Games started off on time (a first), with new nets on the rims, and with teams bragging about "taking care of business" against their day's opponents. Fourth grade division coaches exhorted their players to "up the ante" and beat their rivals as these end of season games will stay imprinted on the minds of players and coaches when these players move up to the fifth grade division. Fifth grade division coaches were preoccupied with "playoff seedings," and their players paced nervously on the sidelines and in the hallways waiting for their chance on the hardwood. This was the second week of the fifth grade division rule change re: recording fouls and foul shooting, and you could see the improvement in player defense; less use of their hands and more sliding of their feet. Relatives and friends filled the stands early for each game, and referees had to continuously whistle the crowd to quiet them down so that time checks from the scorer's table could be heard. It is no longer a question of when would it arrive, playoff fever is here and in full bloom. Everyone in the gym took a deep breath, the clock struck 11 a.m., the coaches steadied their players on the bench, the referees checked the players for jewelry, smiles and flat tires, and the whistle blew signaling the opening tap. The results from Week #8:

Princeton (22) vs. Penn (16) - This game matched Penn's tall timbers vs. the speed demons of Princeton in what, on paper, looked like a toss-up. Both teams had the additional burden of playing shorthanded which meant that conditioning would definitely affect the outcome of the game. Penn came out strong thanks to aggressive rebounding by Allison Frey and Tracy Kitaeff, and offensive antics in the paint by Jaclyn Keller and Marissa Ball. Princeton met the challenge with strong defense by Alexa Kreisberg and Raquel Goldsmith and a first-half shooting clinic by Julie Glantz (five baskets) to take the halftime lead 12-10. Penn regrouped to start the second half tightening its defense led by Blair Lipkin and Jenny Goldman to narrow Princeton's lead to two baskets. Princeton's coaches implored their players to dig deeper, and Erica Goldstick responded by taking control of the boards and Jessyca Shapiro responded with two eight segment baskets to secure the victory for Princeton 22-16.

Yale (20) vs. Brown (18) O.T. - Yale opened the first half with their patented ball control offense led by pinpoint shooting by Samantha Arnowitz and Bari Resnick and pressure defense led by Jenny Nauheim, Jenny Paulenoff and Dara Bernstein. Brown was determined not to dig themselves into a first half hole and turned to Erica Scalavino and Dani Efros for offense and ball handling and Alex Lewisohn, Abby Levtow and Hallie Dunn for control of the paint. Both teams were well prepared and clearly had each other's number as the first half ended in a 10-10 tie. Brown used the second half tap to come out strong. Brown's Amy Halpern provided the instant offense and Taylor Breen the in your face defense. Not to be outdone, Yale turned to Amy Greenfield and Sarah Sincoff for control of the glass, and Amanda Ryman to shut off Yale's drives through the paint. Both strategies worked as the game finished regulation tied at 18-18. The overtime segment could only be described as a visual blur with boh teams attempting full court desperation sprints only to be met by an impenetrable defense. With 30 seconds left in the game Yale's Alexandra Foukalas made an acrobatic steal and went the length of the court for what turned out to be the winning basket. Yale won in overtime 20-18 but this was a game where there were no losers.

Harvard (24) vs. Dartmouth (16) - In a well publicized match-up for first place bragging rights Harvard players carried the day. Harvard Crimson came out running and gunning and before the Dartmouth Green could take a breath Harvard led at half-time 16-4. Harvard's offense was expertly distributed amongst Sara Tazari, Robin Singer, Katie Ross and Morgan Kurriloff with fine board work contributed by Jessica Thaler and Kelsey Osborne. Dartmouth's lone first-half bright spots were baskets by Laura Ilowite and Lauren Borowick and relentless boarding by Maddi Weinstein and Hallie Bendell. Dartmouth regrouped at half time with players committing collectively to get back into this game. Dartmouth's Elyssa Goldberg and Chelsea Taitelman led the defensive press and Ali Somerstein, Lizzie Greenwald and Elana Jaroff provided the offense to bring the game down to a single digit deficit going into the last quarter. Harvard's Morgan Finestone directed the fourth quarter offense and Jenny Forrest provided the defense on the ball giving Harvard a convincing 24-16 victory.

Cornell (27) vs. Columbia (18) - Cornell has surely found its stride during the second half of the season. Rumor has it that the coaches are turning to Regis Philbin's tailor for guidance. Cornell came out of the gate leaving dust in its tracks as its offensive machine rolled on with relentless fury to a 14-6 half-time lead. Alexis Shaw, Jessica Singer and Natasha Port led Cornell's rejuvenated offense. Cornell's Elyssa Zauderer and Rachel Shipper shared the responsibilities and title of chairwomen of the boards. Columbia regrouped at half time, discussed a change in defensive strategy and came out in the second half with renewed vigor. Columbia's Morgan Carella, Rebecca Cooper and Rebecca Lomazow provided the 1-2-3 offensive scoring punch and Jaclyn Kozak, Samantha Krieger and Jodi Katz combined to recapture the boards. Columbia's defense stiffened with Liandra Aptekar and Mili Mehta stymieing Cornell's passes down low into the paint. But Cornell was not to be denied; Bari Pelton and Alexandra Barquero responded to the challenge by applying the necessary defensive glue, and Keely Lang the offensive punch with several timely baskets to lead Cornell to its second victory in a row 27-18 against a tough Columbia squad.

Harvard	6-2-0
Dartmouth	5-2-1
Yale	4-4-0
Princeton	4-4-0
Cornell	4-4-0
Columbia	4-4-0
Penn	3-4-1
Brown	1-7-0