Who Needs To Rebuild?

Certainly not the Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer team. The Lady Panthers are coming off the programs first ever championship season as last year's team, dominated by a group of eight Senior year players, defeated Staten Island Academy in the PSAA Championship game at the met Oval to culminate a seven year development process that began with the program's inception. Most of those eight Seniors had been on the team for 4 years and knew almost everyone who had ever played Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer. Their departure was accompanied by statements like, "now it's time to rebuild the program" and "maybe in a few years we can get back to the championship game". Even I, ever the optimist, thought that it would be a little while till we saw some quality girls soccer being played on the lower pitch again. Well we were all WRONG!

Somehow, like a magician covered in soot, Coach Coope has quickly melded a cohesive unit that not only reminds people of past teams, but might even have the potential to add another championship trophy to the case, and much sooner than expected. With only two Seniors on the team, the squad is probably a year away from returning to the Met Oval, however, their play so far has been eye opening. Unexpectedly strong on defense, with veteran starters Denise Mikalef and Ceci Mulry as an impregnable sweeper/stopper combo and Senior Captain Ashley Wade in net, the Lady Panthers have also displayed a lightning quick counter-attack powered by new Sophomore midfielder Kristie Kelly ( Yes...she is former All League player Mo Kelly's little sister) and Sophomore Striker Erica Cohen. Already twice victorious by identical 4-0 results the Lady Panther Booters will face a series of tests next week when they take on the Lycee Francais School of NYC (Monday/4:30pm) and Columbia Prep (Wednesday/4:30pm). Both games should be competitive affairs so come on out and support this "new" and exciting team! Also...for more detailed descriptions of the Lady Panther's games, check out Coach Coope's recaps on the Varsity Girls Soccer team page in the Athletics section of the Portledge website (www.portledge.org)

A Really Special Day!

If you are lucky enough to have been part of the Portledge community for any length of time you probably remember some pretty special times/days at 355 Duck Pond Road. This one though, last Saturday, Sept 11th, 2010 was a really something quite different, and I'm fairly sure it will stick in my mind for a long time.

By now you are all aware that nine years have passed since that horrifying Tuesday morning none of us will ever forget. So many images rush through your mind that, to this day, you almost experience a sensory overload. The one that always gets me is walking out of the Upper School with Mr. Gregory, to just get a look up in the sky, when to our awe two military jets buzzed by overhead doing mach whatever. We just starred at each other and mumbled," what is going on"? This anniversary, however, seemed different. Maybe it's all the controversy over the proposed 'Mosque @ Ground Zero", or the increased amount of tension in the Middle East as Iran closes in on having nuclear weapons, or maybe it's just that the beautiful weather of this past Saturday reminded me so much of the glorious conditions on that fateful morning. Whatever it was - it just was different this time around. We have played games on 9/11 since the tragedy, but never on a weekend, and never the traditional opening day games w/ Friends Seminary that so many have come to enjoy and so regularly come out to see. So this was a little different........

As the players from the opposing schools came together across the midfield of one field, and the endline of the other, to stand and salute the national and state flags as Junior Jake Horton blew an exquisite, yet solemn taps on his big deep tuba, there was a moment of total silence and what seemed like awe among the large crowd gathered to cheer on the "footballers". Somewhere, inside my memory and my being, I knew I had experienced that same awe before.

When the moment passed and a serene and polite clapping filled the air, I knew it was time to re- start life again. So as the whistles sounded and the games began, things became normal again. Still, the camaraderie and the gentile nature of everyone I had the pleasure of speaking with on this"special" day made me see that it wasn't just a normal opening day, and that every 9/11 from now on and every opening day from now on, for both different and similar reasons, would always be "special"!

Just Getting Caught Up - Or - Just in Time for a Big Finish!

