It’s Go Time! Brooklyn Collegiate vs South Shore
BROOKLYN, NY – This was a heated rivalry between two of Kings County’s finest teams. However, for years, one team dominated undefeated against the other. Would Thursday evening’s match-up between these two titans yield the same result?
A definitive 92 – 66 demolition of #8 ranked South Shore by #2 Brooklyn Collegiate answered that question.“This is actually our first time beating them under my tenure,” said Brooklyn Collegiate Lion's sixth year head coach Malcolm Connor. “We’d always get close but they’d pull away or something.”
Connor said his team said they were tired of always losing to South Shore. “The guys wanted it” Nobody wanted it more than the engine that makes the Lions roar, senior point guard Majesty Johnson ‘20. “Since my freshman year we hadn’t beaten them so in my senior year we had to go out with a bang.”
The Vikings strategy was simple. Smother Johnson full court, stick to him like glue and make the other players on the team beat them but Brooklyn Collegiate countered by showing that they had the depth, shutting down that plan. With early scoring from Tahron Allen ‘21 along with knock down perimeter shooting from Kareem Butler ‘20 along with transition dunks and buckets from Amahrie Simpkins ‘20.
At the half, the Lions led South Shore 43 – 34 and 3-balls by Butler pushed Brooklyn Collegiate’s advantage to 20 points as their high octane offense appeared to be wearing down the Vikings. Suddenly with about 2:30 left in the quarter appeared to be déjà vu all over again as a mental lapse by the Lions resulted in five quick fouls that shifted the momentum in favor of South Shore.
Spearheaded by Marcus Burnett ‘20 along with juniors Zaire Wells ‘21 and Jaqui Murray ‘21, South Shore went on a 16 – 4 run that narrowed the Lions lead to 8 points as the fourth quarter got underway. Connor said he told his players to play through adversity and not get rattled. “Trust the process,” he said.
To the Vikings credit, they further cut that 8 point deficit in half early in final quarter but clutch jump shots by Butler and backbreaker baskets by Simpkins re-extended Brooklyn Collegiate advantage to 21 points with 2:17 left in regulation. “They [thought] that if they trap me that the game’s gonna be over, said Johnson. “Luckily, my teammates are good enough to score one-one-one so when I give it up, it’s an advantage for them.”
Butler paced Brooklyn Collegiate with 24 points including six three pointers. Simpkins and Johnson netted 20 points and 14 points respectively. Burnett and Wells finished with 21 points and 17 points for South Shore..
