A Devil of a good time

With an eye towards post-season, Flushing’s dominance continues
BY ZACHARY BRAZILLER
Call it a renaissance, a rebirth, a revival, whatever you choose, but Flushing is making a reputation for themselves as the team to beat in the upcoming PSAL ‘B’ playoffs. After four years of losing - a 13-46 record - the Red Devils have won an impressive number of games the last two seasons (32-2 in Queens III-B).
The latest victory, a 46-22 throttling of Academy of American Studies at home Friday evening, clinched the school’s second consecutive Queens III-B division title.
But unlike a season ago, when they came out of nowhere, the Red Devils, at 22-0, are considered the borough’s top ‘B’ team, led by the dynamic inside-outside duo of point guard Jazmin Bradley and center Andrea Buckham. Flushing has beaten Richmond Hill - the 2005 ‘B’ runner-up - and perennial Queens I-B power Martin Van Buren twice apiece.
At 16-0 in the league, and with just two division games remaining, Flushing can finish off a perfect season for the first time in school history. They should receive a top seed once the playoffs are announced, and a city championship - they haven’t won one since 1975 - is a distinct possibility.
“We want to go all the way,” Bradley said.
Of course, Bradley, the 5-foot-5 dynamic point guard, has been prominent in the team’s success, scoring over 16 points-per-game while dishing out over five assists. But it has been the ever-improving Buckham that’s propelled Flushing.
An athletic 5-foot-11 center who appears to be over 6-foot because of her vertical leap, Buckham struggled as a sophomore learning a new sport. But with hard work, she’s gotten better, and now is “like a volcano that just erupted,” Flushing Coach Carla Nasso said.
Averaging over 16 points and 11 rebounds, Buckham, who’s developed into a legitimate offensive threat, from the low blocks to the baseline to the perimeter, gives Flushing the second scoring option they lacked when they bowed out in the second round of the playoffs last March.
In that loss to East New York Family Academy, Bradley scored 32 of the Red Devils 50 points. But with Buckham consistently improving her mid-range game and the surprise contribution of first-year sophomore Kamesha Lambright (8 PPG, 7 RPG) - “She’s been a great help,” Nasso said - Bradley has become more playmaker than scorer.
With four players at 5-foot-7 or bigger, Flushing has the size advantage on most ‘B’ contenders. When you factor in their quickness, the Red Devils will present problems for any team this March.
“We’re going to do what we always do, come out, work hard, play to win,” Buckham said.
Nasso added, “We’re excited about the playoffs. I don’t think they’re ready to stop playing.”