PARK SLOPE, BK- With his right arm fully wrapped, Bryan Roberts has a focused look as he finishes up a training session at the Berkeley Carroll Athletic Center. The former Lions’ baseball star is rehabbing back from successful Tommy John surgery three weeks ago and already is getting a head start on the comeback trail.

“Rehab’s gone pretty well so far,” the 21 year-old former Northeastern second baseman expressed as he prepares for his second year at Binghamton this Fall. “I’ve rehabbed twice a week. Twelve weeks and then half the time in Manhattan. It’s going a slow process but I feel like it works out pretty well.”

“So far in the rehab, it’s basically focusing on being able to extend my elbow that’s locked up in a tight position for a while. So I’m working on extension and how to get more flexibility. Right now, 24 degree angles and once I get to 10, then I’ll start doing weight training and stuff like that.”

Due to injury history, Roberts knew that it was a possibility due to partial tears but never hurt the throwing arm bad enough until recently when the pain became much worse.

“Over the years, I had this little pain in my elbow and then one day, I started getting that tenderness much worse than tendinitis. So, one day after practice, they gave me a couple of shots straight down my elbow to my hand. That’s when I knew I had to do it,” he recalled. “Shock. Just shock. I never had anything like that ever before in my hand. I told my parents. They said pretty much, ‘Go to the doctors.’ So I came home and then went for an MRI and it came back and it turned out I needed Tommy John.”

Having been told plenty about the process, he was still a little apprehensive due to a couple of close buddies who had it done.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about it. My friend had it. He said it took him a year to comeback from it and he’s unsure if he’s going to start his season coming up. That was a negative. I don’t know how I’m going to react. I also had a friend who got drafted after this. That was a plus for me. Positive thinking.”

Back home in a familiar setting over in Park Slope at the school gym which allows former student athletes to comeback and train for free, Roberts reflected back on an outstanding brilliant Berkeley Carroll baseball career which saw the four-year letter winner help lead the team to three league championships (2002, 2004, 2005) and garner league and team MVP honors his senior year.

“I started for Berkeley Carroll playing shortstop and second base, splitting time with Adam Ottavino. A good friend of mine. When he pitched, I played short. When he didn’t, I played second.”

Roberts enjoyed playing short but as he noted, there’s nothing like second when it comes to turning two.

“Shortstop, I liked a lot. At short, you got to have all the range, a strong arm but I think in terms of double plays, I love second base. There are so many ways you can turn double plays. Bare hand. Up the middle. I love it,” he pointed out.

As for his overall approach, the former two-year BC Lions captain indicated:

“I would say I’m a gap to gap hitter. Not going to hit for a lot of power. I’m a doubles and triples guy who gets on base. … Try to take middle fastballs up the middle. The Derek Jeter approach. Not inside out the ball like he does.”

While people say he’s like the Yankee shortstop, Roberts had another certain star middle infielder in mind when it came to who he patterns his game after.

“I would say Jimmy Rollins. I like his game,” hinting that he likes to stay aggressive on the base paths taking the steal when it’s there.”

Before deciding to leave Northeastern due to a philosophical difference with his coach, as a redshirt freshman in 2007, he got into eight games starting three batting .364 (4-for-11).

On the road back, he realizes it’s a tough hill to climb but has the comfort of knowing he can return to a friendly place and get back in the swing of things amongst close friends.

“I think really the opportunity that Berkeley Carroll allows you to comeback and workout for free is pretty good. It’s a chance to have an opportunity and get a chance to workout and catch up with people.”

As for how it helped prepare him for the next level, Roberts had plenty of good things to say about the private school.

” Definitely, Berkeley Carroll is one of the best high schools out there. Obviously, I still comeback. It really helped prepare me academically. At my first school, I got into the Health/Science Program which is one of the hardest programs. And athletically, Coach Walter Paller does a great job. He really is a good teacher of how to play fundamental baseball and how to really prepare yourself. So that’s the best part.”

With a couple of years of eligibility left to return to the field, Roberts hasn’t lost sight of his ultimate goal.

“With two years of eligibility left, obviously I want to go beyond college to the next level. That’s what every kid dreams. To go beyond college. But if that doesn’t work, I’m a baseball guy. I want to be around the game either as an umpire cause I know someone who umpires or as management. … I’ve been around baseball my whole life. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to be around it.”

Roberts nearly called the Home Run Derby winner picking Rangers’ slugger Josh Hamilton noting how storybook his turnaround has been.

“I’m going to go ahead and say Josh Hamilton. For him to comeback the way he has 90-91 RBI’s (95) right now. He’s on a high right now. Lefty. And Yankee Stadium. Short porch. It would be a great story.”

Little did we know how prophetic Roberts would be as Hamilton gave everyone in the Bronx a show they won’t soon forget slugging a first round record 28 home runs even though he fell short losing to Minnesota’s Justin Morneau.

Perhaps Roberts should work in TV. For now, he’ll continue to live out his childhood dream swinging for the fences.

Copyright Getty Images

It’s not often you get entertained by frantic Mets fans. But that’s precisely what happened down in Park Slope at the Berkeley Carroll Athletic Center last night.

So there I was recovering from a tough workout cooling off downstairs as BCS Rob came over into the office to see how his Mets were doing. This is one of the quintissential good guys of many quality people who work in a nice location keeping things under control during the school year, etc. The guy’s always around on the job making certain things are in order. He takes it very seriously as does the head of the place Catherine.

