troops began in San Antonio, Texas.

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In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area around Guantanamo Bay to the United States.

In 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California.

In 1980, American Eric Heiden completed his sweep of the five men’s speed skating events at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, by winning the men’s 10,000-meter race in world record time; Heiden was the first athlete to win five gold medals in a single Winter Olympics.

In 2011, in a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.

In 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on a residential Georgia street; a white father and son had armed themselves and pursued him after seeing him running through their neighborhood. (Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted of murder, aggravated assault and other charges and were sentenced to life in prison.)

In 2021, golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured when his SUV crashed into a median and rolled over several times on a steep road in suburban Los Angeles.

In 2023, a federal judge handed singer R. Kelly a 20-year prison sentence for his convictions that include producing child sexual abuse materials and federal sex trafficking charges., but said he would serve nearly all of the sentence simultaneously with a 30-year sentence imposed a year earlier on racketeering charges.

Today’s birthdays:

• Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff is 82.
• Actor Patricia Richardson is 74.
• Singer Howard Jones is 70.
• Japanese Emperor Naruhito is 65.
• Actor Kristin Davis is 60.
• Business executive Michael Dell is 60.
• TV personality-business executive Daymond John is 56.
• Actor Niecy Nash is 55.
• Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland is 54.
• Country singer Steve Holy is 53.
• Actor Kelly Macdonald is 49.
• Rapper Residente, born René Juan Pérez Joglar, is 47.
• Actor Josh Gad is 44.
• Actor Emily Blunt is 42.
• Actor Aziz Ansari is 42.
• Actor Dakota Fanning is 31.

Akaitcho communities ‘to offer free home inspections’  Cabin Radio

By ALANIS THAMES

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Telasco Segovia scored the tying goal on an assist by Lionel Messi in the 10th minute of stoppage time, and Inter Miami played New York City FC to a 2-2 draw in their MLS opener Saturday night.

On his second assist of the night, Messi hit a through ball to Segovia, who in his MLS debut finished with a nice shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner.

Inter Miami had played much of the second half down a goal. New York’s Alonso Martínez got an easy one past Oscar Ustari after Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba mistakenly made a pass directly to Martínez to put New York up 2-1 in the 55th minute.

But Messi, last season’s MLS MVP, helped his team rally, showing no signs of fatigue in his second match in three days.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner made his mark early. Just 72 hours after scoring the winner against Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup’s first round, Messi took a pass from Alba in the fifth minute Saturday. Messi then fed it to Toto Aviles, who tapped it past New York’s Matthew Freese to the bottom left corner of the goal to put Miami ahead 1-0.

Aviles drew a red card later in the first on a late sliding tackle inside the box, forcing Miami to play with 10 men the rest of the way and setting up the tying goal that Mitja Ilenic scored on a bit of trickery. On a free kick, Santi Rodriguez sent a low pass to Ilenic, who Inter Miami did not account for lined up far to the left of their defensive line.

Ilenic fired a cross-body shot to the far post, as the smattering of New York fans at Chase Stadium erupted in cheers that lasted until the waning minutes of the match.

Miami entered this season with high expectations after finishing atop the Eastern Conference last year and winning the Supporters Shield before being surprisingly eliminated by Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.

Under new head coach Javier Mascherano, they’re hoping to repeat their dominance.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

By TIM REYNOLDS

CORAL GABLES — Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas has agreed to become the next head coach at Miami, pending the completion of contract negotiations, a person with knowledge of the matter said Saturday night.

Lucas and the Hurricanes will work toward finalizing that contract in the coming weeks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side has confirmed any details publicly.

Part of those negotiations would include when Lucas would leave the Blue Devils and start with the Hurricanes, whose regular season ends March 8. The postseason — even an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament berth — is unlikely for Miami, which fell to 2-14 in the ACC and 6-21 overall with a loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday night.

Duke, meanwhile, is an NCAA Tournament lock and potential national championship contender led by player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg. That means the Blue Devils could play until early April; the transfer portal opens on March 24, and it’s likely that Miami would want a new coach in place by then to begin the process of rebuilding a roster.

