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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, February 23, 2017 Page 26
C M SQ page 26 Y K
PSAL brackets feature a heavy dose of Queens Borough hoops programs are top contenders to claim city titles by Christopher Barca Associate Editor
New York City is the nation’s capital for just about everything from tourism and skyscrapers to pizza and bagels. But in the sports world, the city isn’t known just for its World Series trophies or dysfunctional franchises with unpopular owners. It’s also the home to arguably America’s most storied high school basketball conference. When the Public School Athletic League playoffs roll around next week, expect to see long lines out the door of dozens of gymnasiums across the city. And many of those gyms will be right here in Queens, as some of the borough’s programs won’t just be taking part in the tournament, but a number of schools are expected to advance deep into March. Just two years ago, Queens pulled off a relatively rare clean gender sweep for the borough, as both the Cardozo boys and Francis Lewis girls came away from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as city champions. While the odds are that another borough will see one of their teams win at least one of the PSAL titles, a handful of Queens squads are viewed as championship contenders. Boys “AA” Division Simply put, John Bowne High School should make serious noise come March. Despite the 2016-17 campaign being its first in the PSAL’s top “AA” division — the school was bumped up from the “A” league after years of domination — the Wildcats opened eyes despite playing tougher teams. Bowne went 12-4 in the regular season en route to capturing its first Queens borough championship last Saturday, defeating the Queens High School of Teaching 66-63. The red-hot Flushing school will enter the 24-team tournament as the third overall seed. After a first round bye, the Wildcats will take on the winner of Feb. 28’s contest between Queens Village’s Martin Van Buren High School, the 19th seed, and Brooklyn’s Paul Roberson Campus, the 14th seed. Bowne will be a tough out for anyone, as the program boasts three stars — Christian Hinckson, Alejandro Vasquez and Kareem Reid — who will undoubtedly spend their college days shining on the hardwood. Hinckson, a senior guard, is the most polished and versatile of the bunch, averaging a stellar 16.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Vasquez, a sophomore guard, is an elite scorer while Reid, a sophomore center, is a physical force below the basketball. Assistant coach Roberto Diaz told the Chronicle on Monday that he believes anyone doubting Bowne’s chances at a city title this spring should think again. “I think we’re in that discussion now,” Diaz said. “Some people may have doubted us going into the year, but I don’t think there’s a doubt now.” When asked about Bowne’s big three, he said Hinckson, Reid and Vasquez all play with a chip on their shoulder, adding that no moment is too big for them.
It’s been three years since a Queens team last won the PSAL boys “AA” division city basketball championship. Will the Cardozo Judges, above, shock New York City and again bring hoops glory FILE PHOTOS back to the borough, or will a program like John Bowne make history this March? “They know we’ve got a very important task ahead,” the coach said. “We’re excited and ready to make some noise.” Slotting in behind Bowne as the tournament’s fourth seed is the Queens High School of Teaching, a team that went a blistering 15-1 in league play this year. Senior star CJ Kelly and his electric 28 points-per-game mark has led the way for the Tigers all season, making QHST a threat to knock off just about anyone. The Bellerose school also earned a first round bye. Next up for Queens is Springfield Gardens, who went 13-3 this year en route to the tournament’s eighth seed and a first round bye. The Golden Eagles boast their own formidable big three — seniors Hegel Augustin, Khayri Harris and Tyreke Guthrie — who combined to score over 50 points per game this year, setting themselves up to be the sleeper team of the tournament. They will take on either the Bronx’s Eagle Academy of Young Men or Beach Channel High School, with the winner of that game getting the unenviable task of playing undefeated powerhouse Lincoln, the tournament’s top overall seed, in the third round. After an 11-win campaign, the Queens High School for Construction in Ozone Park earned the 10-seed and a first round date with Mott Haven at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at home. The Red Hawks aren’t viewed as serious championship contenders, but they could make some noise. After all, they beat Bowne by 13 points on Jan. 3. Three years ago, it was Cardozo and iconic coach Ron Naclerio who won it all. But the Judges have fallen off since then, losing stars Ray Salnave and Aaron Walker to graduation. Naclerio broke the state public school wins record in December, but it’s been an up-anddown season for the Judges. After starting 5-0, Cardozo won just four of its last 12 games, earning the 12-seed in the process. Junior guard Dejavaugh “Dae Dae” Utley is a star in the making who can take over a game and fellow third-year guard Marcus Hammond can give opponents headaches, but a second title in four years is most likely not in the cards