If I don’t know last names, sorry. At least I’m getting the first names right after all this time. I’ve only spent the past couple of years scoring the school’s basketball games. Usually, I’m pretty good with names as I have a dope ass memory. But it took some time to remember the hard working security guard who’s usually there in the afternoon to greet you. Sometimes, it happens to even the best of us. It’s like I would have a block thinking so and so was someone else. Isn’t that the most embarrassing thing when you completely mess up and the person looks at you like you’re lower than dirt?

In any event, Rob has plenty of time to kill at nights as us people come and go from the gym or pool. When there’s nobody around, a decent amount is spent watching YouTube videos. Just yesterday, I showed him my first ever edition. It wasn’t much. Just one of my VG Shaolin homies P.J. rapping over a cool beat for nine seconds. Yeah. I just felt like adding one. I really need to upgrade so we can have some decent videos this summer. Oh. You bet your ass D Flex will be part of that shiznit!

So, who’s D Flex exactly? Well, ask my Stanford buddy John “JPG” Giagnorio and he’ll tell you that’s my tag name. See. I can freestyle for real. Amazingly, the name’s caught on. We even got my homies home calling me by it. Heck. Even Rob and pool instructor Frank refer to me by that code.

To be perfectly honest, I at first thought it was silly and kind of shied away from it. However, the more I rapped, the more JPG called me it. So I accepted it and realized it was pretty freaking cool. Now I’ve got players who finished highschool laughing their asses off at my renditions. They must be thinking wtf is this dude on? Sometimes, I don’t even know!

Bottom line: I have fun. Cause if you don’t, life will pass you by in a blink. My advice to anyone of the younger generation is quite simple. Live while you can.

I really do enjoy messing around with lyrics. Just go check out my Xanga and you’ll see what I’m getting at. It’s fun to freestyle and crack people up. But I’m a much better writer than rapper.

So, Rob likes YouTube. Well, who doesn’t? I mean heck. There are a lot of crazy videos out there. Some which are a complete utter waste of time like the one I linked above cause there really wasn’t anything of substance. But you occasionally discover talented individuals such as SupaDupaFlyGirl. And yeah. The name fits because she’s really hot and entertaining. This chick I think lives somewhere out here if you can fathom that. She’s not just a face though but a very smart person who knows how to have fun and utilize all her skills. I happen to think this is one of Liz’ best. It’s like a Charlie Chaplin satire.

Aside from watching YouTube, Rob AKA Mr. Met because he’s got so many damn newspaper pics of his beloved Amazin’s loves to follow his favorite baseball team via the MLB official site. Let’s just say I was in for a treat as he and BCS maintenance worker Tony both rooted on their team hoping and praying that Mike Pelfrey would be allowed to complete his best start in his young career.

Here you had the young righthander pitching the lights out shutting down the D-Backs outpitching 11-game winner Brandon Webb. Even more surprising than the Mets 3-0 lead which all took place in the home fourth on a Carlos Beltran two-run single and RBI fielder’s choice was that Pelfrey had K’d eight leaving Rob and Tony ecstatic. Every time I spoke to Mr. Met, there was a look of concern on his face due to Pelfrey having tossed 109 or 110 pitches entering the ninth inning. Loose translation: He wanted no part of the Met bullpen even if it meant normally reliable closer Billy Wagner.

So of course once the leadoff hitter got on, Willie Randolph came and got Pelfrey which was the appropriate move because you have to do what you can to win the game. And the former first rounder had probably never tossed that many pitches. Everyone knows how much the Mets have been struggling having dropped five straight before last night including the pen giving up six of Arizona’s nine runs (eight unanswered) in a dreadful 9-5 loss at Shea sounding off even more alarms.

Here they were again three outs away this time with Billy The Kid in a save situation hoping to atone for that Tony Clark three-run bomb which helped the hapless Padres sweep four over the weekend in San Diego. As if to make their worst fears realized, a D-Back double had runners in scoring position with one out. As I sat there, all I could think was, ‘No way is he going to blow this. He’s one of the better closers in the game.’

But there were Rob and Tony panicked out of their minds waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is what I love about Met fans. Sadly, I can’t say I blame them much given their team’s recent track record. No need to remind anyone. Besides, I’m a Yankee guy. We’ll just leave it at that.

Wagner had gotten the second out but went 3-2 on Arizona slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds. When mlb.com took long to tell us what had happened, we all were thinking the same thing wondering. Just before Reynolds at-bat, Rob predicted the doom and gloom of a tying three-run home run. I just sat there thinking it can’t happen. But this is how Met fans are trained to think. A minute later, there he was saying:

 ”My God. They tied it.”

At that point, I just gave the dude a pat and got out of there. Who the heck wanted to see what would happen next? It was sort of comical in a sad way. The worst was realized. Even if the game was only tied and the Mets would eventually go on to win thanks to Beltran’s two out 13th inning two-run walkoff bomb on ironically enough a Reynolds error, here you had a couple of glaring examples of what’s wrong with the team in Queens. They each expected Wagner to give it up and Rob even reiterated that he called it.

Who would ever believe that this is what a team which many picked to win the NL and challenge for the World Series would do to their fans as we approach mid-June. It’s no longer early. Yes. The Mets gained a game on the Phillies, who had a rare second defeat in a row thanks to a Dan Uggla grand slam walkoff in Florida. They’re six and a half out with 98 to go two under .500 (31-33).

Hey. The Yanks are back at .500 (33-33) trailing the Red Sox by seven. Who would you rather be? At this juncture, both New York teams have been major disappointments playing inconsistent ball. However, only one kind of fan is flooding the WFAN airwaves in full panic mode even after their team showed some guts and pulled one out.

You guessed right.

That’s how you tell the different between the two New York baseball fans. I got a good appetizer which made for a fun entry.

