PARK SLOPE, BK-Nobody had to remind Coach Carmine Giovino’s Berkeley Carroll Lions what happened the last time they played Dwight. A week moved from a tough loss to the same team, the JV Boys weren’t about to let it happen twice on their own floor.

There was plenty of incentive off a dreadful showing the other day at Packer. Most importantly, Giovino’s club needed a bounce back effort and that’s exactly what they delivered in holding off Dwight 43-42 at the BC Athletic Center in The Slope Friday- posting a big ACIS league win with the playoffs nearing.

Wearing the road red jerseys due to it being Dwight’s home half of a double dip, the Lions overcame a few sloppy possessions to stay right with their midtown rivals. A couple of unforced back courts had Giovino turning his head. But his team settled down trailing 11-8 after a quarter.

It was in the second where they turned the game around, outscoring their opponent 18-8 to take a seven-point lead into the locker room. The key was superb defense while on the other end some nice ball movement allowed Dondre Benson to go to work. The Lions’ top threat hit double digits, getting his points in the flow with other teammates stepping up including Blaise Cohen, who injected a lot of energy with strong finishes and clutch rebounding.

A pleased Giovino rewarded Cohen during the second half when things tightened up. Due to outstanding play from their top guard, Dwight never went away slowly chipping away at a 10-point lead. It took a team effort to stay in front. Mike Andria also hit the glass drawing fouls, pleasing his coach. Max Jens came in and went backdoor for a lay-in. Those kind of contributions were exactly the recipe.

Milo Ben Amotz, Will Perry, Anthony Spina and Robert Graham all saw key minutes along with Duncan Hardy. Graham had an interesting day doing some good things defensively but also making a couple of mistakes that drove Giovino nuts. With BC in front 35-27, a quick Dwight transition bucket cut it to six in the final stanza.

Facing a press, Graham went to the well once too many times tossing the ball off the defender’s back but instead of retrieving it, he watched the hosts turn it into a quick deuce, suddenly making it 35-31 with under four minutes left. In the half court facing pressure, he was forced to use the team’s final timeout which caught flak. Especially with three and change to go. An eternity in hoop terms.

A couple of good defensive stops kept them ahead by four. That’s when Benson made a huge basket, hitting a runner from 15 to extend back to six. But Dwight wouldn’t die staying within reach. It would go to the wire.

Down three, Dwight got a 14 footer to roll in slicing it to one with 36.5 seconds remaining. Their coach immediately told his players to foul and they obliged putting Graham on the line for two nervy free throws. Fittingly, he calmly drained both to put BC ahead 43-40, forcing the hosts to burn their final timeout. With Giovino emphasizing no three’s, his team extended out forcing a miss. Though Dwight had a putback with a second to spare, it proved too late as the buzzer sounded, giving the Lions a deserved win.

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BK-It was rough going for both the Berkeley Carroll Lions’ JV and Varsity basketball teams. Each had days to forget in losses at ACIS league rival Packer in Brooklyn Heights yesterday.

In the first game of the doubleheader, Coach Mike Kubera’s Varsity fell to Packer 56-33. Once again, they were undermanned with starter Cole Kitchen done for the season due to a broken bone in his right foot suffered Monday. Also out serving a one-game suspension due to an ejection in a St. Ann’s home loss was Joe Martinez. Even with starter Walker Harrison returning from sickness, the Lions had only seven which didn’t bode well against a deep Packer squad sitting in second.

Not surprisingly, veteran coach George Boutis rested his top starter due to the discrepancy. His other charges fared well building a 30-6 first half lead. BC struggled with Packer inside and had trouble with another quick guard who got open teammates good looks. The home club also played stellar D taking full advantage of Lion mistakes, converting in transition.

Despite being down more than 20, the Lions didn’t give up coming out strong in the third quarter led by sophomore guard Adam Kochman’s four treys, which he drained consecutively to help whittle it down to 19. His long distance shooting forced Boutis to call for time. For the day, he finished with a team-leading 15 all from downtown.

Even though they let their guard down, Packer didn’t allow Berkeley Carroll to draw any closer, using solid ball movement to finish near the basket. In the final quarter, they widened the gap going up by nearly 30.

