CONEY ISLAND, NY- Coming off a heartbreaking defeat 24 hours ago in a heated rivalry game to Abraham Lincoln, everyone surrounding Thomas Jefferson wanted to make a statement. They wanted to prove once again they are among the elite in NYC, and a matchup with an unbeaten Cardozo team at the Books4Ball MLK Jr. Basketball Showcase on Sunday gave them that opportunity.
After falling behind 10-2 in the first four minutes of the game, the Orange Wave decided to turn up the defensive intensity and allow their harassing pressure take over. What came next was total domination as Jefferson was able to run away and give the Judges their first loss of the season in convincing fashion, 78-55.
Losing to Lincoln on Saturday at home stung everyone associated with Thomas Jefferson, with guard Kareem Welch '19taking it hardest. He said he had trouble sleeping last night knowing they cost themselves the spot top in New York City. The only good thing he took out of it was knowing that they could come right back on Sunday and make a statement.
"We were #1 in the city and we lost and let everyone know we were the best, so we had to get back and beat Cardozo today and show everyone what we can do," Welch explained.
The Orange Wave were on a mission as a team to not repeat the mistakes from Saturday, and come back and show that they are a team that is ready to compete with the very best.
Cardozo to their credit came out strong and built up a 10-2 lead with 4:50 left in the opening quarter as Dejavaughn Utley '18 was able to attack the basket and finish inside, while Collins Onyeike '18 connected on his first three-point attempt of the game.
It wasn't the start that Jefferson head coach Lawrence "Bud" Pollard was looking for, but he remained confident that once the offensive rhythm kicked in everything would be ok.
"They got up on us early but once we were able to score it allowed us to set up our defense, and we were good once we played our style of basketball," Pollard said.
Our style was hardnosed, aggressive pressure defense. JaQuan Carlos '21 began to connect in the halfcourt, and once he did and Jefferson was able to apply the pressure they wanted to apply, the turnovers and mistakes from Cardozo began coming in droves.
A 10-2 Cardozo lead turned into a 14-11 deficit at the end of the first quarter, and with Carlos and Marcus Burnett '20 each able to finish off Judges mistakes, the lead began to balloon. It was as big as 14 late in the opening half before back to back buckets in the final minute of the second quarter got Cardozo back within single digits at 33-24 at the break.
The halftime message for Jefferson was to stay composed and continue to fight, with Pollard not wanting to see the pedal come off the gas. It was time for Jefferson to step up and show Cardozo what Brooklyn Basketball means, and with Welch beginning to feel it from the wings, along with an intense defensive effort the Orange Wave lead once again started to grow.
Welch would score 13 in the 3rd quarter, and with the Judges now trying to throw over the top of the Jefferson pressure that would only lead to more turnovers as Cardozo when they did have chances missed too many layups around the rim as the lead for Jefferson went all the way up to 63-33 in the opening seconds of the 4th.
Wanting to leave no doubt the Orange Wave were relentless and never allowed Cardozo to get any hint of momentum, with the Judges on many possessions struggling to get the ball up court for any sort of solid look at the basket. It wasn't until Jaylen Davis '19 started knocking down shots in the closing minutes that the Cardozo offense began to look like it's normal self.
From nearly start to finish this was a performance that even Pollard could smile about after the game as his Thomas Jefferson team responded in a major way in taking down Cardozo 78-55.
Scoring a game high 26 points was Welch as he rose to the challenge of responding after a tough loss on Saturday, with the talented freshman Carlos adding 19 points as well in the win.
For Cardozo in defeat they got 16 points from Utley, though it was a struggle the entire way to get good offensive trips as the Jefferson defense was unlike any they had seen so far, this season.
What the win did for Jefferson is it gives them a swagger once again knowing they are still among the PSAL's best and capable of beating the very best. Welch said he felt as if they were tougher in every way than Cardozo on Sunday, and while Pollard was extremely complimentary about the Judges after the win he admitted that he was happy to get back on track quickly and represent Brooklyn the right way.
"It's always a big game when you play the best team in Queens. We wanted bragging rights to say Brooklyn is better this year and hopefully we did that today."