In a bit of ironic timing, Duke plays at Miami on Tuesday night — though it’s not believed that Lucas and the Hurricanes will complete contract negotiations by then. At Miami, Lucas would take over for Jim Larrañaga, who stepped down suddenly in December and was replaced on an interim basis by longtime Miami associate head coach Bill Courtney.

The Hurricanes went to the Final Four two seasons ago and started last season with 11 wins in their first 13 games. But since early January 2024, Miami has gone 10-36 — the worst record of any Division I power conference school in that span — and 6-29 against ACC opponents.

On Saturday night in Coral Gables, Jaydon Young scored 27 points, Ben Burnham added 14 and the pair combined for six 3-pointers in the second half to help Virginia Tech beat Miami 81-68.

The score was tied at 38 at the break and Miami opened the second half on a 10-4 surge for a 48-42 advantage with 15:14 remaining. Burnham answered with consecutive 3-pointers and ended a 33-11 run with another 3 to give Virginia Tech a 75-59 lead with about five minutes left.

Blanche Ely alum A.J. Staton-McCray, who entered seven points shy of surpassing 1,000 career points, made four 3s and scored 21 points to lead Miami (6-21, 2-14). Lynn Kidd added 16 points, Paul Djobet had 12 points and Brandon Johnson 10.

Duke — No. 3 this week in the AP Top 25 — was playing Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York against Illinois. The website CanesInsight first reported an agreement between the Hurricanes and Lucas.

The 36-year-old Lucas — the son of former NBA coach John Lucas — has been on coach Jon Scheyer’s staff at Duke for the past three years, the most recent two of those as the associate head coach.

Lucas is considered a top recruiter and was primarily responsible for Duke winning the race to sign twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer last fall. The Boozer twins, the sons of former Duke star and NBA player Carlos Boozer, live in Miami — and were a top target of the Hurricanes as well.

Lucas also is Duke’s defensive coordinator, the Blue Devils said. He worked at Kentucky for two seasons as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, joining the Wildcats after seven years at Texas — his alma mater — where he started as a special assistant, then director of basketball operations and eventually became an assistant coach.

Lucas started his college playing career at Florida, starting 36 games for the Gators in the 2007-08 season, before transferring to Texas. He played professional basketball briefly, including a stint with the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce — the Miami Heat’s affiliate in the developmental league.

SUNRISE — Former Florida Panther Jared McCann scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Seattle Kraken held on to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions 2-1 on Saturday night.

The Kraken was propelled by a questionable goaltender interference call against Evan Rodrigues on a late-second-period goal by  Mackie Samoskevich, which had seemingly given the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Rodrigues was clearly pushed into the goalie crease and kept there by Josh Mahura, who played for Florida last year, as the puck went into the net, but the officials still pulled the goal off the board.

Kaappo Kakko also had a goal and Joey Daccord stopped 26 shots for the Kraken, who snapped a three-game losing skid and split the two-game season series against the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers.

Eetu Luostarinen scored for Florida, which played without star forward Matthew Tkachuk after he suffered a lower body injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off while representing the United States.

With the game tied at 1, Shane Wright entered Florida’s zone and centered a pass to Adam Larsson, who found McCann on the left wing. McCann flipped a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky at 7:03 to put the Kraken ahead.

Seattle struck early on Kakko’s power-play goal 6:32 into the first period. Kakko took Matty Beniers’ pass by the left circle and then moved near the crease, where he beat Bobrovsky on the short side for his 10th goal of the season.

Luostarinen’s goal on an assist from Anton Lundell midway through the second period tied at 1.

Takeaways

Panthers: The loss snapped a five-game home win streak. Florida also had won nine of 12 before the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Key stat

In addition to Daccord’s 26 saves, the Kraken blocked 15 shots. Former Panthers defenseman Brad Montour, in his first game at Florida since signing with Seattle as a free agent in the offseason, had three blocks.