To BC’s credit, they continued to work on both ends. Seniors John O’Shaughnessy, Sean Cunningham and Harrison all competed on the glass. As usual, O’Shaughnessy got his share of boards while also using a couple of strong drives to get to the line, chipping in with nine. Cunningham also knocked down a three from the right wing.

Ultimately, it wasn’t enough against one of the league’s better teams, who remain the biggest threat to Dwight’s chances of a three-peat. A tall order for anyone with the playoffs around the corner.

In the second game, Coach Carmine Giovino’s JV were handled by first place Packer 60-32. A discouraging performance when they pushed the bigger team in a much more competitive contest earlier this season, falling by just three back in Park Slope.

Packer took control from the outset, establishing their size advantage to quickly jump out to an 11-0 lead. Dondre Benson finally broke the shutout by draining one from downtown. Unfortunately, nothing went right for the younger Lions who only managed seven points in an entire first half that featured sloppy turnovers and too many easy buckets for the hosts, frustrating Giovino. The fiery coach burned two consecutive timeouts laying into his team.

Trailing by 24 in the third quarter, BC finally played the type of basketball they’re capable of. Anthony Spina provided a lift with more than half his nine coming during a good stretch where the Lions cut the deficit to 18. Duncan Hardy also had a nice finish. Utilizing a full court press with mixed results, they forced Packer into some miscues.

However, a timeout allowed the team from The Heights to restore order, breaking it for uncontested lay-ups, taking advantage of the Lions’ overaggressiveness. Despite scoring half their total in the quarter, BC still trailed by a ton due to poor D. Giovino tried everything, subbing for starters who didn’t play aggressive enough in the half court set when they still were down 20.

Fouls also plagued BC in their comeback attempt with a few marginal calls going against them. That along with a Packer bucket that shouldn’t have counted due to a shot clock error got under Giovino’s skin. Feeling his team was getting no respect, he eventually earned a technical- only adding to the frustration.

With the game out of reach in the fourth, he eventually put in the bench. The 28-point loss was their worst of the season. They’ll aim to avenge a loss to Dwight tomorrow (4 PM)  at the BC Athletic Center in an important game with playoff implications. The Varsity will then battle unbeaten Dwight at 5:30 PM.

Benson paced the Lions with 11. Eight came in the second half. Hardy added four.

PARK SLOPE, BK-Courage was on display at the BC Athletic Center this afternoon. Coach Morgan Sevigny’s Lady Lions fought tooth and nail to the buzzer before being edged by Evangel Christian 35-33 on their home court in Park Slope.

Minus offensive leader Keyanka Bailey who took warm ups but still wasn’t cleared, the Berkeley Carroll Varsity ladies started jittery but got stronger- adjusting to life without their junior forward. They struggled early with a full court press that forced turnovers, allowing the visitors to go in front 11-8 after one quarter.

Some pesky defensive play from theft artist Olivia Wilson provided a spark in what wasn’t the prettiest game, featuring plenty of loose scrambles and a coach’s biggest headache. Turnovers. Despite the chaos, Sevigny’s feisty club stayed within reach at the half thanks to a timely trey from senior leader Tess Salvatore. First-year starter Sarah Paller also hit from downtown, allowing the Lady Lions to regroup.

Whatever Sevigny and new assistant Manny said worked as BC came out clicking on all cylinders, running off the first seven including another Salvatore trifecta to surge ahead 20-19. Defensively, the guard made some excellent reads as did freshman Morgo Miller with each anticipating Evangel Christian passes for easy steals. In fact, their suddenly bewildered opponent only made one field goal in a third controlled by the hosts.

Entering the final quarter, it was up for grabs with both teams knotted at 21. While the visitors lost one of their starters due to fouls, Sevigny’s crew also saw Wilson go down hard after colliding with Evangel Christian’s biggest player for a rebound. Unfortunately, she hurt her wrist and was helped off the court by BC staff, ending the day with four points and probably double digits in steals.

Down to just five, the Lady Lions showed tenacity continuing to stay right with their deeper foe. In particular, Miller shined scoring three big baskets in the quarter, including one from downtown. Paller also had a couple of steals going coast to coast igniting a crowd which included passionate Dad, Walter Paller who was with the team every step of the way.