The title of this blog really says it all. The added responsibility of being Head Coach of Varsity Boys Lacrosse has kept me fairly busy, as has getting around to see as many of the other sports as possible. Thus, I have found little time for reflection, much less time to compose those reflections into some sort of coherent prose. It seems now, however, that I finally have a quiet weekend and a chance to look back on the first month of the Spring Athletic Season at Portledge. To say we have already had a bit of excitement and achievement during the first half of the Spring really does not do justice to the action of the past month. Whether you are watching the drive of the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team to remain at the top of Metropolitan area independent school girls lacrosse scene, or marveling at the amazing rekindling of top flight boys tennis here at Portledge, you are seeing some tremendous individual and team efforts. Did I fail to mention that in only their second season of Varsity play, the Varsity Softball team is undefeated with a record of 6-0, and stands at the top of the very competetive IPPSAL Softball league. Beyond that, the Varsity Basebal teaml is 3-3 and in good position to reach the IPPSAL Baseball playoffs, and although just sporting a record of 1-3, the Varsity golfers have turned in some phenomenal individual performances where several team members have recorded official match scores just above par. Finally, we have the Varsity Boys Lacrosse team - so many times a bastion of excellence and the leading spring athletic program. This spring, however, is a time of rebuilding for Boys Lacrosse. Nevertheless, it is a "situation" that may produce something quite special before you know it. Now that I have summarized all that is going on this Spring in Portledge Athletics, you can see how finding the time write about it all can be somewhat of a daunting task. Before I go into a few specifics though, I would like to remind those of you who would like more immediate feedback about how the individual programs are fairing to check out the team pages. There, the result of every game is recorded along with a coaches' recap of the events. In some cases, and I send out a big hooray to Senior Ben Shapiro, those recaps are even being written by the players themselves.

So, from all that I've shared, what is truly exceptional. Well one can't help to watch with wonder the day to day commitment to excellence displayed by the players and coaches of the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team. Led by a host of Senior standouts this team seems driven to be the best they can, and to possibly earn another shot at a NYSAISAA crown. Last spring ended in the heartache of a double overtime loss to Hackley in the Championship game, but that event has only served to springboard the team into this season. After a very productive week in Florida, they have returned to run up a record of 7 wins and 2 losses which has been strong enough keep them in first or second place in the metro area independent school girls lacrosse rankings. Tomorrow - Monday, May 3rd the Lady Panthers will take on the team that has most shared the top spot with the Portledge girls this season, the Riverdale Country School. The game will be at Riverdale (4:30pm) and the result should go a long way in determining the eventual top seed for the NYSAISAA Tournament. Aside from the great Senior play of Addie Reilly, Claudia Rogers, Robyn Worrall and Monique Kelly this team differs from last year's squad in the amount of production it is getting from underclassmen. Freshmen Ceci Mulry and Erin Brand have been significant contributors on offense, as has Sophmore Martine Krown, who recently recorded a five goal - three assist game. While at the other end of the field, Sophmore defender Alexa Lodenquai and Sophmore goalie Denise Mikalev have both been very solid. In addition to the Riverdale match up, the girls still have a bunch of other challenging dates with the likes of Lu Hi (May 5th), SIA (May7th), Chapin (May 10th) and Poly Prep (May 19th) before all these teams battle it out in the NYSAISAA Championship Tournament (May 23rd-26th). You are all encouraged to come out and see this remarkable team in the afoerementioned games, all of which are at HOME!

Where now....I guess we should stick with Girls Sports and the incredible ride that the Varsity Girls Softball team is on. Under the direction of Softball gurus Shane Capuccio and Andrea McKeon this Lady Panther outfit is running on all cylinders. Built around the incredible pitching arm of Freshman Samantha Kaplan, the team defeated defending IPPSAL Champion Lu Hi in its first game and has not looked back since. Playing here and there, since we have no softball diamond here at Portledge, and without several key hitters on ocaision, this group of girls has been fantastic. One can't help but root for them to go all the way this season and bring home the school's first ever Softball Championship. Next week the Varsity Softball team will travel twice to OSNA in Centereach for 4:30 starts on Wed, May 5th and Fri, May 7th. If you have the chance, gas up the car and go check out our unbeaten Lady Panther Softball team.

