By Domenico Montanaro
Lewis, however, left the floor having looked sluggish, slow and defeated, as the Patriots fell, 67-53, Saturday afternoon in the PSAL Winter Classic.
“We didn't lose today, we were embarrassed,” Lewis coach Mike Eisenberg said.
Credit that to Nastassia Boucicault.
The Sharks senior guard sliced, diced and ripped apart the Patriots' defense. She torched Lewis (14-1) for 30 points and had no problem embarrassing defenders, as she toyed with anyone and everyone who tried to guard her.
At one point, Boucicault crossed the ball over eight times while still heading up court, as a Patriot defender with her back to her was trying to find her. The defender looked over her right shoulder, but Boucicault was on her left and when she looked left, Boucicault was on her right. Then the Sharks' star dished the ball off with a smile.
“She's very talented,” said Eisenberg, who conceded that she is the best guard they have faced. “I don't even mind if she gets 30, it's the way she got 30 that bothered me. I don't know if there's anyone on my team who could guard her one-on-one. I tried two or three different people when we went man-to-man, and one of my girl's answers was, 'She's too quick for me.' So what do you do? And that's one of my better players.”
Eisenberg said he never considered going box-and-one on the explosive guard because they hadn't played the defense all season.
“You know what,” he said, “if we can't guard her with five people in a zone, then one person and four people is not going to help.”
Lewis played the day before against Cardozo, but Eisenberg refused to accept that as part of the reason for their first loss of the season.
“If that's true,” he said, “then I did a bad job coaching because that means they're not in shape. I play nine, 10 girls everyday. They play half a game each because we rotate. They shouldn't be tired.”
The Patriots and Sharks were tied at halftime, 31-31, but with 2:25 to go in the third quarter, a basket by Lashon Knight started an 11-0 run that separated the two squads for good.
By the six-minute mark in the fourth, Sheepshead extended its lead to 12. Lewis cut it to seven in the next three minutes, but would get no closer.
The Patriots were up eight points with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter, but could not put the Sharks away.
“We cut it to six and missed a layup,” Eisenberg said. “We got it down to seven and somebody doesn't box out on a foul shot. That's just heart. That's just toughness. We're a good team, but we're not tough. We are not a tough team. They're half the size of us and probably outrebounded us 2-to-1. They didn't press us. We turned the ball over 27 times.”
Mallory Williams also had 18 points for Sheepshead and Teresa Rozza had 16 points to lead Lewis.
“We're a fake team,” Eisenberg said. “We're not that good. Things go well, we're terrific. We have nine or 10 girls who are very good players. Those nine or 10 girls were terrible today. Sheepshead played great. They outplayed us and outcoached us. Today, things weren't going great for us and we went right into the Dumpster.”
Brooklyn Tech 54, August Martin 37. Rebecca Richman had 23 points to lead Brooklyn Tech (13-1) past August Martin Saturday in the PSAL Winter Classic at St. John's University. Monique Jenkins had 12 points to lead August Martin (9-4). Tech's Timiya Jackson added 14, including three second-half three pointers to seal the win.
Newtown 61, Robert F. Wagner 53. Monica Pahl scored a game-high 23 points for the Pioneers (9-7, 6-2 Queens B-III).
Townsend Harris 55, Springfield Gardens 20. Andi Strauss scored 16 points for Townsend Harris (10-2).
John Adams 61, Franklin K. Lane 33. Amanda Sanders had 15 points and 10 boards and Michelle Tusa netted 15 points for the defending PSAL 'B' champions. Adams improves to 12-1, 7-0 Queens B-II.
Grover Cleveland 40. RFK 26. Jennifer Barenbolm led the Indians (7-3, 6-1 Queens B-II) with 16 points.
Francis Lewis 58, Jamaica 32. Jessenia Marrero had 10 points, seven steals and six rebounds for the Patriots.
Campus Magnet 40, Far Rockaway 33. Elizabeth Mely and Delores Maeweather netted 14 points apiece for the Bulldogs (4-4, 4-3 Queens B-I), as Far Rockaway dropped to 1-6 in the league.
Van Buren 44, Wagner 25. Shauntae Parker had 14 points and 16 rebounds for Van Buren (7-5, 6-1 Queens B-III), while Dorcas Carlos poured in a game-high 16 points for Wagner.
Newtown 67, Bayside 56 (OT). Pahl scored 35 points, including 10 in overtime, and Lasheena Brown added 13 points for the Pioneers. Bayside (6-1 Queens B-II) was led by Gayle Silverstein's 17 points.
Springfield Gardens 65, Richmond Hill 28. Shawntiasha Smith netted a game-high 35 points and Patrice Ricks added 18 points for the Golden Eagles (8-6, 4-3 Queens B-I).
Forest Hills 47, Newcomers 23. Katherine Shea had 12 points to lead Forest Hills (12-3, 5-2 Queens B-II).
Townsend Harris 48, Bryant 45 (OT). Andi Strauss led the Hawks with 15 points. Bryant trailed 36-18 heading into the fourth quarter, but rallied to tie the game at 43 and force overtime.
Long Island City 54, Flushing 47. Deidrica Simmons (24 points) and Chelsea Thompson (12 points, 12 rebounds) led LIC (4-7, 4-3 Queens B-II).
– Dylan Butler contributed to this story