Up next

The Panthers are at Nashville on Tuesday.

Today is Saturday, Feb. 22, the 53rd day of 2025. There are 312 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 22, 1980, the “Miracle on Ice” took place at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviet Union, 4-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal two days later with a 4-2 victory over Finland.)

Also on this date:

In 1732, the first president of the United States, George Washington, was born in Westmoreland County in the Virginia Colony.

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In 1784, a U.S. merchant ship, the Empress of China, left New York for the first trade voyage of an American ship to China.

In 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 race was held; although Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, the victory was later awarded to Lee Petty.

In 1967, more than 25,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Junction City, aimed at smashing a Vietcong stronghold near the Cambodian border.

In 1997, scientists in Scotland announced they had successfully cloned an adult mammal for the first time, a sheep they named “Dolly.”

In 2010, Najibullah Zazi (nah-jee-BOO’-lah ZAH’-zee), accused of buying products from beauty supply stores to make bombs for an attack on New York City subways, pleaded guilty to charges including conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction. (Zazi faced up to life in prison but spent nearly a decade after his arrest helping the U.S. identify and prosecute terrorists; he was given a 10-year sentence followed by supervised release.)

In 2021, the number of U.S. deaths from COVID-19 topped 500,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Today’s birthdays:

• Actor Paul Dooley is 97.
• Actor James Hong is 96.
• Actor Julie Walters is 75.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is 75.
• Golf Hall of Famer Amy Alcott is 69.
• Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 66.
• Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh is 62.
• Hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine is 60.
• Actor-comedian Rachel Dratch is 59.
• Actor Paul Lieberstein (TV: “The Office) is 58.
• Actor Jeri Ryan is 57.
• Actor Thomas Jane is 56.
• Actor-singer Lea Salonga is 54.
• Tennis Hall of Famer Michael Chang is 53.
• Singer James Blunt is 51.
• Actor Drew Barrymore is 50.

OAKLAND PARK — Northeast freshman guard Shanesha Johnson scored on a layup with 38.7 seconds left in the game and Blanche Ely’s freshman guard Deanna Lobban was off the mark with her 3-point attempt from the corner at the buzzer as the host Hurricanes punched their ticket to the girls’ basketball final four in Lakeland for the first time in school history.

Next, there was the Gatorade bath for Northeast girls basketball coach Lawrence Hanna in front of the team’s bench after the Hurricanes topped the visiting Tigers 56-54 in a Class 5A regional final on Friday night before a sold-out, standing-room-only crowd.

Northeast senior guard Ny’Keria Flowers regains her footing as Blanche Ely’s Aniyah Gooden and Maiyah Standifer defend in the Class 5A regional championship on Friday night. Flowers finished with a game-high 26 points as the host Hurricanes advanced to the girls state basketball semifinals for the first time in school history with a come-from-behind 56-54 victory. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)

Then came more waterworks, this time in the form of tears for Hurricanes junior guard Jazmine Jones. Jones, after tearing her ACL and cartilage in her freshman year, has finally come back to hit her stride this year.

“This means so much to me,” said an emotional Jones. “I put in so much work to get back on the court after my injury. I didn’t play that well last year when I first got back, but now I am playing the way I know I can. This win and this season (so far) makes up for the times I had to sit and wait to play ball again.”

It was another day at the office for senior Northeast guard Ny’Keria Flowers who poured in a game-high 26 points and rallied the Hurricanes (28-2) from two second-half, eight-point deficits to pull out the team’s 12th straight victory. She had also rallied her team from 10 down in the fourth quarter in the BCAA Big 8 championship win over five-time defending state champion St. Thomas. She was named MVP for that tournament.

“This was a big game for us, and it is great to make school history and go to states,” said Flowers, who scored 13 points in the third quarter, including six free throws. This is her first year at the school after transferring from Dillard. “This is what I came here to do. If they need me to score I can do that. If they need me to play defense, I’ll do that too. We are going to Lakeland.”

