By Simon Chen
With two more weeks left on the regular season slate, the ladies of the hardwood are jockeying for playoff positioning as every loss and every win is now treated with more scrutiny. Last week, the Madison Knights (9-4) virtually clinched a playoff spot with a 48-44 victory over Canarsie on January 16, as they two remaining against South Shore and Banneker. As for Lincoln (5-7), with three games left, will need to win at least two, but it won’t easy as they will tip-off against Canarsie, Midwood, and August Martin. As for Midwood (9-2), the lady Hornets are looking mighty strong as they’ve climbed back into the division race, being only a ? game back of Jefferson (10-2). “AA” Division Madison 48, Canarsie 44- Heading into the fourth quarter, leading 33-22, Madison had to hang on to beat lowly Canarsie, 48-44 in a hair raiser. Leading the lady Knights was Samantha Stanfield. The senior was able to net 20 points while adding 15 rebounds and three rebounds. Her teammate, Sashana Bucknor, chimed-in with 17 points, a team-high 19 rebounds, and wheeled out two assists. The win for Madison solidifies them a playoff spot and second place in the division with their record improving to 9-4 while Canarsie falls to 0-13 on the season. *** Lincoln Railsplitters (5-7)- In a 1-1 week for the ‘Splitters, Lincoln was really impressive in their January 14 contest against Cardozo, where they crushed them, 56-30. In that game, Nefertiti Tilton led all Lincoln scorers as she laid in 19 points while adding 11 rebounds and two assists. But two days later, on January 16, the lady ‘Splitters were derailed by division leader South Shore, 64-24. With three games left on the slate, Lincoln will need to win all three to have a shot at seeing the postseason. Just one loss will bid the lady ‘Splitters’ season, a farewell. *** Midwood Hornets (9-2)- With two huge victories last week, the Midwood lady Hornets pulled to within a half game of division-leading Jefferson (10-2). Leading the sting was a pair of juniors – forward Jessica Previlion and guard Victoria Story. The story for the guard was that she netted a combined 30 points while adding four rebounds and three assists in the two blowout victories of Boys & Girls and Cardozo. As for Previlion, the forward led all Midwood scorers for the week, as she drove down the lane for 35 points and chipped-in 32 rebounds while adding an assist to the mix. Midwood won their two contests in a blowout fashion, as their average margin of victory was 30. With five remaining and a playoff berth in their back pockets, Midwood is strong and alive for the division crown. “A” Division Sheepshead Bay Sharks (8-5)- In a 1-1 week for Sheepshead Bay, the lady Sharks were led by Marquita Pring. The senior led in two of the three major scoring categories, rebounding and scoring, for the team during week. In the January 15, 44-35 loss to division-leader Medgar Evers, Pring netted 17 points while pulling down 26 rebounds. But Sheepshead Bay rebounded with a victory over Brooklyn Tech, in which, Pring swished-in 18 points and added 26 rebounds. With four games remaining on the regular season slate, Sheepshead Bay will just need one more win to capture a playoff spot. *** Fort Hamilton Tigers (8-6)- For the second consecutive week, the lady Tigers were led by star guard Rabab Mansour. The senior backcourt player led the team in scoring by netting a combined 29 points, two rebounds, and one assist in the 1-1 week for Fort Hamilton. Like Sheepshead Bay, the lady Tigers have four contests remaining but will just need one more victory to capture a playoff spot.