A couple of mad dashes led to each team wisely using timeouts, keeping possession. One such instance saw the heady Salvatore dive for a loose ball and quickly call for time.

As the contest hung in the balance, one of Evangel Christian’s guards hit a huge triple putting her team back ahead 30-28 with two and change to play. With both teams in the penalty, free throws became critical. Following a couple of empty BC possessions, Christian went up four on a hoop with 54.8 seconds left. But as they had all day, the Lady Lions fought back thanks to a pair from the charity stripe from Gianni LaTange, who banked both in. Much to scorekeeper Lawrence’s dismay, she didn’t call glass.

That didn’t matter because it sliced the deficit to 32-30 allowing the desperate Lady Lions to set up a press, which worked to perfection. A quick steal and Miller bucket suddenly tied it with Bailey and Wilson leading the cheers from the bench. Unfortunately, an overaggressive Miller fouled on the inbounds, putting the road team on the line where they split a pair for a 33-32 lead.

Sevigny used a timeout to set up a play. Amazingly, this time their opponents fouled Salvatore, who sank the first to tie but rimmed out the second allowing Evangel Christian to call for time. Off it, they got inside drawing contact. Another split put them back in front 34-33, forcing BC to burn its final timeout.

With Evangel Christian pressing, Miller got the ball and frantically went up the court launching from 35, drawing nothing. In spite of the quick shot, there were still 12.6 seconds remaining giving BC a chance to foul which they did with eight left. Once again, the guests went 1-for-2 increasing to 35-33. The problem was off a missed second, they beat the Lady Lions to rebounds missing a couple of close shots as time expired.

Miller paced BC with what likely is a career best 10 while Paller chipped in with eight and Salvatore added seven. It was BC’s second consecutive loss but unlike the last at Martin Luther, Coach Sevigny was a little more pleased with the effort. The Lady Lions return to action Thursday.

Both the JV and Varsity Boys visit Packer tomorrow with the Varsity tipping off first at 4 PM in Brooklyn Heights.

PARK SLOPE, BK-If they gave an A for effort, coach Mike Kubera’s Berkeley Carroll Lions would certainly get it. Unfortunately, when it comes to hoops, it can only get you so far. A shorthanded Varsity boys team fell short to ACIS rival St. Ann’s 62-46 at the BC Athletic Center in The Slope.

They started with just eight minus two starters with Walker Harrison under the weather and Joe Longo nursing an injury which likely will keep him out a while. Already without two key pieces, Kubera was dealt another blow when sophomore starter Cole Kitchen also left early in the first quarter with a bad right foot that ballooned after a tough fall.

Down to seven, the Lions didn’t pack it in. On the heels of a blowout defeat to league power Dwight, instead they came out strong catching St. Ann’s by surprise. Kubera’s pesky squad got out to an early lead led by a balanced attack that featured seniors Sean Cunningham and Nate Barr each pacing them with 11. They also got some strong inside play from senior captain John O’Shaughnessy, who chipped in with nine and crashed the boards against a bigger foe.

After trailing by five early, St. Ann’s finally got it going thanks to the play of one of their guards who finished with a game high 23. He got plenty of help from two backcourt ‘mates and a couple of bigs inside. Their depth took control, concluding the first period on an 11-0 run to lead 16-11.

When the road club in gold continued to score building a 17-point cushion, Kubera burned a couple of timeouts to regroup his troops. They responded by running off the next eight thanks to timely hoops from Cunningham who ignited them. O’Shaughnessy also chipped in with a pair of free throws and Barr used some strong drives to draw fouls.

The Lions also forced turnovers with a press energizing a crowd that included a couple of boisterous cheerleaders from the Varsity girls who play tomorrow. Both Olivia Wilson and Tess Salvatore certainly made their presence known. Perhaps it rubbed off as BC hung tough trailing 32-22 at the half.

Every time St. Ann’s looked ready to pull away, the Lions came back getting solid contributions from Jesse Levine and Adam Kochman. Senior Paul Bendernagle also provided hustle, including a couple of steals. Joe Martinez also had a nice finish. For the latter, frustration boiled over late in the third when he was called for a foul earning a technical. But the official quickly gave him another, ending his day. The quick hook dealt Kubera another blow. Especially with O’Shaughnessy picking up two more fouls for his fourth.

