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By Daniel Martin
Brooklyn Daily
Abraham Lincoln junior guard Isaiah Whitehead scored 32 points, including eight 3-pointers, during the Railsplitters boy’s basketball team’s 102–64 home rout of George Westinghouse on Thursday.
The performance proved that Whitehead is the unquestioned leader and centerpiece of a Lincoln team looking to win its first city title in three years, according to Railsplitter’s coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton.
“He’s the glue,” Morton said. “It’s difficult to express how important he is.”
At 6-foot-5, the 195-pound Whitehead has joined a long line of Lincoln stars that includes Lance Stephenson and Sebastian Telfair. He’s still in the process of his college recruitment and is considering schools that include St. John’s, Syracuse, Maryland, Kansas, and University of California, Los Angeles, among others.
Whitehead said his goal is not just to win a city title, but a state federation crown. The Railsplitters (2–0) lost last year’s semifinals to three-time defending champions Boys and Girls. This year’s club features seven new players and the team’s going to need time to fully jell, but Whitehead sees plenty of potential moving forward.
“We think we’re very good,” he said. “We average over 100 points so far, so we just have to pick it up on the defensive end.”
Among those who have departed is Ethan Telfair, Sebastian’s brother. He transferred to Quest Prep in Las Vegas, leaving a void at the point guard spot.
Whitehead, along with fellow guard Shaquille McFarland, a transfer from St. Patrick’s in New Jersey, has started sharing the ball handling duties.
McFarland scored 12 points in the win over Westinghouse, but, as Morton has said, the season is still young and the flexibility of the Lincoln roster has allowed him to shuffle pieces around.
Desi Rodriguez, who transferred from Frederick Douglass Academy III in the Bronx and Elijah Davis, another St. Patrick’s transfer, combined for 36 points on the night. They are looking to replace graduated forward Tafari Whittingham.
But even Morton can’t predict how all of these pieces will fit together for this high-scoring Railsplitters this season.
“So far, it’s been solid, but it’s too early to tell,” Morton said.