Thomas Jefferson’s (3) Patrick Brown swoops in for a finger roll. (Lauren Marsh)
The game was all but over. Jaquan Lynch signaled as much with his hands to the Thomas Jefferson bench as he stepped to the line for three shots with no time remaining in a tie game.
“I already knew I was hitting those free throws,” he said.
Lynch never got the chance.
After a few moments of deliberation, referees ruled it wasn’t a shooting foul and time had expired in regulation, according to Orange Wave coach Lawrence (Bud) Pollard.
Instead of putting its head down, though, Jefferson came out just as strong, beating rival South Shore, 76-73 in overtime, in PSAL Brooklyn AA boys basketball Thursday in Canarsie. The last time these two teams met at South Shore, last Jan. 6, there was a brawl and the Vikings walked away with the victory.
“My guys didn’t back down,” Pollard said. “They went into overtime and just took it to them. My guys remember last year how they won the fight and the game, but that wasn’t going down this year. I’m glad we came right back to the scene of the crime and got payback.”
Lynch was the linchpin. He had 22 points and his baseline leaner with 50 seconds left in regulation drew Jefferson (3-1, 3-0 Brooklyn AA) even at 59. Ironically, he was fouled to start overtime – like it appeared he was at the end of the fourth – and he made both free throws.
Lynch stepped to the line again with 13 seconds left in OT when South Shore (4-1, 2-1) was called for a controversial technical foul when coach Mike Beckles called timeout when the Vikings had none left. The home book read that the team did have one remaining.
“I felt like they jerked us in the fourth quarter, now it’s time to get them back,” Lynch said of his final free throws. “I only made one – I could have made both of them. But we got that win.”
Jefferson was ahead 73-66 and seemed to have it wrapped up after two free throws by Patrick Brown (18 points) with 25 seconds remaining. But South Shore junior guard Terrence Samuel drained a 3-pointer and Wayne Martin picked up a steal and layup to get his team within 73-71 with 15 seconds left. The technical foul ended up being a killer.
“I really have no comment on that,” Pollard said. … “I know we did what we had to do.”
Martin finished with 23 points and Samuel added 19 points for the Vikings, who also went to overtime last week in a win over Transit Tech.
Jefferson was coming off a hard-fought loss Saturday to two-time defending CHSAA city champ Christ the King. All of this early success has come without star Thaddeus Hall (academic ineligibility).
“I think Thaddeus Hall is by far the best player in the city,” Pollard said. “I’ve seen everybody play from [Christ the King’s] Omar Calhoun to [Leroy] Fludd at Boys & Girls and I wouldn’t trade him for anybody in the world. If I did, it would have to be maybe for Calhoun and two draft picks.”
The coach has prided himself on doing it this year with kids who came up through Jefferson’s successful junior varsity when Lincoln and Boys & Girls both added multiple high-profile transfers.
“I like to bring my guys up. I don’t need to bring in guys from other programs or recycle other people’s trash,” Pollard said. “I’m gonna bring my guys up and I’m gonna go with my in-house guys. They don’t let me down.”
So far, that’s been the case. Jefferson has been a hard-working, blue-collar group. Now the Orange Wave are just waiting to get that recognition that past teams did.
“That just makes us go harder, so we don’t be underrated,” Lynch said. “We’re trying to be at the top. We’re trying to be the best – that’s it.”