Blanche Ely Maiyah Standifer drives on Northeast sophomore Brianna Lovett on Friday night in the Class 5A regional championship game. The host Hurricanes advanced to the girls state basketball semifinals for the first time in school history with a come-from-behind 56-54 victory. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)

Northeast sophomore forward Brianna Lovett also added 10 points.

Northeast jumped out to a 12-7 lead with 1:29 left in the first quarter when Jones made one of two free throws. The Hurricanes led by as many as nine points at 20-11 on a short jumper by Lovett with 5:31 left in the second quarter. The Tigers clawed back to take a 31-26 halftime lead as Tigers’ junior guard Teriyah McFadden had six of her team-high 17 points, while senior small forward Amari Johnson had seven of her 12 points in the quarter.

Blanche Ely extended the lead to eight points twice in the third, but Jones and Flowers took care of that in just 42.8 seconds. Trailing 44-36, Jones converted a three-point play and then hit two free throws to cut the lead to 44-41 while Flowers banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game and give the Hurricanes momentum.

The game see-sawed in the final period before Blanche Ely took its final lead of the game at 54-52 on two free throws by sophomore power forward Maiyah Standifer with 1:25 to go. Jones tied the game with a steal and a layup at 54-54 with 58 seconds to go.

Northeast knew early on in the year that a trip to the state championship final four could be in the cards as they opened the year winning nine straight games. Their two losses came in holiday tournaments, first to Owensboro Catholic (Kentucky), and a second to perennial state power Miami Country Day.

Northeast sophomore guard Ya’Niyah Young drives to the basket against Blanche Ely in the Class 5A regional championship on Friday night. The host Hurricanes advanced to the girls state basketball semifinals for the first time in school history with a come-from-behind 56-54 victory. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)

The 28 wins is a school record, but Hanna and his team want more.

“We have demonstrated all year that there is no quit in them,” Hanna said. “We have been down before and come back to win, so they know the feeling. We were down by 17 in a game and won…down by 10 in the BCAA Big 8 and came back to beat St. Thomas Aquinas. We were down eight tonight, and we just played hard defense, forced them to miss shots, and did what it takes to win.

“We have been making history all season, so why not more?” added Hanna, who is in his fourth year with the school. “This is what I had hoped for when I came here.”

Blanche Ely (17-8) freshman guard Aniyah Gooden added nine points.

“We fought through adversity, and we couldn’t execute down the stretch, but they played their hearts out,” said Blanche Ely coach James Green. “We had to control the pace, and we didn’t control the pace. They are a good team, and they are well-coached. We just didn’t take care of the ball.”

Jaelynn Housey (2) of Nova gets fouled by Sakura Barnes (1) of Southridge during the first half of the 6A regional final high school girls basketball game. Friday , Feb. 21, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).

Regional finals

Friday

6A

(4) Miami Southridge 65, (2) Nova 54

5A

(1) Northeast 56, (2) Blanche Ely 54

4A

(1) American Heritage 81, (3) Mater Lakes Academy 33

3A

(1) Somerset Academy-Canyons 76, (3) King’s Academy 53

2A

(1) Miami Country Day 47, (2) Westminster Academy 32

1A

(1) Grandview Prep 73, (3) Schoolhouse Prep 45

State semifinal schedule

In Lakeland

(Matchups, dates as published by fhsaa.com as of Saturday morning)

5A

Northeast vs. Clearwater, Wednesday, March 5, time TBA

4A

American Heritage vs. Sarasota Booker, Tuesday, March 4, time TBA

3A

Somerset Academy-Canyons vs. Miami SLAM, Friday, time TBA

1A

Grandview Prep vs. Keswick Christian, Tuesday, time TBA

Kimora Exum (3) of Nova drives past Emily Jean-Glaude (3) of Southridge during the first half of the 6A regional final high school girls basketball game. Friday , Feb. 21, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).

