It didn’t take long for the South Shore girls’ basketball team to take over the game. Midway through the first quarter, Midwood had a four-point lead and then – as if they were shot out of a cannon – the Vikings were off, creating turnovers and turning them into fast-break point after fast-break point.
Before the Hornets could look up, they were down eight points and would never lead again. South Shore used that 12-0 run to get some separation and never looked back in a 58-41 home win against Midwood on Monday afternoon in PSAL Brooklyn AA action.
“We came out strong like we were the underdogs,” Vikings senior guard Baytania Newman said.
South Shore sophomore guard Jasmine Odom capped that run with a block on Midwood senior Victoria Story that she turned into a coast-to-coast layup at the other end. That play epitomized the Vikings in the game – they continually used defense to set up their offense.
Their on-the-ball pressure didn’t just force turnovers on the perimeter, it also made it difficult for Midwood guards to get the ball in to star forward Jessica Previlon. When the 5-foot-11 forward did get touches, South Shore (18-4, 13-0 Brooklyn AA Group 1) packed it in inside and at the high post to make sure she couldn’t get to the basket.
“We’re deep – we play 10 girls,” Vikings coach Anwar Gladden said. “We’re gonna try to wear a kid like that down. She’s a great player.”
Midwood (15-7, 10-4 Brooklyn AA Group 2), coming off a big win against Manhattan Center on Saturday, did get some second-chance opportunities with Previlon and junior Beranda Felder grabbing their share of offensive rebounds. But the Hornets missed a handful of easy baskets and when they crashed the boards, the Vikings were able to get out and run.
“They played us well,” Midwood coach Artie LaGreca said. “But I think we can play better than that.”
Odom led South Shore with 17 points and Newman and senior guard Angel Porter each had 12 points. Taylor Lloyd contributed countless strong plays on the defensive end. The Vikings guards excelled at penetrating into the lane, drawing defenders and passing to the weakside for easy baskets.
“That’s the way we are,” Gladden said. “A different kid can hurt you every game.”
Previlon was held to 14 points and Story had 15 points for the Hornets, whose seed in the upcoming PSAL Class AA city playoffs might have been hurt by this loss. Gladden thinks his team earned the No. 2 or No. 3 seed no matter what it does against Thomas Jefferson, another team undefeated in league play, on Thursday.
“We’re one of the top 3 teams in the PSAL,” he said.
The Vikings can seal that with a win against the Orange Wave in East New York in a game that was supposed to be played back in November, but had to be postponed because new Jefferson coach Dwayne (Pearl) Washington needed to be with his team for 10 practices before it could play a game.
There might not be a more anticipated regular-season league game in the PSAL this season.
“I think it’s gonna be big,” Odom said. “I think everybody is gonna be there.”
