NYPost.com girls basketball beat writer Joseph Staszewski takes a look at the PSAL Class A semifinals, beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday at Hunter College in Manhattan.
SCHEDULE
PSAL Class A semifinals @ Hunter College
3 p.m. – No. 2 Curtis vs. No. 38 Bayside
5 p.m. – No. 1 Leon Goldstein vs. No. 4 Lab Museum
Curtis Warriors
Head coach: Bob Daggett
Record: 17-8
Player to watch: Danielle Leguillou
Bayside Commodores
Head coach: Steve Scharf
Record: 13-6
Player to watch: Syndy Durugordon
Outlook: Curtis was supposed to be here and is darn well the favorite to win the whole thing. What was expected to be a showdown with defending champions Wings is now a Cinderella game with No. 38 Bayside shocking all comers to reach Hunter College.
The Commodores are playing with heavy hearts as coach Steve Piorkowski had to step away from the bench to battle plasmacytoma, a form of cancer that has damaged the vertebrae in his next and left him in a wheelchair. His is expected to be in attendance for the game. Interim coaches Steve Scharf, Joe Capuana, Joe Corrado and Jason Levitt have them riding high.
Posts Ashley Mitchell and Syndy Durugordon have been the driving force and could be a matchup problem for undersized Curtis. Guard Sara DeLuca and Jada Muza have done a good job handling pressure. Scharf, especially against Wings, has shown the ability to make in-game adjustments.
Curtis will be its biggest test yet, especially with legendary coach Bob Daggett in his first season on the sidelines. The Warriors move the ball extremely well and will scrap on defend. Their calling card is there outside shooting led by juniors Kristen Olsen and Shannon McGill. Geena Rosalbo has done a fine job running the points and Danielle LeGuillou has been a solid scorer all season.
Goldstein Dolphins
Head coach: Adrian Buchhalter
Record: 22-2
Player to watch: Nora Elbassiony
Lab Museum Gators
Head coach: Katie Jungers
Record: 22-4
Player to watch: Jenny Ramirez
Outlook: When the bracket seeding came out many were a big surprised Goldstein was at the time, but the Dolphins have done plenty to show they deserved it. Goldstein won a Class B city title two years ago. This year they beat a quality Martin Luther King team in the quarterfinals and feature one of the city’s top point guards in Chestnut Hill-bound Brittany McDonough. The senior is a triple-double threat and has a go-to shooter in Nora Elbassiony. Both have scored over 1,000 points for their careers. Danielle Bonsignore and Danielle Natoli have provided plenty of energy and defense all season.
Goldstein coach Adrian Buchhalter’s job is to find a way to contain Lab guard Jenny Ramirez, who is headed to Marshall next season. She dropped in 34 points to lead the Gators past a very good Tottenville team in the quarterfinals. Ramirez shut down Pirates star Cheryl Lopez and could draw McDonough in this one. Ashanti Plummer has been Lab Museum’s best threat inside and Kelly Niles is a scrappy guard on the defensive end.