Who would’ve thunk it?

The best players handle pressure in their own unique way. For Berkeley Carroll senior soccer star Elena Levi, that wasn’t a problem as she flourished on the field as one of two captains helping lead her school to a PSAA league championship over league rival Staten Island Academy and even more success including a deep run in the New York State Playoffs.

Though they fell short to Fieldston on a debatable call in the State Semis via a penalty kick, overall it was a great year for the Lady Lions Varsity soccer program under Coach Macmahon. For the second straight year, the 17 year-old Levi achieved All-Conference in her league and helped lead BC to an impressive 13-4-1 mark.

The central midfielder who possesses a strong work ethic on and off the field also garnered MVP honors in her school’s signature win over SIA in capturing the PSAA title.

Not only did she lead on the field but off as well enjoying her role by organizing some interesting yet novel concepts to help encourage support for the team and remind teammates what needed to happen on the field in order for them to enjoy overall success.

What the two sport athlete who also just recently concluded the Varsity basketball season will always remember is being able to add a soccer championship trophy for BC- coming in addition to helping her school win the ACIS in basketball a year prior alongside best friend and New Paltz bound Zoe Cohen.

While Levi is still uncertain where she’ll wind up this Fall, one thing that’s clear is she wants to continue her soccer career at the collegiate ranks.

The defensive star took time out of a busy schedule to grant us an interview focusing on her memorable soccer experience along with other astute observations on the game:

Derek Felix: Let’s say I’m a coach/scout recruiting from a college. Describe your playing style. Biggest attributes?

Elena Levi: When I met with college coaches I always told them that I thought I was a disciplined, team player. I like to make passes, and set up my teammates. I would also explain how, by playing defense on my club team, I have learned a lot about getting back to mark up, and cut off the other teams passing angles.

DF: You had a very successful soccer season winning the PSAA championship and going pretty far in the State playoffs. What was the biggest key to the team’s success?

EL: I think that our team has one of the biggest hearts of any of the other school teams out there. Much of this was because of Mr. Macmahon, who taught us how to work really hard to be a successful team. He knew that many of the other teams would break down if we could get an early goal and apply some pressure, so he encouraged us to do that. But also, each player’s individual excitement while playing encouraged everyone on the field to continue to play hard, together. We are a team that never gave up.

DF: How special was it to beat Staten Island Academy for the PSAA league championship? What will you remember most?

EL: It was so exciting to beat SIA in penalty kicks. Of course, I don’t think we should of had to let penalty kicks be the deciding factor because I think we were the better team and just let our nerves get the best of us at the start of the game. But, running in for the dogpile after Amanda Cordisco scored the winning penalty kick will be a moment I will always remember. Not to mention the celebrating on the bus ride home with our big boombox.

DF: With it being your final year, you took on more of a leadership role. How much did you relish it? Any extra pressure?

EL: Aarian Marshall and I were captains of this years varsity team. We wanted it to be the most special and fun season we have ever had, so we put a lot of effort to encourage our classmates and teachers to come support us at our games. Before every home game, we would put up funny signs all around the school, reminding everyone about our game. (for example, we put up one sign that says, “get hungry!” before one of our games, a saying Mr. Macmahon always says).

Before the championship, we even put up a huge poster in our schools’ courtyard that we spent the night before painting. This season was very special to us; we wanted to win, and we knew that we had the potential to make it very far.

DF: How much fun is it being a standout player at your school?

EL:  I like being able to encourage my teammates around me, giving them pointers to make their game one step better. I know I did it a lot to Keyanka [Bailey] this year, because she played right behind me, so I was always trying to make her the best player she could be.

DF: You’ve played the game a considerable amount of time. Was there a big soccer star you tried to pattern your game after?

EL:  I have so many favorite soccer players its hard to name just one of them. I love Thierry Henry for his amazing abilities to score goals and take on defenders. I love Essien’s defensive vigor and mental toughness. Because I have been playing so much defense on my club team, I have really come to appreciate players like Essien, who have taught me a lot about how to play this role.

But I also love watching Robinho dance around the field, getting by defenders and setting up his teammates well. I find little attributes from each of the famous soccer players from around the world that I try to mimmick.

DF: There’s a misconception in this country that soccer is boring. What would you say to the cynics?

EL: People think soccer is boring because it is not a high scoring game. But If you were to bring any one person to a Arsenal game in England, or Bayern Munich game in Germany, they would definitely think differently once the final whistle blows. The crowd’s excitement is a game to watch in itself. I love soccer because of the spontaneity and team work; and I think that if other people in America put more effort into watching soccer, they would train themselves to these exciting qualities, too.

DF: You also played for the girls Varsity basketball team and helped them win a league title last year. How rewarding was that?

EL: Last year’s championship game was like a dream; down ten with a few more minutes to go, and we win?! Honestly, the whole time I thought we were going to lose. But somehow we put it together and got a victory in the end. Looks like the other team learned an important lesson that day, because they were so set on winning, that by the last buzzer, they were shocked at the outcome of the game.

DF: You run the court very well and play solid aggressive defense. How much did playing soccer benefit you on the court?

EL: Its funny, because, sometimes I think that basketball helps me in soccer more than soccer helps me in basketball. Soccer has helped me in basketball because it has taught me how to run and gave me good footwork.

But playing defense in basketball has taught me even more about defense in soccer. Man to man defense helped me stay disciplined on defense when I have to mark a player; defensive slides in basketball has helped me to stay with a girl dribbling the ball at me in soccer. The two sports are more similar than one would think, and they both complement each other.

