The message on their shirts said it best — Jeff vs. All.
The Jefferson boys basketball team won a city championship last season, but this year, the 11th-seeded Orange Wave struggled to find consistency in a tough Brooklyn division. That, however, has changed this postseason.
The Orange Wave took down No. 2 Wings Academy 70–53 in the Public Schools “AA” semifinal at St. John’s University on March 7, securing a return to the city final and sending a message that it’s ready for another run.
“I felt like everybody was against us, so we made our ‘Jeff vs. All’ shirts,” said Orange Wave coach Lawrence “Bud” Pollard. “It’s Jeff vs. everybody. It was a tough year, we went through a lot as a team, but they persevered.”
Jefferson relished its underdog mantle throughout the playoffs and came into the semifinal focused on controlling the tempo from the tip-off.
Senior forward Malachi Faison led the charge, crashing the boards and dominating in the post. He scored a team-high 17 points and helped Jefferson’s defense limit Wings to one-and-done possessions.
“I love being the underdog because everybody counted us out and now we’re making them believers,” Faison said.
The key for the Orange Wave was transition offense, and in the second half the squad relentlessly pushed the ball ahead, sinking buckets before the Wings defense had a chance to get set.
“They like to play slow, so we tried to speed it up,” said senior Jefferson guard Kyle Harding. “We wanted to play our game and not their game.”
The Orange Wave didn’t give up a bucket in the first two minutes of the third quarter and took advantage of a handful of Wings miscues. By the final buzzer, Jefferson had racked up double digits in steals and forced its opponents into a handful of turnovers, shutting down Wings standouts Boubacar Kamissoko and Jose Perez, who combined for just three points.
Wings did rally late — senior guard Elijah Chapman notched a one-man, six-point run midway through the fourth quarter — but Jefferson’s defense locked in down the stretch and the Orange Wave hit its free throws when it mattered.
It’s another statement win for the Orange Wave, but the defending champs aren’t done yet. They’ll be the underdog one more time, taking on Lincoln at Madison Square Garden on March 11 in a rematch of last year’s city final. But, as their shirts said simply, Jefferson is ready to take on anyone.
“At the end of the day all these butt-kickings we took during the year, it’s going to get us right for the playoffs,” Pollard said. “I said before, we were the nail, and now we’re the hammer.”
