Yesterday evening, the girls’ basketball team gave us a sweet Valentine’s Day memory by advancing to the PSAA Championship for the third straight year in an 83-32 victory over #4 Solomon Schechter. The win also improved the Bears’ overall record to 20-2, marking just the third time in program history the Bears have won 20 games, joining the 2009-10 squad that went 20-3 and the 2006-07 team that finished 21-3. They’ll have a chance to tie the team record for wins in a season in Friday’s final against #2 Portledge.

The Bears dispatched the Lions in a pair of lopsided regular-season victories, but the visitors came out with surprising spirit to grab an early lead. The game was knotted at 4-4 at the 4:45 mark as the Bear offense slowly shifted into gear. A Schechter 3-pointer gave the Lions a 7-4 advantage midway through the frame, which seemed to wake up the PSAA’s top seed. What followed was a 22-0 run that spanned the remainder of the frame and the beginning of the second quarter that gave the Bears a 26-7 lead on the way to a rout. Jocelyn McCrain opened the scoring with a layup to pull the Bears within 6-7. Meaghan Doherty followed with a 3-pointer to give the Bears the lead for good. The senior scored nine more points in the frame, including another 3-pointer as The Brook built a 24-7 lead after one.

In the second quarter, the Bears continued to push the lead out behind a hounding defense. Five different Bears scored in the quarter as the Blue & White took a 46-18 lead into the half.

In the third, Long Island’s leading private school scorer put on a show as Doherty poured in 13 points behind a 3-pointer, pull-up jumper, and a bevy of layups. The Bears took a 68-23 lead into the fourth before salting away the win.

Doherty, who is the #6 scorer on all of Long Island with 21.5 ppg, scored a season-high 34 to lead The Brook. Her 4 three-pointers upped her season total to 64, good enough for #2 on Long Island. Abby Smith (12), McCrain (10), Cassandra Rohan (10), Scarlett Davey (6), Payton Martin (5), Quinn Davey (2), and Mairead Reitzel (2) rounded out a balanced Bears attack.

The Bears are back in action on Friday @ 2:30pm in the PSAA Championship vs. #2 Portledge with a chance to win a second straight title. The game will be played at Stony Brook University’s Pritchard Gymnasium.

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