By Gary Curreri, Sports Correspondent, Sun-Sentinel

There was no upset this time around as undefeated Parkway defeated William Dandy 45-36 to win the Broward County Middle School Athletic Association girls' basketball championship at Fort Lauderdale.

Raigyne Moncrief and Andrekia Thompson combined for 30 of their team's 46 points as Parkway (12-0) won its fifth county championship in the past six years and eighth in the past 10.

The only time the Cavaliers didn't emerge as county kingpins in the past six years came last season when William Dandy stunned the Cavaliers 43-31 for the Wildcats' first county championship in school history. Parkway also zipped past William Dandy (10-2) earlier in the season 29-19 at Dillard High School in the third game of the year. The losses to Parkway were the only blemishes on the Wildcats' slate.

"It was very disappointing to lose last year because we had won championships like four years running," said Moncrief, who has been on the team all three years. The title in her sixth-grade year was her first at any level.

"It was very motivating coming into this year because I didn't want to lose the championship again," Moncrief added. "It was my last year at Parkway Middle School, and I really wanted to win this one. This is the best feeling in the world to go undefeated and win the championship. I want to play basketball the rest of my life because I love it."

Parkway first-year head coach Deedra Johnson succeeded Ellen Morris, who didn't coach this year while taking courses. Johnson was a member of the Parkway coaching staff two years ago.

"I was more excited for the girls than I was for myself," Johnson said. "It was different being a head coach, but I had a great assistant coach [Felecia Moore]. She really helped a lot."

Parkway's Thompson scored five of her 14 points in the first quarter, while Britaisha Burns scored four of her five points in the same period as the Cavaliers jumped out to a 15-11 advantage.

William Dandy went cold in the second quarter as Parkway outscored the Wildcats, 15-8. Thompson buried two more 3-pointers, while Moncrief tacked on five of her game-high 16 points to open a 30-19 lead at halftime.

"I just told the girls to stick to our game plan," Johnson said. "I said we were going to have fun, but we were going to take care of business at the same time. I would say it was redemption for the girls after losing to them in the championship game last year."

William Dandy's Teylah Harris set the pace for her team with 13 points, while Kiara Robinson contributed an 11-point performance that included seven in the first period to keep the Wildcats close.

"The outlook at the beginning was to play a 12-game season," said first-year William Dandy coach Henry Graham. "Our goal was to play in the championship game."

William Dandy eighth-graders Robinson, Harris and Alliyah Anderson, along with seventh-grader Diamond Williams, were the trendsetters for the Wildcats this season.

"I am not really disappointed," Graham said. "I am disappointed that we didn't reach our goal, but not at the way we played that game."