It was a big Monday in Portledge Athletics as the Varsity Girls Basketball team squared off at home v. Upper Room in a critical IPPSAL match up, the Varsity Boys Basketball team traveled to Kew Forest for an important IPPSAL game of their own, and Varsity Boys Hockey faced off at Beaver Dam against the combined team of Locust Valley and North Shore High Schools.
What Happened in the Varsity Girls Basketball Game?
The Lady Panthers were in a tough spot as they took the floor. Junior captain and starting point guard Monique Kelly was home sick and their opponents from Upper Room looked determined to avenge an early season defeat at the hands of the Portledge girls. Thus, the stage was set for a very tough game at Wellington Gym. Juniors Robyn Worrall and Claudia Rogers took turns handling the and remained quite calm against Upper Room's often used full court press. In breaking the pressure the Junior duo created open court opportunities at the other end that the other Lady Panthers took advantage of. Junior Akanksha Trivedi scored 16 points and Freshman Alexa Lodenquai added 13 to lead the Portledge squad. Also making key contributions were Junior Marian Juste, who was all over the boards, and Senior Leah Heffernan, whose experience was essential down the stretch. This great team effort led to many assisted baskets and a very satisfying win over a tough league rival. The Lady Panthers next take the court this Friday (Wellington Gym @ 4:00pm) when they should continue to solidify their play off position against a weak Kew Forest team.
What Happened to the Boys Team at Kew Forest?
Even with Junior Mark Dourmashkin hitting for 25 points, it wasn't enough to propel the Panthers to victory over their foes from Queens. Down by three at the start of the third quarter was as close as the Portledge team came to last year's IPPSAL Runners Up. The IPPSAL Varsity Boys Basketball picture is starting to clarify and the Panthers will need to play much better, if they hope to qualify for the league play offs. That process will start at home this Wednesday when the boys take on Solomon Schechter at 5:45pm.
How Was the Local Darby Hockey Game Down at Beaver Dam?
This was a tough match up for the Portledge team because everyone was expecting them to win, but they were, nevertheless, facing a skilled and determined opponent in the form of the combined team of ice hockey players from North Shore and Locust Valley High Schools. Freshman Winger Jesse Schandler was a big part of the Panthers offense as he tallied twice during the game, and added an assist as well. With Junior captain and lead defenseman David Wilson on the bench resting some bumps and bruises, Sophomores Ron Fishman, Pat Condan and Ryan Gottfried all rose to the occaision and played some great hockey. Freshman defender Mike Conslato also played really well and impressed the large crowd with his strong skating and passing skills. The final score of 6-0 was not indicative of the Panther's total control of the game as Mr. Coope took advantage of the situation to get all his players plenty of ice time. After taking on Morristown (Home/Jan26th) and PDS (Away/Jan28th), the boys will begin the hardest part of their schedule with a very difficult stretch of games during February.
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