Lincoln Tops Jefferson for Boro Chip

Even the announcer, called out the wrong team on Saturday, inadvertently calling out Boys & Girls as opposed to Thomas Jefferson versus Lincoln.

Perhaps even the Orange Wave weren't expecting to be there. Why else would they schedule a non-league game the previous evening. It was neither here nor there as the #1 ranked Abraham Lincoln Railsplitters ran right through the Jefferson Orange Wave, 78-61, to take home the PSAL Brooklyn Borough Championship.

On Thursday, the unranked Orange Wave upset the Boys & Girls Kangaroos to advance to the Borough chip, but a tough buzzer beating win on Friday over Plainfield during the Primetime Shootout (NJ) may have been an ill-advised non-league game.

Did Friday's game adversely affect the team on Saturday? "Hell yeah," said Jefferson head coach Lawrence "Bud" Pollard. "Davontay Grace] played through the whole game on Thursday and most of last night. Four games in five days was too much for him and [Tyquan] Tyke [Goodlett]." Grace and Goodlett would only score 5 points apiece.

According to Coach Pollard, his team was originally scheduled to play on Sunday. "They changed it because of the Lincoln game," he said. The Railsplitters are scheduled to play in the Primetime Shootout on Sunday against St. Raymond.

Other than a basket by 6'9" Edson Avila (10 points), the Orange Wave barely made a ripple at the top of the first quarter while Lincoln pushed the pace as Shaquille Stokes (23 points, 8 assists) and Isaiah Whitehead (14 points) facilitated a 12-0 run. Thaddeus Hall (20 points) would finally score for Jefferson with 2:49 remaining in the first quarter but the Wave was in a 20-11 debacle to start the second quarter.

The Railsplitters were without Kamari Murphy who was serving the first of a 2 game suspension and Jefferson tried to take advantage and cut into the lead as Grace scored late in the half. Lincoln's defensive pressure, however, was still formidable with 6'11" Jordan Dickerson (8 points, 6 blocks, 12 rebounds)in the paint. A trey by SG Reuben King (8 points) left the Wave down, 38-28, as the first half ended.

At the top of the third quarter, Stokes scored back-to-back followed by a nice pass from Whitehead to Mike White (6 points). With 4 minutes left in the quarter, Lincoln was riding a 17 point lead.

Jefferson did manage to get the lead down to 54-41 at the top of the fourth as Shamel Williams (15 points) knocked down shots but a lethargic Jefferson team frequently front rimmed shots and could not close the gap.

Asked if the team's strategy was to exploit, Jefferson's tired legs, Stokes responded, "No, we just played our game. We wanted to win."

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