Brooklyn teams shut out of PSAL boys final for first time since 1999

March 9, 2015 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Jefferson’s Shamorie Ponds (in white) drives around 6-foot-10 Jessie Govan in a loss to Wings Academy during the PSAL semifinals at Lehman College. Photos by Rob Abruzzese.

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While this has been a special year for girls basketball in Brooklyn, it will be a season that the boys teams will soon want to forget, marking the first time since 1999 that a team from the borough will not play in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) AA finals.

Boys and Girls High School lost to Cardozo 59-48 and Jefferson High School lost to Wings Academy 83-73 at Lehman College on Saturday. That sets up the first city title game between two non-Brooklyn schools since Cardozo beat JFK High School in 1999.

“It’s really disappointing,” Jefferson’s head coach Bud Pollard said when asked about Brooklyn getting shut out of the game. “But it’s two really good teams going up against each other. Hopefully [Cardozo head coach Ron Naclario] will let [Wings head coach Billy Turnage] get one.”

Pollard is rooting for Wings in the city final; he said that Wings’ coach is the most deserving coach in the city still looking for a title besides himself, of course. In fact, Pollard walked up to Turnage even before their game ended and told him so.

Pollard only said that after the game had gotten out of hand. It was close all the way through, but became somewhat of a blowout in the final minutes, as Jefferson struggled to slow down the 6-foot-10 Jessie Govan. Three players fouled out trying to guard him — Jordan Coleson, Isiah Deas and, eventually, Jaquan McKennon. Govan and Desure Buie also combined to hit 18 of their last 19 free throws in the fourth quarter.

McKennon finished with 24 points for Jefferson, Shamorie Ponds had 21 and Deas had nine. For Wings, Govan led with 29, Buie had 25 and Boubacar Kamissoko had seven.

Meanwhile, Boys and Girls struggled to keep up with Cardozo all throughout their game. Even after finishing the third quarter on an 8-2 run, Cardozo still led 42-38. In the fourth, Cardozo’s Tareq Coburn and Aaron Walker combined to hit three threes that deflated the life from Boys High.

Gianni Ford led Boys High with 18 points and Jamie Killings had 13. Cardozo was led by Coburn, who had 20 points, and Rashond Salnave, who had 19.

“It’s a sad feeling right now because we’re never going to have this team again,” said Boys High’s junior Gianni Ford. “At the end of the day, we had a great year, so I can’t get too down.”