DF: You helped run Coach Paller’s three guard offense utilizing your passing skills. Are you as unselfish on the field as on the court? Is it a different mentality?

EL: I think as the competition in soccer gets more intense, more team work is needed to be a successful team. As a kid, I would love to dribble on the field, taking on defenders and crossing it in for my teammates to score. I was much more selfish. But now I play more or less a one or two touch game.

In soccer, you have to work the ball around fast, switching the sides of the field to keep the defense moving (much like in basketball). And as many soccer coaches will tell you, the ball moves faster when you pass it around than when you dribble it at your feet. So, in a sense, the same thing applies to soccer as to basketball, moving the ball around–so yes, I have become a player who looks to her teammates first before taking it for herself.

DF: One word or phrase to describe basketball star and good friend/teammate Zoe Cohen.

EL: My hero (haha).

DF:Final question: Recently, you still weren’t certain where you’ll attend college. Any closer to a decision?

EL:  I really don’t know what college I am going to be going to. But I do know that I want to play soccer, and will be going somewhere where that is possible. The letters should be coming in the mail within the next three weeks, so I will have to wait till then! 

Relentless. That’s one of many adjectives to describe Zoe Cohen. The Berkeley Carroll senior recently completed her final season starring for the Girls Varsity Basketball program.

During her outstanding high school career, Cohen achieved plenty in helping lead Coach Walter Paller’s Lady Lions to an ACIS championship last year and finishing with nearly 1,600 points. Her hard work and dedication on and off the court which included plenty of practice time along with extensive workouts at the BC Athletic Center ultimately paid off.

She’ll be attending SUNY New Paltz this Fall and get an opportunity to continue her basketball career. If you didn’t catch Cohen’s exciting high school act, then get out to see her when she returns home to play NYU!

You can bet there will be plenty of family and friends in the stands giving a wealth of support. That was pretty evident at the Berkeley Carroll gym where she wowed supporters with an exciting brand of basketball which included tenacious driving hoops along with step back treys.

Opponents also couldn’t put her on the line because she was butter. Just ask ACIS league runner-up Dwight. In the biggest game of the 2007-08 regular season where it meant no playoffs if her team lost, Cohen ripped up Dwight for 37 with many swishes coming from the charity stripe in crunch time to insure that BC had a chance to defend their league crown.

Though they ultimately fell to league rival and eventual champion Staten Island Academy out in Todt Hill this past Monday concluding a brilliant career, it meant everything to the passionate Cohen who got a little emotional when her coach bear hugged her.

With the season finally over and preparing for softball along with big hoops games starring for her AAU team, Cohen was nice enough to take time out of a busy schedule to take part in an interview:

Derek Felix: How much have you enjoyed your senior year?

Zoe Cohen: I have always imagined being a senior in high school, and it is pretty crazy I just recently played my last home game. Overall senior year has been a lot of fun. First semester was definitely my biggest challenge in terms of academics, but second semester has been a lot of fun. In terms of basketball it has been really great. It was kind of a disappointment at the beginning with the lack of players and commitment, but the last few months have been great.

DF: As the go to player on your team, do you relish all that comes with it? Responsibilities? Attention?

ZC: As the go to player on my team, I definitely relish all that comes with it. Starting in 10th grade I was put in the position where I knew that I would need to step up. Looking back, it seems as if ever since I hit a buzzer beater to beat St. Saviors in the championship game of the Berkeley Carroll Tip Off Tournament, I have learned to step up. Playing with Berkeley Carroll basketball has helped me immensely grow into a confident player.

DF: Your school lost a few players from last year’s ACIS champs. Only you and teammate Elena Levi are seniors. Has it been a little different experience given that the rest of the team is fairly young and not too deep?

ZC: Last year we lost three great players, which I knew would change the dynamics of the team this year. Before the season started there was about 15 girls signed up to play basketball, and by the middle of the season there was only 8 girls on the roster, and no Junior Varsity program. It was hard going to practice every day and knowing that we didn’t have enough to scrimmage, or run through some drills. Although it took our team a little time to get started, we played hard throughout the whole season.

We never gave up, and even though we had 5 freshmen, some of which had never played basketball before, they all worked hard and learned their positions on the go. Therefore, it has been a completely different experience this year, but it has definitely been a great one.

DF: You had a great win over Dwight. Ironically the same ACIS rival you cameback to beat for the title last year. How much did it mean to pull that out in front of your home supporters and qualify for the league postseason?

ZC: I think that the Dwight game was probably our best game this year. We knew going in that they had nothing to lose, while we knew that if we lost we were not going to make the ACIS playoff tournament. We knew that they were going to come out strong, and we played extremely well. That win proved to all of us that we were one of the top teams and I think it gave us all a little more confidence.

DF: You’ve had some great games in your career. Were the 37 you scored in that big win your standout performance given the circumstances?

ZC: I think that my 37 points was definitely my best game considering the circumstances. We were losing at half time, and my shooting was on, and I took control. It was my last regular season game and I wanted to make the playoffs one last time.

DF: Can you talk about your relationship with Coach Paller? How much has he meant to your career and the program’s success?

ZC: Coach Paller has been great to me. I have had a great time playing for him, and he has helped me a lot with my game. As I fouled out with a few seconds left on the clock in my last high school game against Staten Island Academy, Coach Paller gave me a big hug. I didn’t ever think that that moment would be emotional, but once it occurred to me that it was all over, I started to cry a little, and that’s when I realized how much the Berkeley Carroll program and Coach Paller have helped me and supported me throughout my high school career.

