JAMAICA, NY – The Lou Carneseca Arena on the campus of St. John’s University was rockin’ with a full house on Thursday evening. Not because of the success of the Red Storm but because it was the Public Schools Athletic League Championships.

It was the highly anticipated boy’s matchup between the Jefferson Orange Wave representing Brooklyn and Eagle Academy, the up n’ comers from the Bronx. From the time the two teams ran on the court for warm-up until the final buzzer, the decibel level was off the charts.

The start of the game was sloppy as both teams looked to harness their respective adrenaline rushes. Both squads kept the pressure on but missed free-throws by the Eagles and along with buckets by guard Jahda Swann ’26 set the stage for the entire game. A game in which the Bronx team would come close but never led.

Even though Jefferson kept Eagle Academy on its heals and led 7 – 2 early, they stayed in the hunt with scoring by Amir Cummings ’26 and Jordan Randolph ’25 and only trailed by a deuce at the end of the first quarter.

Swann swarmed Eagles front court both inside and mid-range as well as defensively. But a clutch 3-ball from Elijah King ‘27 with 5:45 left in the half. Tudor Tanase ’26 netted a trey for Jefferson while King countered with another trifecta. The game was knotted but back-to-back baskets by Malachi Wilson ’25 and Connor Sprattley ’25 gave Jefferson a 31 – 26 halftime advantage.

Wilson and Sprattley spearheaded Jefferson’s offensive tirade in the third quarter and their lead expanded to 8-points. Eagle Academy made a strong push in the fourth quarter led by sophomore sensation Gio Moran ’27.

With 32 seconds left in regulation, a few defensive snafus by the Wave along with timely turnovers left the window open for a thrilling comeback win for Eagle Academy. Jefferson held on to win with Sprattley going 1 of 2 from the charity stripe.

Sprattley was the high scorer and MVP with a game high of 21 points with Swann and Wilson adding 15 points and 13 points, respectively. Moran and Randoph paced Eagle Academy with 12 points each.

This game was over before it began as South Shore kept its foot on the gas and never let up. A 21-1 run in the first half sparked by freshman Kimora Pearson ’28 left the Lady Eagles with a 33 – 2 halftime deficit from which they would never recover.

ENY Family Academy showed signs of life as Zamiyah Zimmerman ’25 strung together couple of baskets as did Arianna Mercado ’25 but the hole was just too deep. South Shore was ahead by 31 points to start the final quarter and never let up, even during garbage time. Scoring by Tamaia Vines ‘26

Pearson and Vines were the lead scorers for South Shore, netting 9 points apiece with Mikaiya Beasley ’27. ENY Family Academy’s high scorer was Mercado with 6 points.