By Dylan Butler
One day after being named the No. 1 seed in the upcoming citywide playoffs, the Francis Lewis girls’ basketball team had its first chance to prove its lofty ranking in the Queens Borough Championship at Elmcor Monday.
The Patriots wasted little time, opening up a 26-5 first quarter lead en route to an easy 62-38 win over second-seeded Townsend Harris. The victory was just one of the goals Francis Lewis set at the beginning of the season.
“We want to prove that the Bergtraum win wasn’t just one good game,” Lewis junior guard Teresa Rozza said of the team’s 50-44 victory over the three-time defending PSAL champs on Jan. 12. “We set goals at the start of the season, to clinch the division title, to win the borough championship and to get back to the Garden. But we have to take one game at a time.”
Francis Lewis (24-3) fired on all cylinders in the first quarter against Townsend Harris. Leading 8-4 early, the Patriots scored seven points in less than a minute to jump ahead 15-4. Lewis extended its lead to 21-4 on a Rozza layup following a steal by Maria Miaoulis.
Miaoulis (10 points) added a baseline jumper, Jasmin Lawrence (game-high 15 points) netted a layup following another steal and Natasha Page capped the Patriots’ first quarter scoring with a free throw.
“In the first half we played very well,” said Francis Lewis coach Mike Eisenberg. “When you put the Queens championship on the line along with defending the No. 1 seed in the city was motivation enough for the kids today.”
Townsend Harris (19-4), which came into the game following an impressive 55-32 blowout of Cardozo in the semifinals, managed just one field goal in the opening 12 minutes. Its leading scorer, sophomore Shanay Freeman, who averaged 15.7 points per game, was held to just two points.
Jessica Sharoff and Andi Strauss combined for 22 of the Hawks’ 38 points.
“We weren’t ready to play. We weren’t the aggressor, we played like patsies,” said Townsend Harris coach Larry Ceraulo. “We just allowed things to happen to us. We just played afraid.”
Added Freeman: “They matched up great against me. Today I give them credit, they shut me down.”
The Patriots continued to run and score at will in the second quarter, opening up a 44-19 halftime lead. Ceraulo said his team, which garnered the No. 9 seed in the upcoming citywide playoffs, wasn’t ready to play at Francis Lewis’ speed.
That could be a bad omen for the Hawks, who could face Lewis for a fourth time this season if they win their first and second round games.
“We’ve been playing great and we just came out strong,” Rozza said. “We really wanted it more than them but if we play again we just have to play twice as hard.”
Francis Lewis 48, Jamaica 34. Alaina Adams had 16 points to lead the Patriots in a semifinal win Saturday at John Bowne. Erica Smith netted a game-high 25 points for the Beavers (17-8).
Townsend Harris 55, Cardozo 32. Freeman led the Hawks with 18 points in a semifinal win Saturday at Bowne.
Francis Lewis 70, Beach Channel 41. Miaoulis and Page netted 13 points apiece for the Patriots in the quarterfinals.
Jamaica 60, August Martin 52. LeTanya Grady led the Beavers with 25 points in the win at No. 4 Martin.
Townsend Harris 61, Cleveland 33. Andi Strauss netted 20 points in a quarterfinal win Friday.
Cardozo 44, John Adams 36. Christina Jones led the Judges with 17 points and five assists in a quarterfinal win Friday.
Forest Hills 41, Robert F. Wagner 33. Katie Gilbert had 15 points for Forest Hills (9-13) in a non-league win.
American Studies 50, Newcomers 42. Shantal Roopnarine netted 17 points for American Studies (5-13) in its first win over Newcomers in four years.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