for the Bayside school. They get Brooklyn Collegiate Lions at home in the first round on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. The final Queens team taking part in the PSAL “AA” Division bracket is Francis Lewis, who enter as the 22-seed. At 6-10, the Patriots are limping into the tournament, where they will meet Thomas Jefferson High School, the defending PSAL city champion. The Orange Wave have fallen off since last year’s defeat of Lincoln in the title game — former star Shamorie Ponds is now St. John’s University’s freshman phenom — but the Brooklyn school is still formidable. Girls “AA” Division Switching over to the girls “AA” division city tournament, only one Queens team is represented, Francis Lewis. The Patriots have become a basketball fixture in the borough in recent years thanks to coach Stephen Tsai, who has built the program into one to be feared. In the 2014 tournament, Francis Lewis knocked off 15-time defending champion Murray Bergtraum 61-57 in the semifinals — one of the biggest upsets in recent PSAL girls history — before toppling top-seed South Shore 65-58 in the finals. The Patriots made the semifinals in 2015 and the finals last year, losing to South Shore both times. Before yet another rematch with their Brooklyn rival, the 2017 iteration of the tournament, four-seed Francis Lewis must win two games, the first being against Brooklyn Collegiate at home on March 1 at 5 p.m., a tilt in which the Patriots are the heavy favorite. Should they win, the Fresh Meadows school will then take on the winner of Staten Island’s Curtis High School and the Bronx’s John F. Kennedy Campus on March 5 at 3 p.m at York College. Boys “A” Division When there are 43 teams in one tournamnet, there’s bound to be some surprises. And in the PSAL’s middle division bracket, a handful of Queens teams could make some noise over the
next few weeks. A total of eight borough teams qualified, with Thomas Edison High School in Jamaica Hills earning the seventh seed, being tops among Queens schools. The Inventors went 13-1, with their only loss coming to division rival Hillcrest High School, the tournament’s 14th seed who went 12-2. Both earned first round byes. Look for Edison’s Tykei Greene (24 points, seven rebounds per game) to lead his squad deep into March, while Hillcrest will be paced by a balanced attack. Three players average at least nine points per contest. Six of the tournament’s bottom 12 seeds hail from Queens, and while most of the bracket’s bottom feeders normally exit early, each year does bring surprises. Franklin K. Lane Campus, on the border of Woodhaven and Brooklyn, is the 30th seed, with the Knights taking on Percy E. Sutton at home on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. The Port Richmond Raiders will take on Ridgewood’s Grover Cleveland High School, the 31st seed, at the latter’s gym at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28, as the Tigers look to move on. Coming in as the 36th seed is William C. Bryant High School in Woodside. The 9-5 Eagles will tangle with the High School for Environmental Studies at the latter’s gym in Manhattan on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. The Red Devils of Flushing High School also went 9-5 this season, earning the 40th seed in the bracket. They will battle Midwood on the road on March 1 at 5 p.m. At 8-6, Long Island City High School did just enough to earn the 42nd seed and a date with the Clinton Governors in the latter’s Bronx gym on March 1 at 5 p.m. The Flyers of Aviation High School in Sunnyside will look to make history as the 43rd and final seed. Who knows? Maybe them beating Global and Internation Studies on March 1 at 5 p.m. will be the start of the greatest underdog run in city hoops history? Girls “A” Divison The girls side of the PSAL’s middle division tournament is nearing the halfway point, and three Queens teams are very much alive. In the second round, four-seed William C. Bryant put a hurting on Fort Hamilton, with the 13-0 Owls destroying the Tigers 88-37. Led by the four-headed monster of Kayla Charles, Kiearra Whaley, Brianna Randolph and Anyla Harper, Bryant represents the borough’s best shot at an “A” division title. The Lady Owls will battle Petrides High School at home on March 2 at 5 p.m. with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. A pair of northeast Queens squads, Bayside and Cardozo, are the tournaments sixth and ninth seeds, respectively, with each team having cruised to victory in the first round. The 13-1 Lady Commodores, a program late head coach Steve Piorkowski built from feeble to fearsome, get Lafayette High School at home on March 2 at 5 p.m. At the same time just two miles away, the 12-1 Judges will look to advance by knocking Q off Mott Haven.