I will miss coach Paller a lot next year, he has been great a great coach and a great friend, and that’s really all you can ask for in a coach. Also, Coach Morgan, our assistant, has really helped me a lot this year. It has been great having her around, she is really going to strengthen the Berkeley Carroll Girls Basketball program in the future.
DF: Recently, you were looking at New Paltz and Oneonta. How’s the college search going? Any closer to a decision?

ZC: I am going to SUNY New Paltz, and I am extremely excited.

DF: You and Elena are good friends and star athletes. Who’s better?

ZC: Me and Elena are best friends, she is a great athlete. I can’t say who is better, she is an unbelievable soccer player and I know she is going to be great at the next level.

DF: Basketball isn’t the only sport you play.

ZC:  I play softball also. I played tennis when I was a freshman, but I stopped and decided to join the softball team. Softball is a lot of fun to play. It is a lot of fun to play outside, especially after a season in the gym.

DF: Final question: Having scored over 1,500 points in your brilliant career, do you ever step back out of character and look at what you’ve accomplished on the court?

ZC:  I definitely step back and look at the accomplishments that I made on the court. These accomplishments help me stay confident and help me realize what I can do on the basketball court. So, although Berkeley Carroll basketball does not play the best competition, it has taught me a lot about stepping up and being a leader, as well as teaching inexperienced kids how to play the game and have fun.

But with all of this over now, I have definitely looked back at my accomplishments on the court and have thought about some of the great moments of my career.

Editor’s Note: As someone who was fortunate enough to score her games the past couple of years, it was a joy to watch such a special athlete. Cohen’s not only a great player but also a winner off the court as well. She’ll do extremely well at New Paltz.

I’d like to thank her for taking part in this HB exclusive and wish her continued success.

Please look for our next HB interview with Cohen’s best friend/teammate and BC soccer star Elena Levi. We should be having more upcoming features this month as well.

Stay tuned.

The third time wasn’t the charm for the Berkeley Carroll girls varsity basketball team. Despite a valiant effort, the Lady Lions fell in their third and final meeting against Staten Island Academy 49-42 at Todt Hill Monday afternoon- eliminating them from the ACIS playoffs and ending their season.

The defending champion Lions put up a good fight in another back and forth competitive semifinal against the Lady Tigers. For virtually 31 minutes, very little separated the two ACIS division rivals as they fought tooth and nail to see who would make tomorrow’s league championship game at Poly Technical Institute.

Looking to avenge a 10-point PSAA title loss from a few days prior, the Lions went ahead by two on senior star guard Zoe Cohen’s trey from the right arc off a well executed double screen. However, Academy center Mayana LeGrande knotted it by converting a six foot lay-up inside the paint. She had just returned from a broken bone in her foot last Thursday and once again made a difference hurting the Lions down low in the final quarter with eight of her 12 from in tight.

The Lions were able to stay right with the Tigers thanks to a solid second half from freshman Keyanka Bailey, who notched all 11 of her points following the break. Her stellar play kept them afloat with it being anyone’s game headed to the final period.

With senior guard Elena Levi doing a respectable job guarding last week’s PSAA tournament MVP Chelsea Aronica, it looked like the contest would require overtime. However, a couple of big buckets from 1,000-plus point senior Alexa Milchman suddenly put the Tigers in front 45-39. A three-point play and a deep trey from over the top of the left circle gave her school the upper hand down the stretch.

A couple of free throws from backcourt partner Aronica made it eight straight points with less than a minute to go. However, the Lions wouldn’t go quietly as sophomore shooting guard Tess Salvatore drained a three to cut it to 47-42 allowing BC coach Walter Paller to use his final timeout.

It would be the closest his club would get as a couple of more SIA free throws put it out of reach allowing the Tigers and winning coach Mike Reape to advance to Tuesday’s ACIS championship game.

Cohen bows out: In spite of a worthy effort in which she paced all scorers with 22 getting more than half her team’s output, unfortunately it turned out to be Cohen’s final game of a brilliant career in which she notched over 1,500 points.

The senior guard plans to attend New Paltz next Fall and should be heard from on the court as her school will make a visit to New York University.

They gave a better effort but ultimately came up short of their main objective. Sometimes, a few plays here and there decide big games which is exactly what transpired in the Berkeley Carroll Girls Varsity 48-38 loss to the Staten Island Academy Tigers- allowing their worthy opponents to capture the PSAA championship at Martin Luther High School Thursday afternoon.

Having advanced to a regular season rematch after a strong effort in the semis over host school Martin Luther, the Lions tried to settle the score and capture a league trophy. Instead, they were outgunned by tournament MVP Chelsea Aronica. The junior SIA guard came up with some big shots down the stretch to finish with over 20 for a second consecutive game. She also paced the Tigers with 26 in a semifinal win over Long Island Lutheran.

Early on, there was little separating the same teams who will also be meeting a third time next Monday at Staten Island Academy in the ACIS playoff semis. In fact, they were deadlocked at eight after a hard fought first quarter.

Despite some questionable touch calls which put her in early foul trouble, senior leading scorer Zoe Cohen was still able to play most of the first half and converted a couple of hoops in transition to put BC in front. However, SIA 1,000-plus scorer Alexa Milchman found the range draining a couple of deep three’s off well executed screens.

The top seeded Tigers’ hot shooting from the perimeter helped keep them afloat allowing Mike Reape’s club to stay deadlocked with Walter Paller’s tied at 22 through one half.

Following an early Aronica runner, some excellent passing freed up sophomore Tess Salvatore for a top of the key trey which she banked in to give her school a one-point lead. But seemingly everytime it looked like the Lions were ready to make a run, the tournament MVP stepped up. She connected on at least three from downtown and helped make up for an off night by Milchman, who was held in check by BC for either 14 or 15.

