Michael Eisenberg ticked off one memorable victory after another for his players after their come-from-behind 54-49 PSAL Class AA playoff victory at No. 8 South Shore in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn.
The first time Francis Lewis reached the Garden, back in March of 1998, when they beat two-time defending champion August Martin in the semifinals.
A regular season win over nationally ranked St. Michael Academy a few years ago. Last year’s playoff win over No. 2 Grand St. Campus, who had knocked them off earlier that season, to get to MSG for the fifth time in six seasons.
Then he told them he was more satisfied with this group than any other, more content with his ninth-seeded Patriots’ victory than any of the ones he listed.
“I’m really as pleased with the improvement of this year’s team as I’ve been with any other team I ever coached at Lewis,” the coach said. “We ended up winning the Queens regular season championship. That’s seven Queens championships in a row. We’re very proud of that.”
Francis Lewis (15-9) has enjoyed such success over the last decade that the regular season and the first few rounds of the playoffs has always been nothing more than a formality, a dry run to prepare for the bigger tests that lie ahead.
This year, however, has been quite different. The Patriots had to battle for the division crown, winning four of their last five league games. Their tallest player, 5-foot-8 center Michele Runko, is known more for being an all-city caliber centerfielder in softball than for any exploits on a basketball court; their second-leading scorer, sophomore forward Andree De Leon, who led the Patriots with 18 points, played sparingly last year; and they started the playoffs on the road as the underdog.
Early on, there was good reason. Their top playmaker, junior point guard Sylvia Davis, shot 1-of-13 from 3-point range, finishing with just three points and two assists. They started slow and trailed by 10 late in the third quarter - “a few possessions from getting knocked out,” Eisenberg said.
But then, led by De Leon, junior Margaret Elenis (13 points, six rebounds) and Eisenberg’s decision to revert back to a soft half court trap, the Patriots fought back, closing to within three entering the final quarter, and finally took the lead with three minutes to go.
Unfortunately for Francis Lewis, their next opponent is a familiar foe - No. 1 Murry Bergtraum, the eight-time defending city champions who’ve beaten them at MSG the last five times they’ve gotten there.
“We’re going to take our best shot,” Eisenberg said, “and if we get blown out, we get blown out. One thing about our school and our program, we’ve always played hard.”
Elsewhere, No. 10 Cardozo lost their fourth straight, falling to No. 7 McKee/Staten Island Tech, 49-46, in the opening round of the PSAL Class AA playoffs. Lekesha Harris led a depleted Judges lineup, minus center Adenike Oyesile and point guard Nikita Green, with 25 points and 16 rebounds.
In Class A, No. 4 Martin Van Buren topped No. 29 Sheepshead Bay, 58-44. Samantha Johnson scored 16 points for the Vee Bees. No. 11 Long Island City got by No. 22 Martin Luther King Jr., 40-33, behind 24 points and 22 rebounds from Bianca Jones. In addition, No. 21 Bayside dropped a 54-48 decision to No. 12 Jane Addams.
