Boozer twins combine for 42 as Columbus dispatches Doral

Explorers cruise into regional finals on Friday

MIAMI, FLORIDA – During the 7A regional semifinals, the Columbus Explorers were far too much for the Doral Academy Firebirds, winning 69-29.

As expected, the twin sons and elite class of 2025 recruits of former Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer were the key components of the Columbus victory.

The 6-foot-8 Cameron Boozer finished the evening with 22 points, while his 6-foot-3 brother Cayden Boozer went for 20 points. What they did when they were not scoring was actually more important, and that was from the opening tip onward.

Twin brothers Cameron (left) and Cayden Boozer combined for 42 points in Columbus' regional semifinal rout of Doral / Photo by Brian Smith

Columbus was ranked No. 7 in the SBLive Sports national rankings for a reason. It’s a team that has excellent discipline and execution; the Boozer twins made sure their squad stayed the course by operating play calls from the top of the key that allowed teammates to get excellent looks at the rim from inside and out, as well as getting their own shots off.

Even with Doral Academy guards Maximo Ortega and Gabe Hernandez handling the Columbus full-court and half-court traps fairly well for the early portion of the game, the Explorers still jumped out to a 19-10 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Ortega and Hernandez finished with 11 and 8 points respectively, but by the middle of the second quarter the drama from the game was already surpassed.

Bigger, faster, stronger, and quite frankly more skilled, those qualities defined Columbus and their offensive and defensive attacks. The Explorers won more loose balls, and many of those scrums led to open-court hoops that were too much for the Firebirds to overcome.

When Cameron Boozer passed out of the low post to his brother Cayden for a 3-point shot that he drained from the left wing to move the score to 30-18 with 4:32 in the second quarter, it was a beginning of a run of baskets that were accentuated by the trapping defense taking the Doral Academy offense completely out of its rhythm.

Cameron Boozer warms prior to his team's Tuesday evening victory over Doral. He scored 22 points in the contest / Photo by Brian Smith

The lead went to 38-18 with 2:29 remaining in the first half, and then Doral Academy threw a pass out of bounds with Columbus junior wing Santiago Ortega playing smothering defense near the half court line. The play was an example of the Firebirds not being able to execute a basic play.

Columbus ended the half up by the score of 43-20, and the Boozer twins had already scored 15 points each.

The second half showed no let up from the Explorers, as they continued to press into the fourth quarter. Before the lead went into the 30s and stayed there, a key moment happened, as Cameron Boozer placed an exclamation point on the contest with his own big play at the 5:28 mark of the third quarter.

On the left wing, Boozer drove hard right and split the defense before throwing down a resounding two-handed jam that made the score 48-20.

Columbus' Cayden Boozer was a force both inside and out, Tuesday, slashing to the bucket for driving scores and stepping beyond the arc for 3-pointers, he finished with 20 points / Photo by Brian Smith

There simply were not enough players with the same level of skill to guard the No. 1 ranked recruit in the class of 2025, and the same can be said of his brother, who was knocking down open 3-point shots or driving to the hoop at his leisure.

Columbus won going away despite Doral Academy playing hard all night long. The Explorers were the more talented team. Columbus was dialed in all evening – on offense and defense – to make sure there were no doubts about which team would walk away victorious.

Next up for the Explorers, a matchup with Deerfield Beach at Columbus on Friday.