It was a season of heartwarming stories in non-‘AA’ girls basketball.
Bayside advanced to the PSAL Class A semifinals as the No. 38 seed in a 40-team bracket playing for beloved coach Steve Piorkowski, who is battling a form of cancer that attacked his C6 vertebra.
Preston was also playing for a cause en route to its first CHSAA Class B city title. Former player Margaret Donnelly, a school guidance counselor, was tragically killed in a car accident over the holidays and the Pathers competed the rest of the season with a heavy heart.
NYC non-‘AA’ girls basketball Player of the Year: Jenny Ramirez, Lab Museum United
An Rong Xu
Lab Museum United's Jennifer Ramirez is The Post's non-'AA' girls basketball Player of the Year.
William Thomas
Bayside's Steve Scharf is The Post's non-'AA' girls basketball Coach of the Year.
There was a lot of pressure on Ramirez heading into this season. As the only PSAL Class A player with a Division I scholarship in tow, the athletic 5-foot-4 guard was expected to prove her worth and lead Lab Museum United to big things.
She was successful in both regards. Ramirez dropped in 34 points in the ‘A’ quarterfinals to avenge a previous loss to Tottenville and almost led LMU all the way back from a big deficit against Goldstein in the semifinals. She was also an excellent playmaker and a very good rebounder for her size.
“She’s in a different element at this point in her game,” Lab Museum United coach Katie Jungers said after the quarterfinals. “I’ve never seen her play so smart.”
NYC non-‘AA’ girls basketball Coach of the Year: Steve Scharf, Bayside
Amid tragedy and uncertainty, Bayside played its best basketball of the season. Beloved coach Steve Piorkowski was sidelined in late January when he contracted a form of cancer that attacked his C6 vertebra. Piorkowski ended up with a broken neck and was confined to a wheelchair. In his place stepped a host of Bayside coaches, from Scharf, the boys JV basketball coach, to football coach Jason Levitt to boys soccer coach Joe Corrado to athletic director Joe Capuana.
It was an inspirational story of family and support – and that was even before all the winning. Bayside finished fifth in PSAL Queens A East and received the No. 38 seed in a 40-team playoff bracket. The Commodores went on to upset No. 27 Clara Barton, No. 6 Beacon, No. 11 Lafayette and defending champion No. 3 Wings Academy en route to the semifinals.
FIRST TEAM
F Bethany Claps, Staten Island Academy
Claps was the Tigers leading scorer for the second straight season and will graduate as the school’s all-time leading point getter. The Smith College-bound forward helped SIA win the ACIS crown and earn a return trip to the NYSAISAA tournament.
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Steve Piorkowski, Steve Piorkowski, Steve Scharf, Jenny Ramirez, Lab Museum United, Jennifer Ramirez, Lab Museum United coach Katie Jungers, girls basketball, basketball, Former player Margaret Donnelly, Bayside, PSAL, Rong XuLab Museum United, Piorkowski, Lab Museum UnitedAn
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