Jefferson Wins Federation T.O.C. Class AA State Championship
ALBANY, NY - Having already achieved personal greatness, all Thomas Jefferson guard Shamorie Ponds '16 has wanted is to achieve the team success that until this year has alluded him. First up was a PSAL Championship, a box Ponds and the Orange Wave checked off last weekend. This weekend was the second goal the star guard wanted to accomplish, a New York State Class "AA" Federation Championship.
Ponds had the chance to do just that on Saturday night at the Times Union Center in Albany, and maybe it was fate that the guard couldn't do it on his own, getting hit with 4 fouls early in the 3rd quarter, and having his best friends and teammates Rasheem Dunn '16 and Curtis Smith '16 help lead the way late to propel Thomas Jefferson to their first ever Federation Title, downing Aquinas of Section 5, the NYSPHSAA Champion, 72-65.
It all started sophomore year when Ponds went to the FT line with a chance to win a PSAL Championship. He missed his 2 free throws and that allowed Cardozo to come back and take what he felt was supposed to be his city title. That ate at Ponds, and he said he used that feeling he had 2 years ago to make sure his team went out the way he wanted to in this his senior year.
"This is something I have wanted since my freshman year, but that loss my sophomore year just motivated me to get to this point," Ponds said about the desire to go out as a champion.
He already was a champion in the eyes of Thomas Jefferson head coach Lawrence "Bud" Pollard who says he doesn't necessarily define a champion by City or State Championships but that everyone else seems to define it that way so this was just the perfect way for one of the best groups of kids he says he has ever been around to go out.
It wasn't just Ponds though, it was as Pollard calls them, Shamorie and The Miracles, with Dunn and Smith also being guys who have been with him for 4 years that he wanted to see go out on top.
The game was tight early on though as Aquinas was able to get guard Jalen Pickett '17 to the basket using his length and finishing ability to be able to elude defenders and score inside. It was 16-12 in favor of Jefferson late in the first, but that is when Jefferson, and more specifically Dunn, was able to put his stamp on the game.
He may not get the credit or attention that Ponds gets, but Dunn was able to knock down a long jumper from the right wing, and that was followed by another bucket, this time a pull up jumper in transition from the elbow as the Orange Wave would push the lead up to 15 on the backs of an 11-0 run that saw Jefferson take control.
Earnest Edwards '16 was able to break up the run with a putback of his own miss with just over 2 minutes to go in the half for Aquinas, but Ponds and Dunn were creating for their teammates and themselves as Thomas Jefferson looked to be clicking on all cylinders in taking a 37-24 lead into the half.
It was a comfortable lead for the Orange Wave as the aggressive defensive nature, to go along with 18 points in the paint, allowed Jefferson to look sharp and on point early on but Pollard was still leery on a team he knew could get going quick if they didn't watch out.
"I said at halftime to the guys that the only chance they got is if you leave the shooters open," Pollard stated. "That was my only worry and we ended up having a lack of focus and concentration and they started making shots and that started there run."
The run for Aquinas didn't start immediately in the 3rd quarter though as after Smith finished on a coast to coast lay in Jefferson had their biggest lead of the game at 45-28 with 4:47 to play in the quarter.
Right after that lead ballooned to 17 though, Ponds picked up 2 fouls in a 21 second time span to see him hampered with 4 fouls with 4:17 left in the 3rd quarter sending him to the bench, but not before Ponds said he had a message for his guys.
"I didn't say anything to them, I just gave them the look," Ponds said.
The look he added meant that they knew it was time to do their thing. Ponds couldn't be out there to help, something he said made him feel bad, but he believed that his teammates and friends would be able to hold down the fort until he was able to come back in.
It wasn't that easy through as the three-point shot, which was unkind to the Lil Irish in the opening half as they went 0 of 5 early on, started to turn in their favor. First it was a David Vito '16 corner three, then it was back to back treys from Edwards, and when Jason Hawkes '17 was able to bury a triple of his own from the left wing, Aquinas had reeled off a 14-2 run to make it just a 47-42 game with 2:04 to go in the 3rd.
Smith would come down on the other end and bang in a three of his own to try and swing the momentum back in Jefferson's favor, but the biggest shot may have been a corner three by Jordan Morgan '16 to close out the 3rd to make it 55-47 for the Orange Wave after three.
The backup dancers as Pollard called them were stepping up to the plate and showing they could be headliners on their own when called upon which was huge for Jefferson's ability to hold on to the lead because Aquinas was far from done in giving the Orange Wave issues.
Pickett was a thorn in Jefferson's side all day with his ability to get to the basket, and Billy Gillan '16 was now joining in the fray in knocking down three for the Lil Irish as the comeback attempt was once again on.
Ponds was inserted back into the lineup for Thomas Jefferson with 6:04 to play in the 4th quarter, and while his presence was big, Aquinas did have a chance to cut the deficit to just 1 with just under a minute to play, but Edwards missed a big 3 that could've really allowed the Lil Irish to make just one stand and have a chance for the lead.
They couldn't hit that big shot though and when Jefferson needed it most, Dunn and Smith were able to come up with clutch FT's. Aquinas missed 3 threes late in their attempt to stay in the game down in the final seconds, but even though the lead looked to be hanging on by a thread, Thomas Jefferson and their players were able to go out the way they wanted, as not just City Champions, but State Champions as well, winning the Federation Class "AA" Championship, 72-65 over a solid and game Aquinas squad.
Dunn had a game high 21 points for Thomas Jefferson, while Ponds had 16 points and Smith had 15 points. Shamorie and The Miracles were once again on center stage for one last show and they knocked it out of the park with a tremendous performance.
Aquinas was paced in the loss by Pickett who also had 21 points, with Edwards scoring 18 points as well for the Lil Irish in the defeat, though they definitely represented themselves well against NYC's best in Thomas Jefferson.
This was now officially the last time Pollard will be able to coach a group he admits was among the best he has ever had. They may not have been the toughest group he admitted after the title game win, but they had the heart and desire he wants all his team's to have.
He will now settle for watching his seniors on TV next year suiting up for their college teams, but as they head out he says he is reminded of an old saying that he believes got proven wrong by his talented group of Orange Wave players who are now champions in every sense of the word.
"These are nice kids and maybe the best group of guys I have ever had so whoever said nice guys finish last don't know these guys because they all deserve this."
