To the surprise of nobody, it will be an all-Brooklyn affair at Madison Square Garden Saturday at noon. Boys & Girls and Thomas Jefferson booked their tickets to the Garden last Saturday in the PSAL Class AA semifinals with impressive wins, Boys High taking down rival Lincoln and Jefferson rallying past dogged Wings Academy.
For all the details, read below:
1. Thomas Jefferson (25-6) (Last week: 1)
You couldn’t have scripted a better ending Saturday night for Jefferson and star senior Thaddeus Hall. He scored five points – on a traditional three-point play and dunk – in the final 7.7 seconds of the Orange Wave’s 72-68 win over Wings Academy. Hall and Jefferson move on to the Garden needing a win over rival Boys High to net its first city title since 1954. If Saturday’s theatrics are any indication, it should be a wild day at MSG.
Denis Gostev
Thomas Jefferson and Thaddeus Hall remain atop The Post's PSAL boys basketball rankings.
Next: No. 2 Boys & Girls, PSAL Class AA finals (March 17, 12 p.m. @ Madison Square Garden)
2. Boys & Girls (23-6) (2)
Wesley Myers is the best guard in the city nobody talks about. That was evident again on Saturday as the junior poured in 21 points and added five assists as Boys High beat rival Lincoln for the third time in four tries. The Kangaroos return to the Garden for the fifth time in six years, looking for their third straight city crown.
Next: No. 1 Lincoln, PSAL Class AA finals (March 17, 12 p.m. @ Madison Square Garden)
3. Wings Academy (25-3) (4)
You have to feel for Wings. For the third straight season, a memorable year ends in heartbreak, in the PSAL Class AA semifinals at St. John’s University. This was the toughest one to swallow as Wings led Jefferson by four points with under a minute left in regulation, but 12 missed free throws and a few questionable calls were the Bronx school’s undoing.
Next: Season complete
4. Lincoln (19-10) (3)
Sure, Isaiah Whitehead was hardly on the court in the first half. And, yes, Lincoln was without Tafari Whittingham, who was serving the final game of a three-game suspension. Still, Boys High thoroughly outplayed the Railsplitters in Saturday’s PSAL Class AA semifinals. Lincoln, in fact, never quite seemed right this year, never dominating like many imagined it would.
Next: Season complete
5. South Shore (19-9) (4)
South Shore will remain formidable next year as Terrence Samuel and Shamiek Sheppard will be seniors and Doudmy Saint Hilare a junior. The frontcourt is the question mark as the Vikings lose forwards Wayne Martin, Theo Brown, Jean Toussaint and Kwanique Martin. Once a strength, size could be a weakness next winter for the burgeoning Canarsie power.
Next: Season complete
6. Curtis (24-6) (10)
Curtis has proved it’s not just a good Staten Island team, but a factor in the city as well by nearly upsetting Brooklyn dynamo Lincoln in the PSAL Class AA quarterfinals. The Warriors graduate seniors Dontay Jackson, DaShawn Richmond, Debonair Edwards and Kevin McIntosh, but the cupboard is hardly bare. Junior forward Hassan Martin is as good as any prospect in the city, fellow junior Jermaine Anthony-Huff is a scoring machine and sophomore Jamel Olorunojoe figures to be a key complimentary piece.
Next: Season complete
7. Cardozo (24-7) (7)
The Judges earliest playoff exit in three years should not take away from what was a successful season. Despite losing national junior prospect Jermaine Lawrence, Cardozo shared the Queens AA crown with Bayside and won its third straight Queens borough title. With guards Omar Williams, Kyle Credle and Kendall Brown all back, the future is bright.
Next: Season complete
8. Wadleigh (22-6) (8)
If it wasn’t clear before, it is now: Basil Harley is one of the city’s top guards. He poured in 64 points in two playoff contests in the past week as Wadleigh reached the quarterfinals for the third straight year, only to fall short to top-ranked Jefferson, 80-61. That was no fault of the 5-foot-6 Harley’s as he poured in 25 points, just five days after torching Bayside for 39. Some Division III school is going to be very fortunate to grab this speedy and skilled senior.
Next: Season compete
9. John F. Kennedy (19-10) (9)
By Kennedy standards, the last three years have not been successful. The Knights did knock off rival Wings Academy for a Bronx Borough title, but they have yet to reach the quarterfinals since getting to the Garden in 2009. That’s atypical for legendary coach Johnny Mathis and company.
Next: Season complete
10. Bayside (20-6) (10)
Under coach Corey Semper, Bayside has taken positive strides the last two years, sharing the Queens AA crown with Cardozo. Still, at some point, the Commodores need that to transfer into playoff success – they have yet to reach the final eight under Semper, falling in the second round to Wadleigh this year.
Next: Season complete
New: None
Dropped out: None
On the bubble: Eagle Academy (12-16), Transit Tech (11-14), McKee/Staten Island Tech (17-11), Robeson (9-14) and Campus Magnet (16-8)
zbraziller@nypost.com
Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson, Madison Square Garden, Boys , Wings Academy, Wings Academy, PSAL Class AA semifinals, PSAL Class AA semifinals, PSAL Class AA, Thaddeus Hall, Boys High, Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Garden
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