A critical Lions’ possession in the final 30 seconds turned a two-point deficit into four. With Coach Paller asking his team to hold for one shot, instead Mia James took a wide open three from the key with seven seconds left. Unfortunately, it didn’t go and allowed SIA to get an easy deuce as Milchman laid one home before the buzzer.

The Tigers got an early basket to increase their lead to six but the Lions hung around thanks to a solid effort from freshman Keyanka Bailey. Having hit a left baseline three in the first half, she scored inside and out during a productive final quarter which saw her get more than half her 15 or 16 point total. She also setup Cohen for an easy hoop in transition after a block and steal which got the deficit back down to two.

A frustrated Reape used a timeout to fire up his club. It apparently worked as they setup an easy lay-up for returning 6-3 center Mayana LeGrande, who missed significant time due to a broken bone in her foot this season.

Money all game despite being chastised by her demanding coach, Aronica helped finish off the Lions with another basket and a few free throws after Paller had seen enough of the officials and got a technical. His team was already down eight with about a minute left.

To their credit, BC played to the final buzzer with Bailey draining her second trifecta from the right wing as Paller used another timeout urging his players to go for the steal without Cohen, who fouled out. The floor leader finished with 15.

Ultimately, they ran out of time allowing the Tigers to win by 10 and take home the championship trophy along with a deserving Aronica netting MVP.

Notes: The ACIS semifinal between the Lions and Tigers is slated for 4:30 Monday afternoon in Todt Hill. The ACIS championship is the following day at 4 over at Poly Tech.

The third time wasn’t the charm for the Berkeley Carroll Lions. The Boys Varsity basketball team fell to top seeded Dwight in the ACIS semifinals 68-58 Tuesday at the Al Smith Recreation Center in Lower Manhattan.

Despite getting swept by their opponents in the regular season, the Lions weren’t intimidated and got off to a strong start jumping out to an early 7-4 lead forcing Dwight to call for time. Coming off a memorable 34 point showing in a 13-point home quarterfinal victory over Packer, senior leading scorer Jason Lewis again had the hot hand torching their bigger opponents for 13 early points including three long treys.

Following a dunk by Dwight center Maleik Patterson, Lewis’ off balance heave from the corner hit nothing but the bottom of the net to give the Lions a 23-19 lead at the end of one quarter making his teammates believe they could pull off the upset.

But a strong surge by the bigger home team on the neutral court gave them the edge in the play. Beginning to make adjustments to an aggressive Berkeley D which forced several turnovers, the top seeds took advantage of Patterson inside. Getting the ball into the big man, it forced several double teams leaving their pair of senior guards open for uncontested jumpers and lay-ups.

In particular, No.10 hurt the Lions with an array of strong finishes near the basket which turned the tide. Patterson also netted three easy buckets from in close including a jam to help finish a 13-3 run. BC junior Giancarlo Hirsch sliced it to 32-28 before the half.

With Lewis nursing an injured shin which prevented him from getting hang time in the second half, Dwight slowly built a double digit lead on the strength of No.25 who scored everyone of his points in the final 16 minutes. Most came from in close and he also did the Lions in from the charity stripe converting at least seven of 11.

Trailing by 13 midway through the final quarter, it looked like the fourth seeded Lions would go quietly but a strong finish from junior Phil Seay allowed them to hang around. The shooting guard netted more than half his team-high 22 in the fourth which included three trifectas.

Unfortunately for Seay and teammate Hirsch who heated up late to get into double figures for a second consecutive day, it came a little too late. Forced to put Dwight on the line, they ran out of time but not before senior Danny Halper scored his final basket from beyond the arc drawing some cheers from the Lion faithful. It was a fiery Halper who earlier in the period got after his teammates to suck it up with only six minutes to go.

Lewis also left to a nice ovation as his four-year Varsity career of more than 1,250 points came to an end. Senior Sam Adler’s career also came to a disappointing conclusion as did Max Peskowitz.

They had nothing to be ashamed of as they gave Coach Bob Merrill everything they had. On this day, it just wasn’t enough against what proved to be a better team who advanced to the ACIS championship round.

Dwight will take on the winner of last night’s other semi between Friends Seminary and Staten Island Academy at Poly Tech later tonight.

Jason Lewis wouldn’t let a repeat happen. The senior Berkeley Carroll Lions’ leading scorer didn’t forget last year’s crushing ACIS quarterfinal home upset at the hands of Packer.

This time, there would be no miraculous fourth quarter Packer comeback with a three-point buzzer beater. That’s because in his team’s biggest game of the season, J Lew went off for 34 points leading the Lions past a scrappy Packer team 59-46 at the BC Athletic Center in Park Slope. 

Before they even tipped off, a fired up Lewis yelled into the huddle reminding his teammates what happened last year. Not in their house this time around. That much was evident as the senior floor leader scored early and often helping BC run off the game’s first four buckets against a lesser experienced foe which came out tight.

The Lions led from start to finish due to arguably Lewis’ best performance. He got at least eight in the opening quarter as BC built a nine-point lead.

It would only get better from there. Using his full arsenal, J Lew combined sharp perimeter shooting including a couple of daggers from downtown with some strong drives to the basket which featured a nice finish and three-point play. With junior small forward Giancarlo Hirsch banking in a trey after beating a Packer defender to a loose ball, the Lions built a 23-point lead going into the locker room up 41-18.

By the half, Lewis had accounted for more than half his team’s points getting 14 in the second quarter.

“It’s only the first step,” the guard said later pointedly. “Two more to go.”

