The Hot-Shots (26) - Lady Storm (12)

Roslyn Booster Basketball's playoffs heated up with the Hot-Shots' first-round victory over a well coached but injury-ridden Lady Storm squad. The Hot-Shots were down by two points at the end of the first segment only to have Hot-Shot player Taylor Horowitz change the tempo of the game with three consecutive baskets, and the Hot-Shots didn't look back from there. The Hot-Shots' Sophie Foster and Alexis Schwartz made "ball hawking" and defensive rebounding an art form, while Skylar Cohen "went hard for bounds" off the offensive glass. The Hot-Shots' Leigh Zagoory had solid shooting night from the three-point arc. Alexa Sapper took care of the offense with excellent ball handling.

Liberty (14) Hurricanes (3)

Once again our league's freedom fighters were pushed to the hilt by what was categorized by the national weather service as a "class 5 tropical storm, better known as a monster hurricane." The Liberty's Nicole "magic crystal seemed to be crossing the Delaware through the "eye of the hurricane" for basket after basket to give the Liberty an early lead. Liberty's Amanda Bader and Katie Lombardo controlled the boards like the CIA in times of crisis. The Liberty's Ronni Shalem conspired with Leah Heisler and Katie Golub, to secure Liberty's defensive court.

The N.B.A. (12) Hippy Hoopsters (6)

The N.B.A. (no backing away) presented a balanced offensive set in winning a hard fought game against a "scrappy" Hippy Hoopsters squad. The N.B.A. turned to their front court trio of Alana Karnofsky, Nicole Katz and Hillary Smith for "mounds of rebounds" which resulted in frequent outlet passes to Amanda "catch me if you can" Katlowitz who scored four baskets on "court length scampers." In addition, N.B.A. players Nikki Karol and Mallory Newman roamed far and wide to cut off the passing lanes with Bari "the quarterback" Giller taking care of the ball handling chores.

Dukettes (14) All-Stars (10)

What can you say, it doesn't get any more exciting or better played than this game. Both teams "left it all out on the court" in a "seesaw battle royale" that wasn't decided until 40 seconds left in the game when the Dukettes scored a basket breaking at 10-10 tie. The All-Stars controlled the tempo, and the game for the first six segments building up a commanding four-basket lead. The All-Stars playing with a short bench looked to slow down the tempo of the game using defensive stalwarts Jennifer Chadroff, Corey Sharfstein and Ashley Breitner to pressure the opposition's speedy backcourt players as soon as they crossed the half-court line. The All-Stars' Julie Clark was incredible pulling down "mounds of bounds", while teammates Alyssa Cohen and Sara Loshak made critical baskets contributing to the All-Star's half-time advantage.

Girls 6th Grade Division

Georgetown (26) Wizards (12)

Georgetown playing a very hot Wizards team in the first round of the playoffs got off to a slow start. The Hoyas' were trailing at halftime, but were able to use the half-time pause to regroup and refocus their efforts for a strong second half push. Georgetown's Keely Lang, Morgan Carella (16 points) and Sasha Hiller provided the second half offense with Tori Neu dishing up some very strong post play.

Patriots (20) The Max (16)

In what had the makings of the biggest upset of the season the Patriots walked into a "rejuvenated, pumped up, ship-lip-kit shaped" and superbly coached The Max squad, and snuck away with a four-point victory thanks to a couple of lucky rolls that turned into baskets with less than a minute to play in the eighth segment. Hallie Bendel was awesome (14 points) going coast to coast, often with two defenders on her back, leading the team in scoring and rebounds. Mital Patel was often outsized but never out-hustled in the paint and contributed mightily off the boards. Tracey Kitaeff was a defensive stopper and came through with numerous big clutch shots. Jenny Forrest and Katie Ross walked off the court like warriors.

Rockets (24) Turkeys (16)

The NASA study/report released last week was clairvoyant - it said, "That after careful review our scientists have concluded that rockets in full throttle, given the proper weather conditions, can outpace turkeys in full trot" over the length of a basketball court." They were right as these "booster" Rockets blasted off to victory over a very game Turkeys squad. The Rockets' up-tempo game was led by the relentless fast breaking for baskets by Chelsea Taitelman (10 points), the powerful defensive rebounding by Amy Halpern and Samantha Krieger, the tough front court defensive pressure by Jaclyn Keller and the methodical ball handling and offensive set direction by Rachel Abeles.