Despite no Kitchen or Martinez, Kubera’s six never stopped working. However, St. Ann’s was able to finally salt it away, earning the road victory.

The girls Varsity look to keep the winning going when they play host to Evangel Christian Tuesday at 4 PM.

PARK SLOPE, BK-It was an up and down day for the Berkeley Carroll Lions. In a HS Hoops double at the BC Athletic Center in Park Slope, the Varsity girls and boys split versus Trevor Day, who were highlighted by junior Sophie Lasry eclipsing 1,000 points.

Despite Lasry seven treys and a game high 34 points, the Lady Lions prevailed 59-49 for their second straight win and third in four. Junior Keyanka Bailey paced them with 25, getting plenty in the second half, including all 12 in the third quarter. Lasry needed one more hoop and finally hit 1,000 when she nailed one from downtown with excited family and friends watching. They stopped the game to acknowledge her achievement.

Afterwards, some money shooting from their star got Trevor Day back in a game they once trailed 27-9. With only five, BC coach Morgan Sevigny’s scrappy bunch came out quickly, building an early lead. They moved the ball crisply getting open looks for senior guard Tess Salvatore, who drained a few trifectas of her own en route to 15. Olivia Wilson also contributed a few driving layups and first-year player Sarah Paller added some timely hoops.

However, without any bench, the Lady Lions got tired. In particular, they struggled silencing Kramer, who found ways to get open and drain treys from way out. On fire, she and a couple of teammates slowly chipped away to get it down to single digits. With under three minutes left, Sevigny wisely called a timeout to give her iron women a breather. Up just six, Salvatore made the biggest play of the game, stealing the ball and finishing to help put it out of reach.

Freshman Morgo Miller also had all six down the stretch as BC held off Trevor Day for the ‘W.’

In the second game, the Trevor Day Boys Varsity earned a split by holding off the pesky Lions 58-51. After building an early double digit lead thanks to some splendid shooting from one of their guards, it looked like they’d cruise. But things got real tight late with only free throws preventing a fourth quarter collapse.

Aside from a sluggish start minus top scorer Joe Longo who likely is out next week, BC got outhustled. Especially on the boards where a relentless Trevor Day hurt them by converting second and third chances much to the chagrin of the BC coaching staff minus coach Mike Kubera, who had a more important engagement off the court.

Sophomore Jesse Chalfin got the start in place of Longo and did some good things early, including a nice finish in transition. Facing a team minus two starters of their own, Berkeley Carroll was almost at full strength with senior Sean Cunningham returning from an ankle sprain. He came off the bench and twice got behind the Trevor Day D for easy lay ins, including one when the Lions finally showed signs of life thanks to a full court press which forced turnovers.

Earlier this season, a similar ploy paid dividends in a come from behind road win over UNIS. This time, they fell down by more than 20 before making things very interesting down the stretch. Nate Barr (8 Pts) came alive during the surge with a couple of big buckets and free throws. BC was led by sophomore Cole Kitchen, who scored over half his 18 in the fourth- draining a couple of uncontested three’s. He also had some hard drives to the basket, earning points at the charity stripe.

Adam Kochman also had a nice steal and finish cutting it to two. With the crowd suddenly alive, senior John O’Shaughnessy nearly tied it but his chippy wouldn’t go. Instead, Trevor Day came back the other way and scored. They sealed victory with five of six at the line from their second scorer who finished with 18.

Senior Walker Harrison had a solid effort as did O’Shaughnessy down low. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as BC dropped a second consecutive home game. It doesn’t get any easier. Tomorrow, they host ACIS rival power Dwight as part of a double with the JV Boys also in action. Meanwhile, the girls visit PSAA rival Martin Luther aiming for three in a row.

Jets coach Rex Ryan and his team have plenty to smile about these days.

It’s been way too long since I updated here. So, I’m finallllllly back!