Meanwhile, Hirsch also had a solid first 16 minutes netting double digits. He finished with 11.

Trailing by 23, a pesky Packer squad never gave up slowly chipping away at it reminding Berkeley Carroll second-year Varsity coach Bob Merrill of what happened a year prior on the same court.

They sliced the deficit to 13 with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Unlike last year’s ACIS quarterfinal, Lewis’ and teammates didn’t panic. Following a couple of empty trips, Lewis converted a steal into a lefty reverse lay-up to give his team a huge hoop to go back up 15.

Some fancy dribbling by the 1,250-plus scorer helped break a press. That along with some smart ballhandling and passing allowed his teammates to breathe easier as they advanced to the ACIS playoff semifinals.

It’s anticipated that Dwight will be the likely opponent tomorrow night at the Al Smith Recreation Center in Manhattan.

Dwight took on Brooklyn Friends in the other quarter earlier tonight. They swept the regular season series from the Lions winning 68-52 at home on Jan.25 and edging BC a week later 46-44 back at the beginning of this month.

If they’re the opponent, Lewis and Co. will be looking for a different end result.

Girls Varsity visits Martin Luther in PSAA Semis Tuesday: While the boys play in Manhattan, the BC Girls Varsity will be visiting Martin Luther in a PSAA semifinal tomorrow afternoon in Queens.

Having finished the regular season with five straight wins including a 10-point home win last week over Dwight to qualify and defend their ACIS league title, the girls will be looking to avenge a 62-53 road loss from a month ago when they battle Martin Luther.

Led by 1,500-plus career scorer Zoe Cohen, senior Elena Levi along with junior Ashley Privett and rising freshman Keyanka Bailey, the Lions will try to improve their 13-7 record by going for No.6 in a row. They tipoff at 5:45.

When the game’s on the line, just put the ball in your best player’s hands. That wise strategy worked out quite well as senior Zoe Cohen’s 37 points helped lead the Berkeley Girls Varsity Basketball team past ACIS rival Dwight 63-53 at the BC Athletic Center in Park Slope Thursday afternoon.

They needed every one of the 1,500-plus scorer’s points to pull out a hard fought final regular season game which allowed them to qualify for the ACIS League playoffs, giving them a chance to defend their championship.

Junior forward Ashley Privett chipped in with 10 including four big buckets in the second half to help the Lions rally from a six-point halftime deficit.

A strong third quarter by the BC Lions helped offset a solid first half by the visitors who were looking to avenge their championship game loss a year ago. Instead, it was a couple of quick baskets by Privett including a pivotal three-point play which swung the momentum.

Privett’s inspired play sparked her teammates as they slowly built an eight-point lead. In the final quarter, Cohen nailed a couple of step back treys which increased it to double digits forcing Dwight to call for time.

Fresh in their memory banks was how the Lions ran away with the ACIS title thanks to an unbelievable run erasing as much as a 12-point deficit. This time, it was Dwight trying to turn the tables. A three along with a three-point play sliced it to 51-48. But with the game on the line, Cohen wouldn’t let her school down in front of a packed gym sinking every free throw needed to preserve the win.

That along with a huge left baseline jumper from freshman Keyanka Bailey and some clutch free throws from senior guard Elena Levi allowed them to breath easier as they notched their fifth consecutive win to conclude the regular season.

Boys fall short in rematch against Friends Seminary: Just six days following a tough four-point road loss at Friends Seminary, the Berkeley Carroll Boys Varsity again fell just short in another exciting close game decided again by a few points.

Going basket for basket most of the game at a frenetic pace, the Lions held a six-point halftime lead sparked by the return of junior starting small forward Giancarlo Hirsch (three triples). Much like last game though, BC was done in by stellar guard play from the Friends Seminary tandem of No.12 and No.24.

No.12 once again picked up a technical in the first half getting into foul trouble with three by the half. But he raised his game a couple of notches like in last week’s back and forth fourth quarter getting at least 14 after the break on an assortment. Whether it was via the three-point play or stepping out for a couple of three-point daggers, he was the difference.

When it looked like BC was done, they rallied to tie the score thanks to a couple of nice finishes by junior shooting guard Philip Seay and senior forward Danny Halper. Senior guard Jason Lewis started the run with a turnaround jumper from the charity stripe. When Seay tied it with less than two minutes left, the gym rocked as the home team had all the momentum.

That’s when No.12 stepped to the forefront converting the game’s biggest bucket the hard way. With the shot clock running down, he narrowly slipped under the right baseline and then finished off a nifty play with a left-handed lay-in to give his team a two-point lead.

Following a wild sequence in which Berkeley was unable to get the tying bucket, they fouled on the floor with 34 ticks left. With the shot clock off, they needed to foul twice more to put their opponents in the bonus.

However, a mix-up in coverage resulted in an easy Friends Seminary bucket suddenly making it a two possession game. With Hirsch having four personals, he couldn’t foul which led to the giveaway.

It would prove to be too much to overcome. Despite a steal by Halper with 14 seconds left allowing them call for time to setup a tying three, Lewis’ off balance trey wouldn’t go.

A couple of more free throws from No.12 iced the game allowing Friends to sweep the regular season series by a combined nine points.

With any luck, BC could still see the two-time defending ACIS champions in next week’s final. They’ll have to go through No.5 seeded Packer at their gym Monday and likely Dwight in the semis.

Lewis honored before game: Before they tipped off in the second game of a doubleheader, senior Jason Lewis was honored by BC coach Bob Merrill for surpassing 1,250 career points. The second-year Varsity coach made a nice speech crediting his floor leader for accomplishments on and off the court, also pointing to the senior’s maturity and leadership as well as thanking his family for their support.

