JACKSONVILLE — Evans High got off to a near perfect start in its FHSAA Class 6A boys basketball state championship game against No. 1 ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans were moving the ball, making shots and getting stops as they built a nine-point first-quarter lead.

But the second quarter was a completely different story, as Evans struggled to get anything to go right while the Raiders scored 26 points to take charge. Aquinas (28-4) won 67-51 to beat the Trojans (23-8) for the title for the second year in a row in a new venue — the University of North Florida arena.

“The first quarter we rebounded the ball and contested their shots. That’s what got us going,”  Evans coach Lonza Morgan said. “Second quarter, we let them get second shots, and we let the guard (Clarence Westbrook Jr.) get loose.”

Westbrook was scoreless in the first quarter but finished with 21 points.

Evans’ start was near perfect. The Trojans shot 5-of-9 in the first quarter while Aquinas went 1-for-13. Sophomore guard Jakai Hardy made a 3-pointer off a swing play 4:32 into the game and hit another trey the next time downcourt for a 10-3 lead. Pint-sized point guard Kadir Rackley, who starred in the Trojans’ semifinal win against Lake Howell, dribbled into the lane for a floater that upped the margin to 12-3. The next time down illustrated how good it was going for Evans when Rackey launched a jumper that bounced almost to the top of the glass and fell through the nets for a 14-5 lead to end the opening period.

Everything changed in the next eight minutes. Aquinas started the second on an 8-0 run to pull to within 14-13. The Raiders went ahead on a second-chance basket by Westbrook after an Evans defensive rebound was stripped away.

Aquinas broke an 18-18 tie with an 11-0 run that included three more Westbrook baskets. At the other end, Evans got just one basket in a 7:32 stretch and was outscored 26-6 in the pivotal second quarter.

It didn’t help that the Trojans’ big man, little man senior duo of Rackley and 6-foot-10 center Dewayne Dixon both got into foul trouble. Junior guard Abimael Belleus, Evans’ leading scorer for the season, was called for four fouls and held to six points.

Evans opened the second half with 3-point shots by junior Abimael Belleus and sophomore Jakai Hardy, followed by a scoop shot by Belleus that trimmed the deficit to 34-28. But Aquinas answered with a 10-1 run to solidify its hold.

Evans loses heartbreaker to No. 1 Aquinas in FHSAA 6A basketball final

“We came back six times to win when we were down this season, and we tried to make a push. But we couldn’t get stops,” Morgan said. “That foul trouble and that second quarter took a lot out of us.”

Hardy led Evans with 17 points. He made 6 of his 13 shot attempts and was 5-of-10 on 3-pointers.

Rackley, a 5-4 ballhandler, had nine points and six rebounds but sat out nearly 12 minutes of play. Dixon had five points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in just over 25 of the 32 minutes.

“I wish we could have done more for our seniors,” Hardy said. “We just stopped doing what was working. I’m a sophomore, and I’ll just get ready for next year.”

The Trojans return six players who dressed for the final and Morgan said, “We will definitely be back again.”

Evans lost a semifinal as a 7A school in 2024 and is the 6A state runner-up two years in a row.

Evans’ loss coupled with final four defeats for Oak Ridge, Lake Mary, Lake Howell and Central Florida Christian Academy marks the fourth year in a row in which no Orlando area boys basketball teams captured a state title. Before that there were 14 local champs in a seven-year span (2016-22) that was historic. That streak of success included five Orlando Christian Prep titles, two by Kissimmee Osceola and Leesburg; and the first for Central Florida Christian Academy, Dr. Phillips, Oak Ridge, Poinciana and Windermere Prep.

Orlando area girls teams were shut out for the second consecutive season. No winners in 2025 and this year came after a 21-season streak with at least one female title team (2004-24).

That run included 31 championships by 13 different schools: Lake Highland Prep (7), Dr. Phillips (6), Edgewater (4), Jones (2), Lake Mary (2),The First Academy (2), Wekiva (2) and one each for Bishop Moore, City of Life Christian, Faith Christian, Lake Howell, Orlando Christian Prep and Pine Castle Christian.

Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.