-Got to start off with the Jets, who are on an improbable run a win away from the Super Bowl. While it’s true they’ve had things break right just getting in due to the Colts not going for it (yada yada yada) and the team they conquered Cinci laying down, who cares?!?!?!?!?! Sometimes in sports, you need breaks. So, what if Nate Kaeding saw his shadow from four years prior morphing into the new Tinman. Does it take away from the fact Rex Ryan’s hungry Gang Green beat up the San Diego frauds on both sides of the ball in the second half to string the 17-14 upset? Hell No! As the fun coach echoed, they’re here. No need to apologize. Can they do the impossible and upset Peyton Manning and those same Colts who will be going full throttle this time? No doubt it will be extremely tough. But this team has the same heart our Giants had. They’ll need a heavy dose of Thomas Jones and super rook Shonn Greene along with an efficient Mark Sanchez offensively while getting to Peyton. Plus the usual dominant coverage from real D MVP Darrelle Revis and clutch tackling like last Sunday. Speaking of which, did the Bolts break one tackle? It’ll be fun to see if the Jet D can keep Peyton, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai in check. To pull this off, they’ll have to play the perfect game. The 1990 Giants did it against the 49ers. That’s who they remind us of. Here’s their chance to silence everyone.

-LaDainian Tomlinson just went nowhere again.

-Is there a worse big game coach than Norv Turner? Yet the Chargers signed him for three more years. Same franchise that axed Marty Schottenheimer off a 14-2 season. Granted, Marty never won the big one either but he’s a better coach who’s much more proven.

-Did anyone see Shawne Merriman last week? Tila Tequila is more relevant.

-Someone should send the tape of that second half to the Giant D and entitle it, “Defense 101: The Art Of Tackling.”

-So, it’s Bret Favre aiming for another Super Bowl in those ugly Viking colors. Well, at least to Packer fans. Favre’s one of the all-time great QBs who had an amazing day in last week’s startling 34-3 rout of the Cowboys. But could he just show some class? Even if Keith Brooking came off like a bitch, he had a point. Especially with it already out of reach. What was the point of that last score to Sidney Rice? Did he have the over? Or did it come from the coach who in no uncertain terms, made it clear he didn’t like that many had the Boys rolling through. Who knows. I used to be a pretty big fan of Favre’s but as fun as he is to watch on the gridiron, he’s such a fraud off it. We’ll see how he and the rest of the Vikes fare in the battle of artificial turf against Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey this weekend.

-I’ve never been a fan of his but good on Wade Phillips getting two more years in Big D.

-Ain’t it great not to have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick around?

-If this is it for Kurt Warner, he’ll be missed. The classy man who took the league by storm leading the 1999 Rams to Super Bowl glory and then guided the Cardiac Cards in a SB epic last year before falling to Big Ben and the Steelers was one of the most accurate QBs ever. Just look at how prolific he still was in tearing apart the Packers in that unreal 51-45 OT wildcard thriller. Sick.  Two-time league MVP. SB MVP. Second most efficient QB in NFL history. Second highest average passing yards/game trailing only Peyton. Too many great achievments dignify Captain Kurt for Canton.

-Norv Turner just onsided with over two minutes left sealing his team’s fate again. How do you lose on your own home field against a team that went three-and-our the first four times?

-This idea that Phil Rivers is in the same class as Peyton, Brady, Favre and Warner is done. He is a very good QB who’s put up tremendous stats that overwhelm Big Ben and Eli from that same draft class. But until he delivers in a big spot, he can’t quite measure up. Especially given what’s around him.

-For everyone who wants to criticize a washed up Tomlinson for a dozen meaningless carries, it still doesn’t explain how Darren Sproles was reduced to a non-factor.

-So yeah. Brian and Rob “Kraze” Davis’ Bills hired <gulp> Chan Gailey. What. They couldn’t make contact with Tom Landry’s ghost.

-How badly do the Jets want it? Shaun Ellis came back and is playing with a busted hand.

-Three intriguing SB storylines:

A.Favre vs Peyton

B.Favre vs Jets

C.Brees vs Peyton

-Didn’t see this till now. Rex gave the game ball to Marty Schottenheimer, whose son Brian Schottenheimer is one of the best offensive minds. Pretty cool stuff.