By Dylan Butler
Mike Eisenberg knew the Francis Lewis girls’ basketball team would be seeded right behind four-time defending PSAL champion Murry Bergtraum for the upcoming PSAL playoffs.
But that doesn’t mean the Patriots head coach was happy after the seeding committee met Friday at PSAL headquarters in Long Island City.
Because the top four seeds (Bergtraum, Lewis, Curtis and Midwood) earn a first-round bye, Eisenberg’s team will not have a scheduled game since beating August Martin in the Queens Borough championship game Feb. 4.
“We expected to play a first-round game,” said Eisenberg, whose team will host either No. 15 Frederick Douglas Academy or No. 18 Clinton in the second round. “We’re going to go 22 days without a game, and it’s going to be difficult to keep my team sharp.”
Maybe Eisenberg would like to trade places with August Martin or Cardozo, the next two highest seeded teams from Queens who each play a first-round game.
The Angels (18-4) host No. 26 Truman Thursday and could meet Francis Lewis in a quarterfinal game. The Patriots beat Martin three times this season.
Cardozo (15-7), which is without star forward Leah Lipschitz (sprained ankle), earned the No. 11 seed and will host 22nd-seeded Walton in a first-round game scheduled for Wednesday.
“I figured we’d be around 9-13,” Cardozo coach Larry Carradine said of the seed. “Hopefully Leah’s ankle will come around. If Leah plays, we’re a pretty good team. If she doesn’t play, it will be tough.”
The final ‘A’ team in Queens is Townsend Harris. Led by Shanay Freeman, the Hawks are seeded No. 20 and play at 13th-seeded Manhattan Center Friday.
The winner faces fourth-seeded Midwood in the second round.
In the ‘B’ division playoffs, high-flying Bayside hosts Graphic Arts in a first-round game Thursday.
The Commodores (20-4) are undefeated in ‘B’ competition this year and defeated ‘A’ teams Townsend Harris and Jamaica.
“We have to score [a lot of points] in order to win, and the challenge is before us,” Bayside coach Steve Piorkowski said. “I think we’re ready.”
Led by Katreem “The Dream” Palmer, Beach Channel hosts Wingate Friday.
In an all-Queens affair, John Bowne is home for Van Buren in a first-round game Thursday and Newtown will host Baruch Thursday.
Forest Hills hosts Chelsea Friday. Rounding out the Queens teams is Edison, which plays at Grand Street Campus in a first-round game scheduled for Wednesday.
Following the first round, the remaining 16 teams will be seeded.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 1-718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
