NYCHoops.net - Cardozo vs. Jefferson in JV chip

March 20, 2013

Mike Libert
NYCHoops.net Staff Writer

BAYSIDE, NY - The PSAL Junior Varsity Championship game was contested on Tuesday afternoon at Cardozo between the home team Judges and Thomas Jefferson.

Usually when you go to a JV game in the PSAL you notice the teams heavily loaded with sophomores, but not in this one though as this title game saw both teams stacked with young talented freshmen. The Orange Wave got out to a comfortable lead, but the Judges fought back only to see it slip away late as Jefferson pulled away for the 72-64 victory and the JV championship.

Shamorie Ponds got off to a quick start for Jefferson nailing a wing three and helping the Orange Wave get up 8-2 early. Ray Salnave came back for Cardozo and showed good handle and a quick burst getting to the rim as he brought his team back as they trailed just 14-13 after 1.

Rasheed Dunn really came on strong in the 2nd as he carried the offensive load for Jefferson hit 3 threes in a row helping the Orange Wave go on an 11-0 run to go up by as many as 12 in the quarter. Tahiyr Vines was a saving grace inside on the glass late in the 2nd as he did a nice job inside in the paint, and Tareq Coburn was a serious long range threat as Cardozo tried to fight, but too much Dunn, Ponds, and Shaquan Mills gave Jefferson a 40-31 lead at the half.

Things really started getting chippy in the 3rd as fouls were common, and Salnave was dragged down in transition and Jefferson was called for the international foul. Another oddity was the fact that after scoring 20 point midway through the 3rd quarter, Dunn had fouled out for the Orange Wave with 3:20 to go. Jefferson coach Seldon Jefferson fought making the point that his book had Dunn down for 4 fouls, but it was a lost cause and the leading scorer at that point in the game was gone. It was a tough loss, but one that Jefferson was ultra concerned with.

"We have very good guards so once he fouled out I was confident someone else would step up because our offense isn't really focused on one guy. We have a bunch of guys who can step up." Jefferson said.

That's exactly what happened as Ponds was able to drain another 3 and Issac Kante was able to be a force inside and control the glass. Coburn hit a corner three and looked to be finding a rhythm late in the 3rd b Cardozo was still in a hole down 56-47 going to the 4th.

Cardozo coach Joe Kaso tied to pump up his team in between the quarter saying this was going to be their best quarter and they were still in the game, and the team seemed to respond to the motivational tactics as Andrew Whisenant seemed much more aggressive early on to cut the Jefferson lead to 5, but with 7:03 to go he fouled out on a very controversial call. Without him in the lineup Cardozo was going to go smaller and was going to have to rely on perimeter scoring more.

They still did have Tarik Howard though who was picking up the slack grabbing 4 rebounds early in the 4th and finishing his own miss on the inside, but then he was called for his 5th foul and fouled out with 5:35 left.

The foul outs didn't really faze the Judges though as the combination of Vines and Salnave were carrying the load and creating mistakes by Jefferson. When Vines putback a miss by Salnave, Cardozo took a 60-59 lead with just over 4 to go, but from that point on, things spirited out of control for Cardozo.

Vines would foul out with 3:14 left and then a small spat between Salnave and Curtis Smith was called a double technical foul which meant Salnave fouled out with 2:51 to go. The Cardozo bench was livid with the calls and a technical was called. All seemed to be falling apart, and after Cardozo briefly took the lead, Jefferson regained control. With 4 players have fouled out, and Coburn struggling from the floor, the Orange Wave went on an 11-1 run to pull away for good. Jefferson held the ball for the final seconds as they brought home their 2nd JV title in 4 years beating Cardozo, 72-64.

Ponds led all scorers for Jefferson with 23 points, while Dunn added 20 in just 2+ quarters. Cardozo was paced by Vines who had 16 points, while Salnave chipped in with 15 in the loss.

It was a rough 4th quarter with many whistles and tough foul calls, but Jefferson was proud of how his team responded.

"We knew we were coming here to a hostile crowd but we did a great job in keeping our composure and being ready for anything that was going to happen." Jefferson said.

Kaso, on the other end of it, was not pleased with what he felt like was a tough whistle.

"A couple of calls were a little controversial but I'm proud of my guys and what they accomplished this season. They played to the very end but I mean we had 4 guys foul out and that was the story of the game if you ask me." Kaso said.

A tough way to end for the Judges, but credit the Orange Wave for going on the road and getting the job done and winning the championship, something that Jefferson knows is very special.

"We had 6 of our Varsity guys here supporting these guys, a lot of administrators here as well which meant a lot to us. Winning a championship at any level is special so yeah this means a lot to me, the kids, and the school."