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Just when Jabri McCall and his Martin Luther King High School teammates seemed to have suppressed the will of Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School Monday afternoon by building a late seven-point edge at the Edward O’Malley Athletic Association, 144 Moore St., the proud hosts fought back to enliven their fans’ hopes for an upset. Thanks to four free throws from the 17-year-old resident of the 2200 block of McClellan Street, the defending Public League champion Cougars escaped with a 52-47 victory.
“This was definitely a tough game,” the Point Breeze dweller said of the Division-A duel. “We came in wanting to work on our chemistry and defense, so we’re happy to get the win, but we have some stuff to work on going forward.”
The narrow triumph elevated King to a 16-6 mark and solidified its second-place league status with an 8-2 ledger, the lone losses coming to Constitution, whom it topped, 46-44, to take last year’s crown. Facing a foe with a 2-7 league record, the squad squandered a few chances to make the outcome drama-free, but regardless of the margin, McCall found fortune in the effort.
“We have strong leaders on this team,” the junior guard said of coach Sean Colson’s unit. “We want to be there celebrating another championship, and we know we’re going to have to tough out some games to get that done.”
Having charged past the Chargers 63-45 on Jan. 8, the guests galloped across the Pennsport-situated court in the first quarter, with McCall scoring a bucket and tallying an assist, a rebound and a steal in helping his gang to a 13-11 cushion. A compelling back-and-forth battle ensued in the second, with the sharpshooter needing to head to the sidelines with a foot injury. Lacking much offensive variety, the Cougars could not roar their way out of inconsistent situations, so instead of letting his players ponder their play in solitude, Colson spent the early stages of halftime reviewing their efforts on the bench.
“We’re not playing team basketball,” the leader said. “Guys need to step up.”
McCall has always valued such advice. Around basketball for most of his life, he cited numerous South Philadelphians, including Queen Village product and 2014 South Philly Review Difference Maker Lionel Simmons, a graduate of South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St., as influences. Constantly looking to mold his game at such locations as Smith Playground, 2100 S. 24th St., and the Christian Street YMCA, 1724 Christian St., he confided that toughness and a desire to attack the basket became the immediate products of his diligence, but when he enrolled at the North Broad Street-located Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School, he decided not to play his freshman year. Transferring to King, he sought to situate himself as a chief contributor to Colson’s corps of charges, with last year’s title-game performance, in which he garnered MVP honors, validating his decision to let his career unfold gradually.
“It definitely took us some time to come together last season,” McCall said of the prestigious campaign, which saw the Cougars advance to the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament on their way to a 24-6 mark. “I actually think we’ve done a much better job of playing together this year, especially because we have strong seniors.”
The upperclassman and his colleagues again became engaged in frenetic action as the third quarter commenced, with McCall picking up his third foul only 65 seconds in, leading the agile defender to make adjustments that actually freed up the other Cougars to hound the ball, with center Tyere Marshall especially benefiting. The visitors built their first seven-point lead midway through the frame, but the Chargers electrified their supporters by making the waning seconds’ tally 33-32. A beautifully arched three-pointer from McCall made it 36-32 heading into the last session, with the multifaceted figure knowing he would need to call on all his skills to preserve the bulge.
“We know that teams are looking to beat us, period, but because of the fact that we won the title, we know it’s even more important not to beat ourselves,” McCall said of the Cougars, who, behind 18 points from the local roster member, defeated Timber Creek, 59-36, in their Ben Franklin High School-based B2B Play-to-Play City Classic matchup Jan. 31 and who achieved runner-up status Dec. 30 at the Widener University-situated Pete and Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic. “I’m looking to get better because it’s the time when every play is going to matter a little more.”
See-saw sequences saw the Cougars grab yet another seven-point lead, but the Chargers dwindled it to a deuce. McCall registered a steal that led to a nice bucket, but his peers could not push aside their Center City-based adversaries, who trailed 48-45 as the 6-foot star strolled to the foul line.
“At that point, I was just thinking about one at a time,” McCall said of his first set of pressure-packed freebies. “When they went in, I still didn’t relax because I knew we had to play defense.”
The Chargers could not counter, and McCall dribbled off five seconds from the clock. Earning another charity stripe trip, he drained two more heaves to cap his scoring.
“I think I could have played better defense,” the ball hawk, who generated four steals, as many assists, two rebounds and nine points, said of his effort. “That’s something to fix for next time.”
Set to open the defense of their title on Monday, the Cougars will need enhanced production from everyone, with McCall well aware of the central ingredient.
“Heart,” he said. “If we want to repeat, we need to have heart.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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