The last really phenomenal story from the first month of the 2010 Spring Sports season has been the revival of the Varsity Boys Tennis program. This all began on a cold day in January when a quiet young man, who was then attending a prep school outside of London, England, came by Portledge to see what it was like. His Mom, Dad and younger siblings were all moving to Long Island and he was contemplating leaving his school and making the move to the states with his family. He was just looking for the right school and we are very lucky that Portledge fit that bill. If you have not had the chance to see Alex Schidlovsky take on the opposing #1 players at all the ACIS and IPPSAL schools then you are truly missing something. Not only is Alex a legitimate ace (no pun intended) at the top spot, but he is a real artist with his game. Possessing a sublime backhand cut and exceptional touch all over the court, Schidlovsky constructs points like Tchaikovsky (note Russian reference) wrote music. Easy going and soft one minute, tunderous and final the next. If you are a tennis fan, do yourself a favor and stop by the courts next Saturday for the ACIS Individual Singles and Doubles Championships. Not only will you get to experience Alex' play, but you will also see the individual who is quickly becoming the best all around athlete at Portledge School, Cameron Daniels. Earlier this year Cameron was tremendous winger for a very good 7/8 Boys Soccer team and was then the MVP point guard for the 7/8 Boys Basketball team. There is a good chance he would have also garnered that award for his play in baseball this spring except that Cam decided it was time to bring his best game - tennis - to the Portledge sports scene. Sanding 4 foot something, Cameron always brings a bit of a chuckle out of his opponent when they are introduced. The opponent's smile though, usually turns to a frown before even the warmups are done. Just this past Friday the #2 player on a very good Friends Seminary team was overheard telling his coach, "this kid doesn't miss anything". While the team is 7-2 in combined ACIS & IPPSAL play Cameron remains undefeated in the #2 singles spot. The rest of the Varsity Tennis program is strong with Eddie Huai holding down the #3 singles spot and terrific doubles play from Vishal Chinchwadkar, George Gage, the Snow brothers, Niko and Alex, Dan Greenstein and Senior Christian Sbarro, who has been a really sound addition to the team playing both singles and doubles. They are deep, incredible at the top and guided by the steady and experienced hand of Dr. David Sarles, who has been cultivating the tennis program here at Portledge for years.

So we have got ourselves some exciting days ahead as these teams move toward championship play. We hope they are also joined by late runs from the Varsity Baseball and Varsity Boys Lacrosse teams, which would make the Portledge sports fields and courts an incredible place to be this spring. See you all at the games, because that's where I'll be!!

A Night to Remember!

Probably very few people know that the title of this post is also the title of a very famous black and white movie from the 1940s. That story was about something going slowly down - the Titanic to be exact. My story, however, is about how something that is slowly coming up, and how on one special night this winter the movement became apparent to everyone.

Eleven long days and nights had passed since the IPPSAL Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball Championship games had been postponed because of snow. The excruciatingly long delay in playing the games occurred because some of the schools involved had mid winter holiday and were not able to get all their players together during the break. Both the Portledge Varsity Girls and Boys teams had qualified for these ultimate contests, and in some ways the time off had benefited the Lady Panther and Panther sides. Lots of bumps and bruises had a chance to heel, and a few extra practices enabled the coaches to implement some special game strategies they had tucked away for just such a special occaission. Still, now the time had come - it was 4:00pm on Tuesday, February 23rd and the Girls Championship game was to begin in an hour. The Lady Panthers were dressed and ready and were recieving good luck wishes from the Varsity Boys players, as well as from all the JV players and other people milling around the gym. As they boarded the bus for the short trip to Solomon Schechter, site of the 09-10 Championship Double-header, I remember thinking to myself this has the makings of something really special. I knew the Boys team was planning on going over early to support the girls and that some other Upper Schoolers had spoken about being there, so I was confident that our teams would get at least some support at this venue so close to home. When I arrived at the SSDS Gymnasium, more commonly called the Lion's Den, I could see that my earlier thoughts were not only correct, but had actually been surpassed. An incredible collection of the Portledge community had come together to root our teams on to victory. There were all sorts of classmates, brothers and sisters, and parents of the players. Then their were many of the coaches in the Athletic Dep't, a slew of other teachers, parents of students not participating this night, alumni, and even some alumni parents. All come together to see if these Lady Panther and Panther squads could pull something off that had not been done since 1992 - a Varsity Girls and Boys Sweep of the IPPSAL Basketball Championships.

The Varsity Girls team seemed in control of the first Championship game from the start. Senior Akanksha Trivedi dominated inside as she made one "cash money" turn around jumper after another. The Lady Panther defense was suffocating and it seemed that every Claudia Rogers steal turned into a Mo Kelly made basket for Portledge at the other end. Twice the lead reached 12 points as the Lady Panthers flirted with a first half blow out. Somehow though, The Lady Tigers of Lawrence Woodmere hung tough. Spurred on by the fine play of their excellent point guard, and the very athletic endeavors of their #12, the LWA girls reeled the Portledge side back in. At the half it was only a six point Portledge lead, and sitting in the stands I knew the girls from Woodmere had at least one more good run in them.

