for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com february 20, 2014 • The queens Courier 89 sports TOWNSEND HARRIS FEELS THE LOVE WINS 1ST PLAYOFF MATCH BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com/ @liamlaguerre Beloved Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner died at 91. The Townsend Harris Hawks girls basketball team started the PSAL Division A girls’ basketball tournament on a high note. The three seeded Hawks glided to a 65-53 win over Susan Wagner of Staten Island in the first playoff match on February 14. Senior captain Sierra Berkel stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 26 points, 16 rebounds, six steals and three assists, and junior guard Debra Chan added 24 points and five rebounds for the win. Although the Hawks have finished first in the Queens A West Conference for the past two seasons, they haven’t made it past the quarter finals round of the city tournament. This year, with another regular season title under their belt, Townsend Harris is hoping to make it count. “We’re going all the way,” Chan said. Although the Hawks were highly favored to win the match, head coach Lauren Caiaccia prepared her team for the unexpected, since they don’t usually play teams from Staten Island. Caiaccia told her team to be focused and play tough defense. Towards the end of the third quarter, the Hawks’ defense led to a 44-35 gap, and from there, the team didn’t look back. Caiaccia attributed this win to her team’s defensive prowess, especially that of forwards Bianca Dilan, Vasiliki Makris and guard Natalie Gomez, who put the brakes on the Staten Island team. “This was a tough match-up, they had more height and size than us,” Caiaccia said. “We strategized well and I think we executed the game plan.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Junior guard Debra Chan helped lead the Townsend Harris Hawks over Susan Wagner in the first round of the playoffs. PSAL Division A Girls Basketball Tournament Round 1 Results (15) Hillcrest High School defeated (18) Frederick Douglass (28) John Bowne lost to (5) Evander Childs, 55-21. with a score of 46-40. Next match will be against Mckee (29) August Martin lost to (4) Canarsie High School, 56-38. Career and Technical High School on Feb. 25 in Round 2. Upcoming Round 1 Matches: (27) William C. Bryant lost against (6) Port Richmond, 68-23 Feb. 24 (22) Forest Hills vs. (11) Stuyvesant (25) Thomas Edison lost to (8) Lehman HS, 47-37. Feb. 24 (24) Bayside vs. (9) Lab Museum (16) Benjamin Cardozo lost to (17) DeWitt Clinton, 58-49.
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