Fantastic freshmen soar

In first playoff game, Lewis and Agard combine for 30 points in win
BY ZACHARY BRAZILLER
The youngest team in Joel Ascher’s 25-year tenure at August Martin accomplished the same feats as many senior teams before them - reaching the playoffs with a winning record and then advancing.
Freshmen Patrice Lewis (20 points, five rebounds) and Krystina Agard combined for 30 points, leading No. 18 August Martin to an upset of fifteenth-seeded Norman Thomas, 59-55, in the opening round of the PSAL ‘A’ playoffs in Manhattan Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a great experience for them,” said Ascher of his dynamic freshmen. “We’ve gotten as far as we did last year with a bunch of seniors.”
As an eighth grader, Lewis, now August Martin’s leading scorer, practiced with many of those seniors. “She’s been an outstanding player for us,” Ascher said.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” senior Denille Evans said of Lewis. “She’s gotten much better at the end.”
The pattern continued against Norman Thomas. The 5-foot-11 Lewis scored 11 of the Falcons final 17 points, grabbing several crucial rebounds and adding a blocked shot. “I was kind of nervous,” she admitted. “But my [assistant] coach Steve [Furtado] told me to play my game.”
Reeling from five straight defeats, August Martin started slow, falling behind by double digits early, only to play their finest eight minutes of the season, a 28-5 second quarter outburst. Led by Evans, who pumped in all 19 of her points in the first half, the Falcons led comfortably, 39-24, at halftime.
But with young talent comes inexperience and immaturity. As they did in their late-season run when they took their opposition lightly, August Martin let down after intermission. The Tigers took full advantage of the Falcons’ sloppiness, ripping off a 17-3 spurt that brought them within a point late in the third quarter. “During their run, we didn’t run the floor hard,” Lewis admitted.
But like a light flickering back on, Lewis and her teammate came to life. The Hollis resident converted a crucial 3-point play in the lane, guaranteeing August Martin would not relinquish their advantage heading into the final quarter. Nonetheless, Norman Thomas (10-7) grabbed their first lead since the second quarter, 51-50, on a Tiffani Robinson (15 points) jumper with less than four minutes to go.
However Lewis and Agard took over from there. Lewis canned a pair of free-throws and a 15-foot jumper and Agard (10 points, seven assists) finished strong off a nifty back cut.
The Falcons (14-8) draw No. 2 Grand St. Campus in the second round. Lewis insisted there was no time to reflect on her greatest performance to date. “We’re concentrating on Grand St.,” she said, adding they need to, “get back in the gym tomorrow and work on our weaknesses.”
No matter the result, with Lewis and Agard improving by the moment, August Martin’s future seems bright. “I think they’re going to be a threat [in the next few years],” Evans predicted.