Throughout the season the Portledge girls had struggled at times in the 2nd half finding the offensive flow that was their trademark. This night turned out to be another one of those occaissions. It seemed like the Lady Panthers were stuck on 36 points forever, until late in the third quarter when senior Monique Kelly appeared to settle down and realize what was at stake. Kelly drove for one basket, then was fouled and sank two from the line, before finishing the quarter with a deep three pointer just before the buzzer. Some sense of calm had been restored, but we now had a dead even game just sitting there for the taking. The Lawrence Woodmere Lady Tigers made the first run of the quarter and actually took the lead by two at one point, but then the Portledge defense stiffened. As the Lady Panthers started to grab rebound after rebound and make steal after steal, the aforementioned tightness came off their offense as they whipped the ball up the court leading to some impressive fast break baskets. As time wound down Coach Amadio made sure Kelly had the ball in her hands and she calmy sank several free throws after being intentionally fouled by the opponents. The final horn set off a wild celebration and all I could think of was, "now we have one"!

Little did I know what I was in for with the 2nd game of the evening. The churning storm outside was only precursor to what you felt when you entered the SSDS Gym for the Portledge v. Waldorf Varsity Boys Basketball IPPSAL Championship game. Both sides were very well supported with fans as the Lion's Den was packed. OK....maybe you could have squeezed a few more people in here and there, but really, it was already standing room only. This game was a seesaw affair swinging back and forth time and again. Each time a team threatened to run away by more than four the oposing coach would calla timeout and the balance would seemingly immediately turn back his way. The incredible junior standout and probable IPPSAL Player of the Year Landon Twine dropped three ball after three ball on the Panthers, but he was always answered by someone on the Panthers. Sometimes it was Christian Sbarro nailing down his own three pointers, or senior Mark Dourmashkin driving again and again to the basket while being hacked at all the time. Lastly, there was the inside presence of Big Ben Shapiro. His put bascks and interior baskets were really the difference between these teams. Waldorf started to foul with Portledge up about six in the final minutes. The Panthers made some of their free throws, but not all of them - and the boys from Garden City came roaring back. In the end Waldorf trailed by only two as Twine lauched a lst second three pointer for the victory - only to have it glance off of the front ofthe rim and fall helplessly to the floor. Jubilation over took the Portledge faithful as they ran onto the floor to congratulate the players. Once order was restored and the trophy was handed out the seniors from both the Varsity Girls and Boys team posed for one final picture - togehter as simultaneous IPPSAL Champions.

This certainly was a Night to Remember. What had risen was the Portledge spirit, as this was the best night of community support for the Portledge Athletic program in the last twenty years. All of these athletes learned valuable lessons about team work, belief in a goal, playing a specific role for the good of the whole and, lastly, that you can play the game with excellent sportsmanship and still wind up on top!! Congratulations to all the Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball players and coaches - this was some season on the hardwood for Ol' Portledge!

Never To Old To Learn Something New

This past weekend during the Portledge Varsity Girls Ice Hockey team's participation in the WIHLMA Championships I learned a few things. First, that winning is not everything. Secondly, it certainly is not the only thing. Finally, and definitely most importantly, that sometimes when the score does not end in your favor, you can really honestly still win by giving absolutely everything you have to give. You see that way, "you can hold your head up high, and as long as you do that, you can walk with Kings". Thank you Portledge Varsity Girls Ice Hockey, and thank you Joe Lapchick. Somehow the actions of the former proved the words of the latter to be true, and suddenly an ol' dog had a new trick.

The epic 5-4 double overtime loss to Morristown Beard was a game for the ages, and one of the most exciting Portledge sporting events I have ever witnessed. Neither team led by more than a goal, and the lead changed hands three times. Both teams battled and fought and struggled and overcame right up until the final shot tickled the twine. Mo Beard ran three lines regularly and the Lady Panthers countered with a strong rotation of eight, sometimes nine players. Still, the Portledge girls out shot their opponents and had every chance to win this thrilling clash. Unfortunately, the Hockey Gods didn't smile on the Royal Blue and White this day, and I was left to ponder and conclude the aforementioned theory. A theory, by the way, that in my opinion, is not reflected on enough in our "win at all costs" society. So girls...Joe Lapchick would be proud of you, because you all walked out of the Hill rink like hockey royalty.

