Vikings Avenge Loss, Tied for 1st in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY- After losing the first matchup between the two schools, South Shore's players and coaches were motivated to make sure they showed Thomas Jefferson who the real kings of Brooklyn are.
It may have come with some scares in the third quarter but down the stretch the Vikings took firm control once and for all, and behind a balanced offensive attack paced by senior guards Femi Odukale '19 and Kadary Richmond '19 were able to push past the Orange Wave, 68-51.
Losing 80-79 on the road at Jefferson in the early part of January still was on the minds of the players of the Vikings with Odukale noting that he and his teammates were out to prove a point on Thursday evening.
"Everybody thought after that game that South Shore isn't that good and everybody was saying that we are beatable so we had to show that we aren't a team to play with," Odukale stated.
From the outset it looked as if that was the attitude everyone on the Vikings had as from Odukale and Richmond hitting shots off the dribble, to big man Isaiah Richards '19 controlling the paint, South Shore was able to get off quick and take a lead as big as 39-19 midway through the second quarter.
After going down by 20 it seemed as if something clicked into Jefferson guard Jaquan Carlos '21 that he was going to have to put his stamp on the game, and scoring all 11 of the Orange Wave's points on his own in the final 3:44 of the opening half allowed them to creep closer into the game with the deficit cut to 41-30 at the break.
Seeing Carlos help carry Jefferson back into the game wasn't a shock to South Shore head coach Shawn Mark who said that he anticipated big things out of the sophomore because he is a very good player, but what happened in the third quarter really took his respect for Carlos' game to a whole new level.
Scoring the last 11 of the first half for Jefferson, Carlos kept at it in the third as he had 14 of the Orange Wave's 19 points, including fadeaway jumpers and up and under drives in the lane where two and sometimes three defenders were coming at him.
The once 20 point lead for South Shore was trimmed to just 52-49 going into the fourth quarter, with Odukale stepped up in the huddle leading into the final stanza and saying it was his time to take Carlos on defensively and make sure the Vikings didn't leave with a loss.
"I told coach there that I wanted to guard him because me and him were talking over social media and that's my guy and all but I had to show him that I can play defense and I wanted to win more," Odukale explained.
Wanting to win more and the passion and desire to not be denied saw Odukale step up and hold Carlos scoreless in the fourth as the entire South Shore team stepping up and playing what Mark said was the best defensive effort in a quarter that he has gotten from his team all year. It came when it mattered most as well as the Vikings outscored Thomas Jefferson 16-2 over the final eight minutes to pull away late for a 68-51 victory.
Getting 20 points from Odukale, 19 from Richmond, and 12 from Richards showed that the Vikings are a balanced and complete offensive team hurting their opponents both inside and outside, which helped them come away with the win.
It was a bit one of a once man show for the Orange Wave on Thursday as Carlos had a game high 33 points, though playing without the services of Kareem Welch '19 who was out with an injury certainly hampered Jefferson as they lacked a secondary scoring option, hurting them down the stretch in what was a difficult final quarter offensively for the Orange Wave.
Thursday's win means that South Shore and Thomas Jefferson will end the regular season with identical 12-2 PSAL Brooklyn AA league records, but while they may be co-regular season champions Mark says after tonight he has no doubt that his team is the best that the PSAL has to offer.
"We wanted to come and just show people that we are elite and we are the best team out here, and we just proved it," Mark said with a smile.
