The crowd erupted and spilled onto the court, celebrating South Shore’s first victory over Boys & Girls in coach Mike Beckles’ eight-year tenure. The joyous Vikings joined together in a circle, clapping and chanting as Terrence Samuel danced to the music blaring through the speakers.
It made sense that he was in the middle of the circle – the junior point guard was in the middle of South Shore’s biggest win of the year, a hard-fought 61-58 victory over nationally ranked Boys & Girls in PSAL Brooklyn AA boys basketball in Canarsie on Wednesday.
He had 18 points – 13 in the second half – seven rebounds and six assists against the same team which ended South Shore’s season last year. Most importantly, he sank all four of his fourth-quarter free throws – the go-ahead free throws – in the waning minutes.
WILLIAM THOMAS
South Shore's Terrence Samuel had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Vikings' 61-58 victory over Boys & Girls.
“He stepped up big,” Beckles said. “He showed he’s one of the best players in the city.”
Samuel wasn’t alone in his dead-on work from the foul line in the final stanza. The Vikings made 11-of-12 and their final eight, which included Doudmy St. Hilaire putting the game away with two at the line with 12 seconds remaining.
“We don’t hit our free throws, we don’t necessarily win,” Beckles said.
Shamiek Sheppard added 17 points, many of them on high-flying slams, and six rebounds and Wayne Martin followed with 10 points and nine rebounds.
After a two-game slide, South Shore (6-2, 4-2 Brooklyn AA) is headed to the Kreul Classic in Florida riding high, winners of two straight. There were harrowing moments Thursday. Leroy (Truck) Fludd poured in 31 points for Boys & Girls, which never trailed by more than five points and led by a point with 1:40 to go after Fludd’s putback.
The Vikings, though, executed down the stretch with Samuel making his free throws, Sheppard adding two of his own and the defense not giving Boys & Girls an open look from 3-point range when down three.
“They deserved to win,” Boys & Girls coach Ruth Lovelace said. “They played better.”
After knocking off two-time CHSAA Class AA city champion Christ the King on Saturday and topping Grady on Tuesday, Boys & Girls never could find its rhythm on either end of the floor. Fludd had another big game, which has become the norm for the uncommitted senior, and Tyliek Kimbrough added 13 points. The other Kangaroos mostly struggled, enabling South Shore to focus on Fludd, and Lovelace wasn't happy with her team's usually stingy defense either.
“It’s tough, but I was telling these guys you gotta get some good out of this,” Lovelace said. “It’s better for a loss to come early.”
The Vikings played down the revenge factor. Sure, Boys & Girls ended their season in the quarterfinals last year, rallying from a 10-point deficit, but that was a different team, a different season. This win was about this year, this group finding a way to beat a quality opponent, proving to themselves they’re capable of taking down one of the supposed superpowers after Saturday’s 18-point loss at Lincoln.
“This win means a lot,” Samuel said. “This is our motivation to keep working harder and harder and harder and good things will continue to happen for us.”
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