By Dylan Butler
The Francis Lewis girls’ basketball team was a confident group heading into the championship game of the Monsignor King Tournament at St. Thomas Aquinas in Brooklyn Monday night.
The Patriots laughed and joked on the layup line, not at all concerned about their opponent across the floor. After all, the Patriots had already beaten Midwood by 21 points last month.
At the end of the game, though, Francis Lewis breathed a collective breath of fresh air after escaping with a 42-41 win over the Lady Hornets.
“We thought it was going to be a walk in the park,” said Lewis senior forward Alanna Adams. “They were ready to come and get us, and they blindsided us a bit.”
How close did Lewis, widely considered the second-best team in the PSAL behind three-time defending champion Murry Bergtraum, come to being upset?
Midwood missed a pair of open looks in the final six seconds, including Alicia Angevine’s jumper from the left blocks that rimmed out with two ticks left on the clock.
“Even with two seconds left, we got off the shot we wanted from 7 feet away,” said Midwood coach Artie LaGreca. “We put it up, but it just didn’t hit.”
Trailing 24-19, Midwood (19-4) brought the game to Francis Lewis at the start of the second half. Led by sensational freshman Melanie Murphy, who scored a game-high 16 points, the Lady Hornets took their first lead of the game at 5:11 of the third quarter as Murphy picked up a loose ball and slashed through the lane.
“I read all the Web sites and she is so special,” LaGreca said of Murphy. “Tell me who is a better ninth-grader in the city? There is no fear with her when she has the ball in the last minute.”
Midwood scored the first 11 points of the second half, and, capped by Sarah Milburn’s three-pointer, took a 30-24 lead with 3:46 left.
With his team trailing 33-29, Francis Lewis coach Mike Eisenberg sat starters Teresa Rozza and Maria Miaoulis for defensive standouts Maurita Reid and Andrea Condur and pleaded with his team to attack the low post, which to that point had been ineffective.
Led by Adams and Alaina Davis, the Patriots did just that. Lewis (21-1) rallied late and went on an 11-2 run, capped by Reid’s steal and putback to take a 40-37 lead with 2:53 left. A minute later, Davis scored from the left blocks to put the Patriots ahead, 42-39.
“They’re a very well-coached team with a very high basketball IQ,” Eisenberg said. “For three quarters they played harder than we did. Once we fell behind I thought it was ‘uh-oh’ time but we started to play harder.”
Jasmin Lawrence scored a team-high 9 points for Francis Lewis to earn game MVP honors. Dawn Coleman had 7 points, Davis added 6 and Adams had 4 for the Patriots.
Springfield Gardens 52, Academy of American Studies 41. Judy Mathieu netted 25 points and Diana Frank added 17 for Springfield (10-12).
Francis Lewis 77, Curtis 45. Rozza and Lawrence scored 17 points apiece, including six each in the middle of an 18-4 third-quarter run Sunday at the Monsignor King tournament.
Francis Lewis 85, St. Joseph by the Sea 42. Diatiema Hill had 17 points and 6 assists, and Condur added 13 points and 6 rebounds for Lewis Saturday at the Monsignor King tournament.
John Bowne 64, Newtown 49. Nashaun Burrell scored 14 points, including her 1,000th career point, and Chantal Biscette had 15 points and 20 rebounds for Bowne (16-3) in a non-league win.
Bayside 45, Beach Channel 37. Allie Falco led Bayside (18-2) with 13 points in a non-league win.
Forest Hills 38, Academy of American Studies 25. Katie Gilbert had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Albana Gega added 8 points and 13 rebounds, and Jennifer Grabowski had 11 boards for Forest Hills (16-4) in a non-league win.
Springfield Gardens 58, Campus Magnet 26. Diana Frank had 20 points for Springfield Gardens.
Franklin K. Lane 51, Thomas Jefferson 50. Jamie Belletini had 16 points and 7 assists and April Saunders added 17 for Lane (9-12).
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