It was what you’d come to expect. At least if you followed the Berkeley Carroll Boys Varsity basketball team this topsy turvy season.

There have been instances where the BC Lions haven’t played their best ball. However, that was far from the case at a crowded Friends Seminary gym yesterday afternoon where despite being two men short, they went toe to toe with one of the better ACIS teams before falling 74-70 in a great game.

If ever you might’ve expected the Lions to not be up to the challenge, it was yesterday afternoon on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They were again without key starter Giancarlo Hirsch and reserve shooting guard Joe Longo meaning that against a very good opponent who boasted a full roster, Berkeley Carroll had only seven players for the first of two regular season meetings less than a week apart.

Friends Seminary had won the last two league championships including a nailbiting two-point win to repeat in 2007. They still had most of their players back with the notable exception of star big man Troy Whittington, who went on to play for Williams College.

It certainly seemed like a tall order to expect Berkeley to be able to go into their gym where at least four returning starters from that championship team were still around along with a few key additions from last year’s JV. When your coach basically has his pregame notes written out on the scorebook in the timeouts section, it’s usually not a good sign.

Apparently, Coach was praying to the basketball Gods to let his team play the way they were always capable of. Maybe he knew something because it didn’t start out promising for his shorthanded team which fell behind 13-2 forcing him to use a timeout.

Maybe the 11-point lead Friends built up gave them a false sense of security or just maybe a resilient Lions squad wasn’t ready to pack their bags and grab the train back to Park Slope. Whatever the explanation, suddenly the BC backcourt of senior Jason Lewis and junior Philip Seay started to play more aggressively getting into the lane, scoring and finding open teammates for buckets.

While they were BC’s best two scoring options, what couldn’t be overlooked was the job players such as Daniel Halper, Sam Adler, Max Peskowitz and John O’Shaughnessy did getting to loose balls for second chances. Halper stepped out and knocked down a three and also hit a few free throws and Adler also rebounded well and showed some range with a 17-footer from the left baseline. O’Shaughnessy’s play on the offensive end was inspired, repeatedly hurting Friends inside with some nice putbacks.

By the end of what was one of the most exciting first quarters, it was anyone’s game. Friends Seminary led 21-18. One thing was abundantly clear. The Lions weren’t going away. In fact, while a deeper opponent was getting flustered by BC’s hardnosed approach, the underdog gained more and more momentum as they continued to beat Friends’ players to the spot and get them into foul trouble.

It was now Berkeley who controlled the tempo of the game on a bigger court which worked perfectly for their offense, allowing speedy guards Lewis and Seay to get into the paint and also utilize the baseline to their advantage. The Lions had played so well on both ends that they slowly built a nine-point lead. It was also aided by a technical foul as the level of frustration on the Friends players was very evident.

How chaotic was this game? So much so that there were even moments where I couldn’t keep up with what was going on. You had two teams scoring very quickly making for  frenetic end-to-end action.

If Berkeley was to pull off the upset, they needed to find a way to slow down Friends’ top outside threat. I can’t recall the name but if they didn’t throw off No.24’s rhythm, there was no way they could win. He had a terrific first half seemingly hitting every open trey off well executed screens.

For two quarters, BC slowed him down enough to take an eight point lead early in the final quarter with the end almost in sight. Just when you thought they had it, the kid with the awkward flatfooted shot which you couldn’t believe was knocking ‘em down sprung to life as did his backcourt teammate No.12. At least that’s what Varsity girls basketball star Zoe Cohen concluded as did this writer.

Editor’s note: I had seen a spunky player like this once before. His name was Tim Hyland and he could knock them down from 28 feet out for Curtis High School when they were dominating the Staten Island High School League (SIHSL) winning championships. Thing is Hyland was even more flatfooted. He also was probably better as he could involve teammates with very smart passes.

It was the PG’s play which helped turn around the game. He’s one of those kids who can be lazy at times but when it’s on the line, suddenly flips on the switch. He was almost invisible for 24 minutes but when the pro-Friends crowd urged their school on, he stepped up much like in last year’s championship game where his transition lay-up gave them a league repeat. Here was the same player suddenly turning it on getting into the lane and either scoring or finding teammates- usually ‘ole reliable No.24 who went for a ridiculous 37 and drained at least six trifectas by the time it was over.

There was also a huge setup for one of their other players, who finally got an open three to go down. In the first half, the same kid missed one where you were sure it was down. This time, the ball bounced his way and against Berkeley Carroll.

With No.12 and 24 hitting all their free throws, it looked like the Lions’ valiant effort would fall short. In spite of some splendid play from Seay, whose big third quarter included an unbelievable trey after faking a shot and getting fouled. What a great play that was. It wasn’t the only one he made. He had 23 with more than half coming in that second half.

Lewis meanwhile had rebounded from a disappointing game on Senior Night. He stepped up all game and scored pacing his team with 28 which included a couple of extremely difficult off balance three’s in the last 60 seconds. It allowed his team to burn their final timeouts and hope they could either force a turnover or hope for missed free throws.

Unfortunately, the two money players for Friends didn’t cooperate as No.24 sank the last couple for the final four-point outcome.

Maybe the Berkeley players didn’t get the desired outcome but they won in a lot of people’s minds. Sometimes, you can’t measure what’s inside a team’s heart. They left it all out there and probably deserved a better fate.

Just maybe it will finally go their way when they get the same team again next Thursday at their home gym before the ACIS playoffs begin.

Nothing to hang their heads over on this day. Just an old fashioned well played game. Now it’s some much needed time off and then on to the next one.