By Dylan Butler
Teresa Rozza is not one to hide her emotions, so when the starting point guard on the Francis Lewis girls basketball limped onto the court at St. John’s University’s Alumni Hall Saturday with tears streaming down her face, her teammates knew something was wrong.
Rozza, who was instrumental in the Patriots’ playoff run last year, which ended with a 72-36 loss to Murry Bergtraum in the title game, twisted her left ankle in the final five minutes of practice the day before top-seeded Lewis' PSAL ‘A’ semifinal clash with No. 4 Manhattan Center and was unable to play.
Instead of using Rozza’s injury as an excuse, Francis Lewis rallied, getting key contributions from several players in a 46-40 win over the Lady Rams.
The Patriots (27-3) advance to the PSAL championship game at Madison Square Garden for a second consecutive year and again will face Murry Bergtraum, the three-time defending champions, Saturday at 11 a.m.
The second-seeded Lady Blazers (25-2) easily defeated No. 3 Martin Luther King, 79-47, in the other semifinal. Francis Lewis already defeated Bergtraum this season, 50-44, on Jan. 13.
“I made the decision right before the game. I went for a layup and couldn't go off of my left foot,” said Rozza, who is averaging 11.8 points and six assists during the playoffs. “I felt like I let everyone down. I didn’t feel my presence would be the same off the court as it is on, but I was wrong.”
Standing at the end of the bench, Rozza constantly yelled out instructions and encouragement to her teammates, particularly junior guard Lindsay Meltzer, who started in Rozza’s place.
“I had the whole point guard talk with [Meltzer], explaining what to do in certain situations,” Rozza said. “The last thing I said to her was, ‘Play your game.’”
Meltzer did just that.
Instead of trying to overcompensate for the loss of Rozza, Meltzer just played her game and effectively penetrated and kicked the ball out to the likes of Jasmin Lawrence (game-high 16 points) and Maria Miaoulis (eight points) on the perimeter.
“She was really upset, but she couldn’t let us down,” Meltzer said of Rozza. “She helped us through so many games last year and all we wanted to do was go out and win it for her and ourselves. We wanted to give her a chance for [Saturday].”
Rozza said she is unsure if she will play Saturday. Lewis head coach Mike Eisenberg said it will likely be a game-time decision, but said Rozza will not practice all week. With or without Rozza, Eisenberg knows beating Bergtraum for a second time this season is a daunting task.
“The only thing we wanted to do on Jan. 13 is prove we can play with them, but they’re still the better team,” Eisenberg said. “We’re the No. 1 seed because we beat them, but they are the three-time defending champions, they have a Division I frontcourt and their backcourt is underrated. They’re still the better team until someone beats them in the postseason.”
After trailing all game, Manhattan Center (25-4) took its first lead of the game, 34-32, on Tracey Cardoza’s runner in the lane that beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter.
But Lewis answered with a big turnaround jumper in the paint by Alanna Adams (11 points) and a free throw by Miaoulis to regain the lead, 35-34.
Manhattan Center rallied to tie the game at 40 with three minutes left following a pair of baskets by Jocelyn Jones, but, again, Lewis had the response on a putback by Nicole Iannotto, her only two points of the game.
Clinging to the 42-40 lead with 57 seconds left, Lawrence had the basket of the game, losing her defender on a strong drive to the hole to put the Patriots ahead, 44-40.
“Eisenberg told us not to do anything we don’t normally do,” Lawrence said. “I just took my shots when I had them, but Lindsay Meltzer did a great job driving and dishing.”
Temple-bound Mercedes Miller led Manhattan Center with 13 points, while Jocelyn Kelly added 11.
“I’m upset but I’m not disappointed,” Miller said. “I feel we played our best.”
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Rozza’s pre-game tears were replaced with an ear-to-ear grin as she joined the Lewis crowd in chanting, “MSG, MSG.”
“Teresa had a couple of unbelievable games last year in the playoffs and we owed her one,” Eisenberg said. “We need Teresa, but this win is great for everyone’s confidence. The rest of the team stepped up when we needed them.”
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
