South Shore’s current trip to the final is unlike any of the three previous times it earned the right to play for the Public School Athletic League’s Class AA girls basketball city title. This situation puts it in its best position yet to finally claim the elusive crown.
The top-seeded Vikings reached the championship game in consecutive years for the first time with a 52–25 win over No. 4 Midwood at Lehman College in the semifinals on Tuesday. Murry Bergtraum won’t be waiting for South Shore this time. No. 3 Francis Lewis ended the Lady Blazers’ string of 15-straight titles in the other semifinal.
When they get to Barclays, the Vikings will be the team with championship-game experience, unlike in the past. Usually it was Bergtraum that entered the game with multiple players who have experienced the final and were aided by having played at Madison Square Garden before. The pain of last year’s loss is still fresh for South Shore, and on the other side is a Francis Lewis team filled with sophomores who will just be happy to be there after dethroning the Lady Blazers.
“The Garden feels like yesterday now, because we are going back to the championship,” Gladden said. “It’s a big difference. When you skip a year it becomes a new experience.”
Seeing Bergtraum go down prior to its own semifinal was a new experience for South Shore junior forward Brianna Fraser. She and her teammates were expecting to see Bergtraum across from them at Barclays, but they are happy to get a chance to avenge a loss to the Patriots in their season opener.
“They have won 15 times in a row, so I thought we were going to meet them again,” Fraser said.
Gladden said to ask him after the title game if he was happy not to be facing Bergtraum. South Shore will have a major advantage inside with Fraser, Teanna Henderson and Jordan Washington, but Lewis has a more explosive backcourt, led by Sierra Green.
For the first time, however, the intangibles favor the Vikings. The door has never been more wide open for South Shore to claim the title. The players are focused on the task at hand despite rival Bergtraum not being the team in their way.
“It’s kind of weird knowing that its not going to be Bergtraum,” Henderson said. “I was looking forward to playing Bergtraum in the championship, but it’s just business.”