General Daily Insight for February 22, 2025

Getting our ongoing story straight could be a challenge. While the adventurous Sagittarius Moon argues with disruptive Uranus, practical details might get in the way of a compelling narrative. Luna then engages with deceptive Neptune, so we may be tempted to push forward with our tale anyway. When the Moon slides into serious Capricorn at 6:09 pm EST, however, reality is likely to have its say. In the end, it could be a relief to stop fighting for something that doesn’t quite work!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Living in accordance with your beliefs could challenge you at the moment. Perhaps you’ll realize that you’re spending an uncomfortable amount of money to do what you’re convinced is right. Taking the opportunity to sort through what motivates your views might help. You’ve probably picked up inspiration from a variety of sources over the years, but some of it may not be relevant to your present circumstances. You’ll have to summon your powers of discernment — no one else can do this for you.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Pushing back against someone who’s gotten too entangled in your private affairs may seem necessary now. While the needy Moon in your 8th House of Intimacy provokes independent Uranus in your sign, there’s a risk that you’ll hurt this person’s feelings in the process — and they might then rally others to take their side. Whatever you ultimately do, try to be sure you have a clear view of the big picture. Identify the circumstances that would make short-term pain worth the trouble.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

A companion could hit some of your sore spots today. Though you probably don’t like the idea of being dominated, maybe you also don’t want to push back against someone who seems to have it harder than you. As a result, your desire to assert yourself might wind up squelched as the mopey Moon in your partnership zone challenges individualistic Uranus in your inhibited 12th house. Telling the other person what you’re feeling is a big risk, but it may ultimately transform your relationship.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

You may have an opportunity to shift your schedule on short notice. Regardless of any genuine interest you have in catching up on a backlog of practical tasks, receiving a social invite has the potential (for better or worse) to lure your nose away from the grindstone. As the sensitive Moon slides into your 7th House of Relationships, you’re probably hungry for emotional connection. If the encounter you’re considering is realistically capable of providing that for you, you might as well go for it!

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Your public presentation may be at odds with your private preferences today. Once you’re aware of this, you might wonder what’s ethically required of you in terms of telling the whole truth. After the fluctuating Moon pushes into your grounded 6th house, your dilemma could simplify — what keeps your current activities flowing smoothly? Perfection isn’t a realistic goal for anyone, so it’s okay for you to acknowledge the limitations of a particular environment and figure out how to function within it.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

You might be more conflicted than you expect about an opportunity to go on an adventure. Even if you may intellectually understand that a proposed trip is exciting, you’re not wrong for simultaneously craving the comforts of home as the delicate Moon in your domestic 4th house disagrees with bold Uranus in your 9th House of Expansion. Talking through your feelings with any prospective travel buddies could be decisive. If they aren’t able to calmly hear you out, that’s not a good sign.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Deciding how much to reveal in a casual conversation could currently be complicated. As the perceptive Moon in your 3rd House of Communication stimulates bolt-from-the-blue Uranus in your intimacy zone, you may know that sharing a specific piece of information would pierce any facades so you can get to the heart of a matter you’re discussing. Its usefulness aside, it’s also probably something you can’t unsay. Be realistic about how important it is for the person you’re communicating with to understand the situation.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Maintaining control over your money or possessions could be comforting for you. In contrast, you might feel like you have to choose between that and closeness with someone else as the anxious Moon in your 2nd House of Resources misreads uncomfortable Uranus in your partnership sector. Talking to your companion to clarify expectations may be beneficial for both of you. If it turns out they’re not trying to interfere with your stuff, you’ll have to look at other potential triggers for your worries.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Committing to life in the physical world might be unappealing for you at this time. As the emotional Moon in your sign conflicts with shifty Neptune in your 4th House of Roots, you may intensely desire some ideal outcome that just isn’t plausible in reality. You are actually capable of improving your circumstances, but the process of doing so probably won’t look the way you expect it to look. Do your best to be flexible and pay attention to what flows naturally.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Keeping a secret could become awkward today. No matter how much you’re generally interested in expressing yourself, there’s likely a significant issue you’re dancing around as the candid Moon in your private 12th house prods foggy Neptune in your communication sector. Unfortunately, you’re probably correct that whatever validation you crave on that front isn’t a credible possibility at this time. There might be something less controversial going on in your life that people can get excited about, so try to direct their attention there.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Insecurity could lead you down a bad road. While the nervous Moon in your community zone agitates nebulous Neptune in your 2nd House of Resources, you may believe your peers are all financially better off than you are. Although they might have certain expensive commitments that you don’t, the other side of being unattached is that you’re potentially freer to experiment with additional possibilities. You can still want what you want, but try to see the positive in what you already have.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

