PSAL Semis Result in “The Rematch”

JAMAICA, NY – Four teams arrived at St. John’s University for the PSAL semifinals, each by a different path. On Tuesday, when the smoke cleared, the two teams left standing were meant to face each other as if by divine intervention.

It’s been a tough year for the Orange Wave. Unranked for most of the regular season, Jefferson took a less than stellar regular season record and transformed it into a flawless playoff record. After dismantling John Bowne in the quarterfinals, the wave came crashing down on Wings Academy in the semis.

“All season we’ve been trying to lock in on defense,” said combo guard Kyle Harding '17 who did damage to Wings Academy with 11 clutch points. “We finally got it at the end of the year.” The senior explained that during the playoffs, Jefferson strategy has been to stop their opponent’s best players and keep them under their average.

That goal was clearly accomplished against the Bronx high school. Boubacar Kamissoko ‘17 and Jose Perez ‘17, Wings Academy’s most lethal weapons were held to an unbelievable 3 points combined. “They like to play slow so we tried to speed it up. We like to play our game not their game,” Harding added.

It was a close match in the opening quarter until Jordan Armstrong '17 stripped Perez to score a deuce. A follow up basket by the hard working, blue collar Malachi Faison ‘17 gave Jefferson a four-point advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

That advantage would almost double before Wings finally found some offense from Mohammed Fofana ‘18 and speed demon Elijah Chapman ‘17. Wings’ role players managed to keep the game close throughout the first half and they only trailed 27 – 24 at the midway point of the game but that changed substantially in the second half.

With point guard Khalil Rhodes ‘17 controlling the tempo and Harding and Malachi attacking Wings front court, Jefferson began to inch ahead. By the end of the third quarter, the Orange Wave lead was seven points and dissention amongst the ranks was clearly visible at the Wings Academy bench where both Kamissoko and Perez were frequently parked next to head coach Billy Turnage.

The barrage of offense and smothering defense soon put more holes in the Wings Academy boat than it could handle and a frustrated Coach Turnage could only watch his ship sink. A minute-forty remained in regulation and Jefferson was up by 18 points soon heading to the Garden to defend their City Championship.

Harding blamed his team slow regular season start on the fact that three of the starters were transfers. “We had to get used to playing with each other.”

“We struggled early but we weathered the storm,” said Head coach Lawrence “Bud” Pollard. He believes that the turnaround for his squad was their last regular season game at Abraham Lincoln high school where they were down by 30. “I told them, ya’ll either gonna be embarrassed or you’re gonna fight. You’re gonna set the tone for the next time we meet them.” While Jefferson lost that game, they got the game down to within three points which punctuated the team’s resiliency.

Faison was high man for Jefferson with 17 points with Armstrong adding 14 points while Chapman paced Wings Academy with 17 points as well.

In the first semifinal game, it felt like only one team came to play but in the second semifinal game, both teams came to play and then some. The Curtis Warriors from Staten Island lived up to its name as they battled the Railsplitters tooth and nail but in the end, Lincoln felt they had a date with destiny.

With the defending champion, Jefferson Orange Wave already securing it spot at PSAL City Championship on Sunday, players like Kclejuan “Klay Brown” Ferguson ‘17 were keenly aware of who Jefferson beat in to win the chip and how badly they were beaten.

“I cried last year at the Garden,” said Ferguson who was a junior when the Orange Wave dominated Lincoln to win the chip. “It’s not happening no more. I’m not going out the same way. No more tears only happy tears over here.”

Curtis was on its own quest to put Staten Island on the map and the senior laden team saw this as a great opportunity to make that statement. They weathered Lincoln early storm and baskets by Malik Martin ‘18, Adeleye Oyekanmi ‘19 and Samuel Majekodunmi ‘17 kept them neck and neck with the Coney Island juggernaut.

Perimeter shooting from Christophe Fabozzi ’17 and a buzzer beater by Oyekanmi put Curtis out front by six. Throughout the second quarter, Lincoln found themselves playing catch-up with Ferguson, Donald Flores ‘17 and Mike Reid ‘17 scoring clutch points.

Lincoln threw body blows at Curtis, pressuring the Warriors point guards with constant double-teams. Because of they were a team of veterans, Curtis broke the press and countered with a 13 – 0 run from Martin, Ransford Agyeman Budu '17 capped off by a Fabozzi half court buzzer beater that left the Railsplitters on the short end of a 43 – 32 half time score.

“We were trying to win in the first quarter of the first half,” admitted Lincoln head coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton. While Morton said, he didn’t underestimate Curtis, he confessed that he didn’t know that Fabrozzi and Martin could shoot as well as they did from the perimeter.

In the third quarter, the Railsplitters were only able to exchange baskets with Curtis but did manage to shave off four points from its deficit as the final quarter got underway. Fortunately, the relentless body blows of the Railsplitters full court press finally took it told and a gassed-out Warriors squad began to show cracks in the armor.

Flores attacked the paint and with 5:21 left in regulation Reid knotted the game at 51. The Railsplitters went on to lead by four points but Majekodunmi tied the game again at 55 with 3:06 on the clock. It was anybody’s game down the stretch but Ferguson changed that narrative, going into beast mode, scoring in succession. 1:12 remained and Lincoln had move out front by 10 and went on to win by 14.

Now that Curtis is in the rearview mirror, Ferguson has his site set on a PSAL City Championship rematch against Jefferson. “Oh that’s payback,” said Ferguson. "They beat us by 31, we’ll beat them by 41. Simple. That’s a guarantee.”

After the game and Ferguson’s 26-point performance, Coach Morton proclaimed Tuesday to be “Klay Day.” Flores contributed 17 points as well. Martin led Curtis with 18 points.

UPCOMING PLAYOFF GAMES & RESULTS