Jefferson on verge of North title

First-place Jefferson (10-1 PAL North, 17-6 overall) relies on its Big Three — point guard Daniel Benjamin, forward J.P Johnson and center Rodney Lawrence — all seniors, each of whom can lead the team on the court. Friday, it was Benjamin’s presence as he took control at the point that changed the complexion of the wild, raucous play to the smooth, meticulous approach that has the Grizzlies tied atop the Peninsula Athletic League North Division with Half Moon Bay.

“[His] presence means everything,” Jefferson head coach John Falabella said. “He’s a three-year starter and he wanted to celebrate that.”

Benjamin is as smooth a point guard the PAL North has to offer. And it’s going to make for an impossible decision come all-league time to choose between him and Half Moon Bay’s adept senior point guard Sam Treanor.

What differentiates Jefferson is its dual post presence of Lawrence and Johnson. The 6-6 Lawrence last week turned in a pair of double-doubles in wins over Oceana and South City. And while the senior netted a game-high 22 points Friday, it was Johnson who starred on the boards, totaling a game-high 10 rebounds.

“The kid is nothing but energy,” Falabella said of the 6-2 Johnson. “As a freshman, we called him ‘Mad Man’ because he had a couple 20 rebound games.”

The common theme espoused by all in the Jefferson ranks, however, is defense. And there is good reason for that. The Grizzlies added a ringer this season in assistant coach Peter Pollat. The veteran defensive guru was a longtime assist of Rich Forslund, with the two coaching together at Lowell, Riordan and, most recently, Half Moon Bay. After Forslund was not brought bakc by Half Moon Bay following the 2016-17, Pollat left too and became, as Falabella calls it, “a free agent.”

“I gave it some thought and said everywhere this guy’s been, he’s won,” Falabella said. “We brought him in and so far the defensive strategy has worked. And we’ve gotten better with his tutelage.”

The proof was in the pudding Friday, as Jefferson flicked that switch heading into the second quarter. The team defense concept held Westmoor (3-8, 6-17) to just five attempts from the field in the quarter, with the Rams converting just one field goal, a dribble-drive by junior John Lloyd Aguas with 48 seconds remaining in the half.

Otherwise, takeaways were the name of the game for the Grizzlies. Westmoor totaled 25 turnovers in the game, including 10 in the second quarter.

“We kind of just talked about making sure to take care of the defense,” Lawrence said. “Stop the other team from scoring, the offense takes care of itself.”

The Grizzlies shot 51 percent from the floor throughout, including a 9-of-16 clip in the second quarter.

The win is the 10th straight for the Grizzlies, who haven’t lost since Jan. 9 in their first season matchup with Half Moon Bay. Jefferson turned the tables on its fellow PAL North frontrunner Jan. 23 with a 40-34 win over HMB.

“That was a good win,” Lawrence said. “But that was nothing we gloated too much over. That was a win we felt we should have gotten. We just did our thing.”

A big win for the Grizzlies, sure. But not surprising to a talented squad that knew it had something special brewing heading into the 2017-18 season.

“This was definitely a goal,” Lawrence said. “But we made sure to take them one game at a time … because you never know. Nothing is promised. But this is definitely where we wanted to get.”

Jefferson showed it can play with plenty of flash as well. Benjamin got ignited in the third quarter with a pair of impressive drives finishing with strongman underhand layups. There were two reasons for Benjamin — who totaled 12 points in the game — to turn up the intensity in the third quarter. The first: Westmoor got busy from 3-point land, knocking down 5 of 7 shots from beyond the arc in the period. The second: some flashy competition from one of his teammates, junior guard Marquez Costiniano.

Midway through the third quarter, Costiniano turned in a play that will no doubt compete for the Grizzlies’ play of the year. The 5-9 guard produced a steal from the baseline on the defensive side of the court and sprinted for a legit coast-to-coast lay-in. The finish of that exciting play was a primetime 360-degree reverse layup, which Costiniano kissed off the glass with smooth-as-silk touch.

With just one regular-season game remaining — this coming Tuesday’s finale at Terra Nova — the Grizzlies are now one win away from at least a share of the PAL North Division. The program last won a division title in 2006-07.

“We feel good,” Jefferson senior Jovi Diaz said. “We feel like we’re on the right track and we’re doing everything right.”