A careless comment has the risk of becoming more public than you’d prefer. Maybe having your true opinion out in the open will ultimately be a relief! As the connection-craving Moon in your ambitious 10th house relates tensely with diffuse Neptune in your sign, attempting to be everything to everyone could be causing you more stress than you realize. A clear statement, even one that’s a little awkward, might make it possible for the people who get you to find you.

The Somerset Academy Canyons girls basketball team is heading to the state final four for the first time in school history. Freshman Alana Pinnock scored 16 points and the host Cougars delivered a dominant performance in a 76-53 victory against King’s Academy in a Class 3A regional final on Friday night.

Somerset Academy Canyons (20-7) advances to the Class 3A state semifinal on Feb. 28.

The Cougars defeated the Lions for the third time this season after a 63-55 win on Jan. 21 and a 55-53 victory in the district championship on Feb. 6.

The Cougars had previously reached the regional quarterfinal in 2023 and the regional final in 2024.

“We are a young group and to be able to make it to the final four is a huge step for our program,” Somerset Academy Canyons coach Anthony McCutcheon said. “We have been stepping toward this for a long time. It’s special.”

Somerset Academy Canyons jumped out to a 14-2 advantage and had a 22-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

King’s Academy (20-8) trailed 33-21 in the second quarter before the Cougars pulled away with an 8-0 run for a 41-21 lead at halftime.

The Cougars started the third quarter on a 14-2 spurt to make it 55-23 and entered the fourth quarter with a 60-39 advantage.

“It’s amazing that we finally got to play to our max potential,” Pinnock said. “This game showed how good we really are. I think it’s great to make history. After coming up short last year, we pushed ourselves. It’s been an enjoyable experience.”

Pinnock leads the team in scoring, rebounds, assists steals and blocked shots this season.

“I am extremely proud and she works hard everyday,” McCutcheon said. “She is the best freshman in the state and one of the best freshman in the country. It’s just a culmination of her hard work and dedication to our team and her craft.”

Sophomore Delanie Doty added 14 points, which included four 3-pointers.

[Delanie] has been probably our most consistent player all year long, knocking down 3’s, playing defense, being scrappy,” McCutcheon said. “She came ready to play and she was able to knock down some early 3’s that gave us the lead.”

Somerset Academy Canyons rolled past North Broward Prep 66-30 in the regional quarterfinal and they defeated Bishop Verot 61-44 in the regional semifinal.

King’s Academy cruised to a 65-27 victory against St. Andrew’s in the regional quarterfinal and defeated Lincoln Park Academy 57-55 in the regional semifinal.

Senior Brielle George had a team-high 13 points and junior Madelyn Buccilli added 11 points for the Lions in the regional final. Senior Jade Jones, a Houston signee, recorded 10 points in the loss.

“We have been to this game four years in a row,” King’s Academy coach Chris Race said. “Our bar is this at a minimum. We played a really hard schedule to prepare for these games. They were on fire and there was not a whole lot we can do. That is the best I have seen them play. They have a great team and played really well.”

TORONTO – Observations and other notes of interest from Friday night’s 120-111 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors:

– We have moved beyond pretence.

– Countless times over the past two days, Erik Spoelstra has mentioned the total of games remaining in the regular season.

– That meant a constant volley of 29s from the Heat coach heading into Friday night’s game.

– With a torrent of 28s to follow as the Heat move on to Sunday’s game in Milwaukee.

– Such is life for a team with practically no margin for error in a playoff race driven by the hope of avoiding the play-in round for a third consecutive year.