Superstars (24) Dunkaroos (11)

The Superstars were able to bring their "A" up-tempo game today in a hard fought victory over a game Dunkaroos squad hampered by a short bench (due to player illness). The Superstars played "speed demon" from the opening whistle using their track team approach to sprint for quick baskets on offense courtesy of Samantha Arnowitz and Natasha Port, clever rebounding off of the defensive glass by Margot Leeds and Jessica Thaler, masterful rebounding off the offensive glass by Amy Greenfield and Jenny Paulenoff, and in your face defense by Dara Bernstein to seal this victory. The Dunkaroos rose to the occasion motivated by a pre-game fashion lecture by none other than Coach Artie "Armani" Shaw with the able assistance of David "cashmere" Pelton and Adam "the mountain look" Glantz. The Dunkaroos might have been outmanned today but not outstyled. The Dunkaroos' inspired and fashionably correct effort was a combination of phenomenal low post play by Allison Frey, defensive rebounding "extraordinaire" by Bari Pelton and Alexis Shaw, creative ball handling by Julie Glantz, and defensive pressure by Alexa "the impenetrable defensive shield" Kreisberg.

Girls 4th Grade Division

Rockettes (10) Mini-Knicks (6)

Let the scoring begin. In their first week of big time scoring the Rockettes came out ready to light up the scoreboard. No one could complain about playing time this week, as the Rockettes were shorthanded with only one available substitute. As a result everyone picked up the load. The backcourt duo of Dana Taglin and Dani Goldberg accepted both tough defensive assignments and opened the floor for an effective offensive break. Ruby Yip not only controlled the defensive boards but also chipped in with many second chance offensive opportunities. Stefi Cohen has been all around, all season but this day her patented crossover dribble even stunned her own teammates. Jamie Cooper was in an offensive zone hitting from all over the floor. She was so focused on the hoop, it was tough for Coach Lipkin to get her to focus in the huddle. Lexi Lipkin not only put in an all around game on the floor but took on added responsibility as the team's water girl. The Mini-Knicks were in full stride right out of the gate with a Triple Crown performance. Stephanie Klapper powered to the basket with the strength of "Secretariat;" Kate Kerpen was lightning fast to the hoop past defenders with the speed of "Citation;" Gabriella Kaplan spinned-dribbled through the defense like "Whirlaway;" Lara Elowsky maneuvered around coverage with the cunning of "Omaha;" Melissa Toleli and Emily Wasserman were forces on defense like "Gallant Fox" and "War Admiral;" Joelle Hyman rebounded with the fortitude of "Assault;" and Rebecca Alpert covered the court with hustle like "Count Fleet." The audience was both stunned and excited by the high level of play. One parent yelled, "What a game! Both teams and their coaches deserve a round of applause." We concur.

Rockers (16) Roslyn Devils (10) (OT)

This week started the first time the fourth graders kept score and was it exciting. The Roslyn Devils had a great turnout that ignited the game into overtime. The Devils had some great scoring by Jackie Bass and Lauren Kobrick that kept this game close throughout the eight periods.

Anacondas (22) Rockets (13)

The Anacondas used their speed in the second half of this game to overcome the height and rebounding of a gritty Rockets squad on their way to a victory today. This game was the first scoring game for both teams this season. The Anacondas took the entire first half to get into their normal up tempo offensive rhythm, and then used the second half to put together a real team effort with Chloe Street and Paige Feldman providing the offensive firepower. Alexa Serin and Melissa Hantman mixed it up on the defensive glass, and defensive "spark-plug" Perri Canner putting on a one-girl defensive press.

American Angels (16) Rockets (10)

Another eight segment road race with the American Angels using a strong second half surge to prevail over a formidable Cobras squad in this well played contest. The Angels combined finesse ball handling and balanced scoring from their cadre of back court players of Pamela Vrabel and Jaclyn Litvak with a motivated front court determined to "out-rebound the world" consisting of Layla Beyzavi, Tracy Meltzer and Christina Mockler.