Now Things Are Really Getting Interesting / Portledge Varsity Sports Teams Positioned to Possibly Win Four Winter Championships

The excitement of last week's Varsity Girls and Boys IPPSAL Basketball semi final victories over the opposing teams from Solomon Schechter, although still palpable in Wellington Gym, has toned down a bit as it has been buried under several feet of snow. Even so school will eventually reopen on Tuesday or Wednesday, and the reality that Portledge is seven wins away from holding the Championship trophies in Girls and Boys Basketball and Girls and Boys Ice Hockey will eventually sink in. This is something incredible and unheard of at a small school like Portledge. To have all four major Winter Varsity teams challenging for titles is really special. A great deal of credit has to go to all the players, particularly all the Senior leaders, and the coaching staffs of these tremendous teams. This Saturday will start an eight day stretch during which all these championships will be decided, so if you have any lucky charms or know of any lucky chants, well by all means get them out or let's hear 'em, cause the Panthers smell trophies and they are on the hunt.

Things will start off with the WIHLMA Championship Tournament to be held at the Hill School next Saturday and Sunday, February 2oth and 21st. There our Lady Panther skaters will try to defend their title from last year against the likes of the home team Hilltoppers, long time rivals Rye Country Day School and the always tough girls from Morristown Beard School. Portledge plays Hill in one of the semis and the girls will have to find a way to put some pucks behind the leagues best goalie, while still holding down an improved Hill attack. If they can manage that, they will almost assuredly face the undefeated in league play ladies of Morristown Beard. Twice the Crimson has topped the Portledge girls by one goal during the season, so the Lady Panthers will have to come up with a formula for turning the tables on the favorites, if they hope to hoist the Championship banner once again. This Portledge team has a lot of experience in the presence of defensemen Chelsea Caraccilo, Emily Prey and Erin Brand, as well as some good fire power up front in the form of Senior Addie Reilly and Juniors Ashley Wade and Maria Robbins. Two freshmen players, goaltender Gaby Pilson and sharp shooting winger Julie Devlin will also have to play well if the Lady Panthers are to skate with the trophy. Go get em girls!!!

Then on Tuesday, February 23rd it's the turn of the Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball teams as they will take on the battle tested squads of Lawrence Woodmere Academy and The Walsorf School, respectively, for a chance at IPPSAL glory.Ironically, the last time the Varsity Boys team won the IPPSAL Basketball Championship in 1982, the Varsity Girls team also hung a Championship banner. The Lady Panthers then went on to win championships in '97, '98 and '99, but the banner wall has not changed in the basketball section since then.

The Girls game will come first and should be a real battle. Both games between Portledge and LWA during the regular season resulted in hard fought wins for the Lady Panthers, and to pull off a third straight victory it will take a really sound effort. Coach Amadio will certainly count on starters Robyn Worrall, Mo Kelly, Akanksha Trivedi, Marian Juste and Claudia Rogers, as well as the other Senior leaders to bring the championship home. That 15 - 1 regular season league mark tells me that these girls are up to the challenge. Finish it off right girls!!!

There is no secret that the key to the Varsity Boys game will be how Portledge decides to defend Waldorf's leading scorer and certain IPPSAL Player of the Year Landon Twine. The big guard has netted over thirty points on avarage and has gone off for more than 40 on several occaissions. Once again the play of Portledge Seniors will determine the outcome as starters Mark Dourmashkin, Jon Braisford, Christian Sbarro and Big Ben Shapiro will look to leave Portledge with a victory and a banner in their name.

Last but not least, will come the Empire Cup Boys Ice Hockey Tornament held at the Millbrook and Trinity Pawling Schools on Friday and Saturday, February 26th - 27th. The recent flurry of activity surrounding basketball has somewhat obscured the fact that Portledge Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team is having its best season since at least 2003. Currently standing at 13 wins and 3 losses the Panthers will play twice more, on Tuesday, Feb 16th @ Morristown (5:15) and on Monday, Feb 22nd v. Brunswick @ Beaver Dam (5:30), in preparation for the big season ending tournament. If they can play well in these last two regular season games, Portledge might have the best winning percentage of all the teams heading to the tournament. The boys will not have it easy though as they will have to face some combination of Millbrook, Albany Academy, Lawrenceville, Trinity Pawling, Brunswick, Wyoming Seminary and Hoosac to claim the prestigious title. This group just might have the depth to do it though as several injuries have forced coaches Coope and Sandos to dig deeper on the bench and develop more players. It all might be a blessing in disguise though, as some of these late season bloomers could play some critical shifts during this very tough tournament to win. The Panthers will not go far though, if there big guns don't have a stong finish to the season. Up front the line of Benyamini, Goldstien and Conslato has been tremendous all year, while the play of sophomores Matt Crockett and Jesse Schandler and Junior Matt Janketic is coming on strong. The return of Junior power forward Kurt Krotz could also really help the Portledge squad. Junior Tom Parisi, after filling in up front earlier in the year, has been playing as a very skillful defenseman lately. This has allowed the strong Junior duo of Pat Condon and Ron Fishman a chance to breathe and heel up a bit. While Junior Ryan Gottfried and Sophomore Matt Sullivan have been steady throughout. Finally, this will be the last few games in net for Senior Sal Magliocco, whose career between the pipes here at Portledge is surpassed by only the great Bobby Goepfert. A skate around the Millbrook rink with the Empire Cup sure would be agreat way to send ol' Sal out. Good luck fellas...we are behind you all the way.

