Boys and Girls forward Brandon Williams (r.) gets by Thomas Jefferson’s Eric Turpin Jr. for a two point basket. (Damion Reid)
By the time Boys & Girls and Thomas Jefferson tipped off, 70 minutes after the scheduled start time, electricity and anticipation had engulfed the gymnasium.
Every inch was covered with a fan. MSG Varsity was there to catch all the action, flanked by a band and cheerleading squad.
Once play began, Dave Coley made sure the capacity crowd paid rapt attention with two dramatic blocked shots. The Jefferson guard smacked Antoine Slaughter’s shot out of bounds, above the Orange Wave’s bench. The next shot, a driving layup by Mike Taylor, he pinned on the glass.
“It sent a statement,” Jefferson coach Lawrence Pollard said. “It changed the complexion of the game because those guys were going to the hole early.”
That was just tip of the iceberg as Coley led Jefferson to a resounding, 63-55 win in Bed Stuy Tuesday evening, to take hold of first place in PSAL Brooklyn AA.
“It means a lot – bragging rights,” he said.
Taylor led Boys & Girls (3-1, 2-1 Brooklyn AA) with 23 points in his return from a coach-mandated suspension, Antoine Slaughter had 12 and Leroy Isler seven.
Coley scored 21 points, had those two blocked shots, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and added three steals. He also had plenty of helps from his friends. His backcourt mate, Davontay Grace, had 15 points and 11 assists, undersized-yet-rugged forward Eric Turpin Jr. chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Shamel Williams had five points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
But it was the Stony Brook-bound Coley who stole the show, with his long strides in the open court and finishing ability, with his feathery jumpers in the lane, with his complete, end-to-end, performance.
“I try to be versatile in every way — rebounding, steals, scoring,” he said.
Coley had to watch this game last year, after undergoing knee surgery that robbed him of much of his junior season. The pain in his knee was nothing like the anguish of watching his team struggle without him. Now, finally healthy, Coley has emerged as the Orange Wave’s leader, on the court and off.
“Dave is gonna take off,” Pollard said. “The sky’s the limit for that kid.”
The Orange Wave (6-1, 4-0) entered the showdown with plenty to prove. They started the year as a chic city title contender, yet in their biggest test to date, on Sunday in the PSAL Tip-Off Classic, came out flat, falling to Manhattan power Wadleigh, 62-58. Pollard blamed himself for scheduling so many games – five – in a week, but he also chastised his players for their lack of focus.
“We owed coach a win,” Turpin said.
It was clear focus wouldn’t be a problem for Jefferson from the start. The Brooklyn squad raced out to a 10-2 lead, stifling the Kangaroos on the defensive end with five first-quarter blocked shots. The Orange Wave were physical at both ends of the floor, driving into the lane with abandon and challenging every shot at the other end.
They took command with an 11-1 run bridging the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. The big blow was Coley’s 3-pointer from the left corner to extend the lead to 48-35. Boys & Girls made several runs across the final 7:25, but Jefferson had an answer for each spurt. When The High had scored 10 of the game’s last 13 points to get within five, Coley set up Turpin beautifully for a slam. After consecutive Taylor baskets cut the deficit to four, Coley made a pair of free throws and came up with a steal.
Pollard stopped short of labeling the hard-fought road victory a statement for the rest of the city, or even Brooklyn AA. It merely was an opening salvo, he said, that gives Jefferson an early jump on Boys & Girls, and injects confidence back into his club.
“If you’re in first place in our division, you gotta be a good ballclub,” Pollard said.
Coley, the senior guard, had others idea to what the victory represented.
“We’re the team to beat,” he said confidently.