It was a turn of the tide.
Thomas Jefferson’s boys basketball team struggled early against South Shore on Dec. 13, but the Orange Wave retooled its game plan between the first and second quarters, en route to a 73–64 victory. Jefferson out-scored the Vikings 33–8 in the second quarter.
“[South Shore] came out hot and strong and they were knocking down shots, playing real energetic,” Orange Wave coach Lawrence Pollard said. “They came in here ready to play — but on our home court, we’re going to make some shots and make adjustments. Once we turned the defense up, we got the game going at our pace.”
The Vikings (2–1) came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter — sparked by Mikael Burnett Wala’s jump shot — and held an 11-point cushion after the opening eight minutes of play.
It was more than enough to wake up Jefferson’s roster and force the Orange Wave (3–0) to dig just a bit deeper on defense. The reigning city champs settled into a full-court press, forcing South Shore into turnovers and rushed shots.
The press helped speed up the tempo, and Jefferson seized control of the game’s momentum, pushing the ball in transition and finishing on drives into the paint.
“They couldn’t really take the pressure in the second, and that was really it,” said senior shooting guard Jordan Armstrong, who finished with a team-high 24 points off the bench. “After that, they kept turning the ball over — taking bad shots, and that turned into good shots for us.”
Jefferson jumped out to a 49–35 lead at the break and continued to bring the pressure throughout the second half, working the ball down low and playing an inside-out game the Vikings couldn’t quite keep up with.
“We want to be in attack mode,” Pollard said. “We want to play inside-out, get into the paint, and then try to finish or drive and kick out. We did a good job of that.”
Senior power forward Malachi Faison shouldered a good chunk of the physical game down low for the Orange Wave, playing tough on the block and finishing with 18 points and a team-best 16 rebounds.
He notched a pair of third-quarter dunks in the waning minutes of the period, effectively wrapping up the victory for the Orange Wave.
“We’re Brooklyn AA, and we’re the big boys — that’s what coach is always telling us,” Faison said. “I like contact and playing tough.”
South Shore did its best to claw back into the game, pulling within five on a Femi Odukale three-point play with 2:19 left, but it was too little too late.
Anderson drained a trey with just under two minutes left, and Shevon Anisca connected on a pair of free throws for the game’s final score.
It didn’t get off to a perfect start, but it’s a solid early-season victory for the Orange Wave and an important lesson for the squad: They can’t sleep on anyone.
“We’re going to get everybody’s best, and nobody is going to let up,” Faison said. “If we’re up, we’ve got to continue to stay up and push.”