So, as you can see, there certainly is plenty to get excited about as the Winter Athletic Season comes to a close. If you have missed all the action, come join us for what should be some incredible tournament play, or catch some of the highlights filmed throughout the season by Cablevision's MSG Varsity channel, which can be accessed through the Athletics section of the Portledge website by looking for Portledge on MSG Varsity found on the left side of the Athletics landing page. GO PANTHERS!!!

KNOCK....KNOCK - Hey Hills What's Dat ? - "No Worries Dude, That's Only Opportunity Knocking For the Portledge Basketball Programs"

Yeah there's a little pressure out there. The Colts feel it, the Who Dat Saints feel it....even Eli Manning who isn't even playing feels it. There are also some other teams on our athletic radar that will feel a little pressure this week as the IPPSAL Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball Championship Tournaments come around. Who Dat ? Well it would be the Portledge Lady Panther and Portledge Panther Varsity Basketball teams - Dat Who ! In an incredible turn around from a few years ago the Portledge Girls and Boys Varsity teams have managed to secure a first and second seed, respectively, in the IPPSAL Championship Tournaments. There will be a double-header Semi Final extravaganza this Tuesday night with the Girls playing first at 4:30, followed by the Boys at 6:30. Wouldn't it be grand to see both squads take advantage of the 'home court cookin' and reach the IPPSAL Championship game. That possibility definitely exists as the Lady Panthers come in with a league mark of 15 and 1. They have dominated IPPSAL play during the season and deserve a spot in the Championship. Deserve does not garuantee, however, and the Lady Panthers will have their hands full with whoever they play, but particularly so if the opponent turns out to be the Upper Room. The Lady Royals match up well with our girls and played them very tough in the teams' first meeting back in December. If Solomon Schechter is victorious on Monday over Lexington, however, the Portledge / Upper Room match up will not take place and we will see an even more traditional rivalry game between the Lady Panthers and the Lady Lions of Solomon Schechter. Either way, the Portledge girls have to play their game and take it to the opponent.

On the other hand, in the case of the Portledge Varsity Boys team we have a bit of an underdog story. Mirred in 5th place just ten day ago, and out of the play offs all together, the Panthers caught a big break when Lake Grove folded their team, thus forfeiting their last game - to be played at Portledge, and Kew Forest won a tough game on the road at Waldorf - where the Big W hadn't lost all season. These events seemed to energize the Panthers as they went on to win their last three league games over Lexington, Solomon Schechter and Knox to finish with a final league mark of 8 and 4, which turned out to be good for 2nd place and home court advantage in IPPSAL play. The Scechter game was particularly impressive as the Panthers, led by Chritian Sbarro's twenty something points, came back from a 13 point 4th quarter defecit to keep the dream of home court alive. Whether they face Solomon Schechter, in what would be a fierce rematch, or have to take on a Waldorf team that has already beaten them three times this season, the Panthers face a significant challenge on their way to Championship game play. Like both Super Bowl teams though, the Panthers are HOT, so why not make a place for them in Thursday's Championship game. Hold onto your hats Portledge Bsketball fans 'cause it should be quite a week. To get you psyched everyone should catch the MSG Varsity broadcast of the aforementioned Portledge comeback game at SSDS this Monday night at 8:00pm on Cablevision CH. 14, and by all means be at Wellington Gym on Tuesday afternoon / evening for some exciting play off basketball. Goooooo Panthers!!