– Not, not an easy night.

– But a necessary result.

– “This is a great time of year,” Spoelstra said going in. “If you’re a competitor, you absolutely love when everything just ramps up and you feel the intensity of the games, you feel the impact, you feel the meaning of much more, in terms of the standings and all that. Hopefully that brings out the best in us. Hopefully it brings out a higher level.”

– With the Bucks and Hawks to follow, the Heat appreciated the need for a solid start to the trip.

– “Obviously this is a road trip we can actually come out and actually get off to a great start,” center Bam Adebayo said going in. “So looking to do that and we build off of that.”

– Of heading into the post-break stretch of the schedule, forward Andrew Wiggins said at the morning shootaround, “You just got to know every game is important. Every game you have to play with a sense of desperation because every game matters.”

– The Heat got back to their preferred post-trade starting lineup of Adebayo, Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell, having lost the lone previous game with those five starting, the mostly competitive loss in Oklahoma City.

– In the four previous games since the Jimmy Butler trade, the newcomers sat out the loss in Brooklyn, Herro was ill for the home loss to the Celtics, with Wiggins and Adebayo out for the loss in Dallas.

– The Raptors opened with a lineup of RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Orlando Robinson, Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley.

– Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic entered together first off the Heat bench.

– Jovic had missed the morning shootaround due to a stomach illness.

– Terry Rozier made it eight deep.

– It stayed that way until Alec Burks entered midway through the second period.

– Playing ahead of Jaime Jaquez, Haywood Highsmith, Pelle Larsson and Kyle Anderson, among others.

– Assistant coach Malik Allen was ill and not with the Heat for the game. Assistant Eric Glass instead moved to the front of the bench. Also, assistant Octavio De La Grana remained in Miami to work with Kevin Love, who was away for personal reasons.

– The game was a continuation of a 27-day span for the Heat with just one home game. The run ends Monday in Atlanta, with a home game then Wednesday against the Hawks.

– It was Herro’s 77th consecutive regular-season game scoring in double figures. As a means of comparison, Jimmy Butler’s longest such Heat streak was 63 consecutive games. The franchise record is 294 by LeBron James.

– Mitchell’s eighth point was the 2,000th of his career.

– For the second consecutive game the Heat faced an undersized, shorthanded opponent, this time with Toronto without Jakob Poeltl. The Heat went into the All-Star break off a loss to a Mavericks team without a single rotational power player.

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– “This is the league,” Spoelstra said. “You’re going to face small-ball units, usually with the second unit. But then if teams have injuries, you can expect it at some point and maybe extensively. We have to find solutions to it, no matter. Whatever the game calls for, we have to address it and find a way to get over the top.”

– Part of that equation, Spoelstra said, is Ware learning to play against power forwards.

– “Right now, the last few games, teams have been putting the four on him,” Spoelstra said. “He’s going to figure that out and then maybe it will swing back. Then he has to deal with the fives and Bam will have to deal with the fours. Whatever it is, we have to find solutions.”

– The Raptors’ lack of bodies in the middle opened the door for Orlando Robinson to start for Toronto.

– “That’s his NBA ability, is perseverance and his work ethic,” Spoelstra said. “He will just continue to grind and work, and that’s why we thought he was a great fit with us and that’s why I always respect guys like that – when they’ve been told no a bunch of different times and doors have been closed for them and they find a way to get the door open a crack and then bust through the door.”

– Spoelstra added, “I think this is a good fit for him here because they do value player development and he’s all about the work. So I continue to root for him.”

– Ahead of the game, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković spoke about Mitchell’s season in Toronto prior to the trading deadline.

– “He was a great teammate from day one when he joined us,” Rajaković said. “He was very vocal. He was huge always for our rookies. He was always there, always supportive, playing, not playing, starting, not starting. He was always upbeat and positive and trying to reflect that energy on the team.”

– Rajaković added, “One thing that I really, really respect about him is he’s a basketball junkie. He was every morning coming very early to the facility and always invested, always wanted to watch more film, talk basketball.”