FORT LAUDERDALE — St. Thomas Aquinas High School took another step in its quest for another boys basketball state title on Monday, taking out the reigning state champion William T. Dwyer Panthers and moving within a win of the state finals in Lakeland.

The Crusaders (21-6) dominated the Panthers, who won the Class 7A state title a year ago, 57-27 in second-round playoff action. Aquinas faces top-seeded Pembroke Pines Charter on Friday in the region final.

“It feels good, but we expected to win. We expected to come out here and play the way we normally play, which starts on the defensive end and then just execute offensively,” Aquinas head coach Julius Sandi said. “My guys were able to do that, so it’s a good feeling. We got a step closer to our goal and what we planned for the season, and that’s a state championship.”

Sandi’s Crusaders were led by none other than his two sons, Aquinas’ duo of standout youngsters, D.J. and Kellson “K.J.” Sandi. Kellson, a freshman guard, led all scorers with a game-high 17 points, followed by the sophomore, D.J., who ended the night with 15 points.

But even more than the family affair they had going on offense, Aquinas’ victory was defined by a stalwart effort on defense.

“We came out with great energy on the defensive end,” said D.J. Sandi. “Our motto is to be great defensively, and when our defense is going no one can stop us.”

Dwyer, which entered the matchup averaging almost 66 points per game in the playoffs and coming off a 72-point performance in the quarterfinals, was held to a season-low 27 points by the Crusaders. In the second half, Aquinas held the Panthers to just 7 points.

“We knew they liked to attack the offensive glass. So we made sure, when they missed, to get extra bodies on their guys,” Julius Sandi said. “[Dwyer] is a good team, they’re the defending state champions and I have a lot of respect for them. But at the end of the day, it just came down to defensive rebounding and just being able to execute.”

Aquinas started the night off hot, scoring consecutively on the first three possessions to take an early lead, and then did not allow the Panthers to hold a lead even once.

After ending the first quarter with a 16-12 lead, Kellson Sandi sank the first of his four 3-pointers sparking a dominant second quarter in which Aquinas outscored Dwyer 17-8. Aquinas went into halftime leading 33-20 — the largest lead to that point.

The Crusaders' defensive effort only improved in the second half. Dwyer was limited to just 5 points in the third quarter, as the Sandi brothers continued to display their chemistry on the other end.

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D.J. Sandi’s crossover into a layup that sent the home crowd into a frenzy, followed by 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Kellson Sandi put Aquinas up by 21 with 2½ minutes in the third.

The Crusaders extended their lead in the fourth, limiting the Panthers to just a single basket in the quarter as they rolled to a 30-point 57-27 victory.

This is exactly where Aquinas’ season was cut short a year ago when it fell in the regional semifinals to Pembroke Pines Charter. Now, after a dominant win in the semifinals, they’ll get their rematch with Pembroke Pines in the regional finals on Monday, this time with a state finals appearance at stake.

“Last year we were so close. We were playing at home in the same type of game and we came up 2 points short,” Julius Sandi said. “At St. Thomas, we thrive on winning state championships, so that’s really our goal and that’s the mindset I’ve taken over here with the program.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dwyer basketball's title defense ends in resounding loss at Aquinas