Lincoln washes out at South Shore

BROOKLYN, NY – The best thing during the high school season is winning an in-league game but sometimes the worse thing you can do is beatdown your opponent. Such was the case when South Shore traveled to Coney Island in mid-December to face the Abraham Lincoln Railsplitters. When the dust settled, the Vikings got thrashed by 31 points. Those type of beatings leave a bitter taste in one’s mouth and a deep yearning for revenge, a dish that’s best served cold.

“We lost the first game by like thirty, so it was very important to get this win,” said Kadary Richmond ‘19 on Thursday evening after NYCHoops.net #5 ranked South Shore trounced the #2 ranked Railsplitters, 87 - 54 in the rematch. “We had to get them back.”

Lincoln was without a couple of players, most notably 6'6" shot blocker and interior threat K.C. Ndefo ‘18 who according to Coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton is under investigation by the PSAL and ineligible to play. Jahiem Williams ‘20 tried to be the Railsplitters blue collar enforcer in Ndefo’s stead, but it was not enough. Although Lincoln was shorthanded, it was turnovers and foul trouble that turned a bad situation into a dire one.

Other than a 2 -2 tie in the opening quarter, the Railsplitters never saw a semblance of a lead as Kareem May '20 pierced Lincoln from the perimeter while big man Isaiah Richards ‘19 scored in the paint. Abraham Lincoln received some offense from Curtis Gordon ‘18 and Omar Rowe ‘19 but trailed by seven points as the second quarter got underway.

Richmond said that South Shore’s Coach Shawn Mark’s strategy was simple. “Not to let [Lincoln] run and jump us when we’re in the backcourt handling the ball and to make smart plays with the basketball and defend.”

The Vikings carried that wisdom into the second quarter as Richmond exploded offensively as the Railsplitters repeated coughed up the ball. With help from Dwight Davis ‘19 and Sekou Sylla ‘18, a seven-point advantage grew to 48 – 28 at the half.

If the Railsplitters had a chance at a run, they had to hit the ground running in the second half. Jasiah Lewis ‘18, albeit in foul trouble from the first half, tried to lead the charge and did manage to cut South Shore’s lead to 14 points early in the third quarter but Richmond and Sylla countered effectively.

Lincoln trailed 58 – 45 to start the final quarter as key turnovers by sophomore point guard John Wilson ‘20 often fizzled out potential runs before they happened. The Railsplitters tried to press but even that backfired and their deficit once again began to spiral out of control as the Vikings began to feast on the Railsplitters proverbial carcass in the form of a dunk fest by Femi Odukale ‘19 and Richards.

Down by 33 with 1:29 left in regulation, Coach Morton threw out the white flag and subbed out his starters. Coach Mark reciprocated shortly thereafter.

“I let them know after the game was over, how important this game was for us to win,” said Mark. “It was a great win all the way around.”

Richmond was the high scorer for South Shore with 20 points with Sylla and Davis adding 14 points and 12 points respectively. Gordon and Lewis led Lincoln with 11 points apiece.

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