By Dylan Butler
Francis Lewis girls’ basketball coach Mike Eisenberg says Murry Bergtraum is still the top team in the city, but its his Patriots who garnered the top seed Sunday for the upcoming 26-team citywide playoffs.
While Francis Lewis was the top seeded Queens team in the girls playoffs, Cardozo was the highest rated Queens team in the boys bracket, picking up the No. 7 seed in the 32-team field.
Following Francis Lewis (23-3) is Bergtraum, the three-time defending city champions who fell to the Patriots, 50-44 on Jan. 12. Martin Luther King was the third seed, followed by division rival Manhattan Center.
“Based on the fact Bergtraum is a great team and the three-time defending champions, I thought the possibility existed [Bergtraum would get the top seed], as well as the fact we lost a few games down the stretch,” Eisenberg said. “But we beat them and we were undefeated in the PSAL and I think the seeding committee did the appropriate thing.”
The six division winners (Lewis, Bergtraum, Madison, JFK, Curtis and Robeson) received a first-round bye, a decision, along with expanding the playoff field from 20 to 26, that was made early in the season.
Townsend Harris was the next highest seeded Queens team at No. 9 and will host No. 23 Tottenville Thursday.
No. 13 Cardozo hosts No. 19 Brooklyn Tech in a game played Tuesday, Jamaica is seeded 20th and plays at Susan Wagner Thursday and August Martin narrowly avoided missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years, picking up the 21st seed and will play at No. 11 Clinton in a game scheduled for Wednesday.
Eight Queens teams are in the 32-team girls B division playoffs. John Bowne hosts South Shore, the defending B division champs, Springfield Gardens plays at Health Professionals, Van Buren is home for Lab Museum, Grover Cleveland hosts Jane Addams, Humanities plays at Bayside, John Adams is home for Taft, Beach Channel hosts Thomas Jefferson and Newtown is at Graphic Communication.
Following second round games to be played Feb. 25-28, the remaining eight teams will be seeded for the quarterfinals Mar. 2-3.
Brooklyn dominated the top seeds in the PSAL Boys A playoffs, picking up five of the top six seeds.
In what was a bit of a surprise Robeson garnered the top seed over No. 2 Lincoln, because of a forfeit win over the Railsplitters in the Brooklyn Winter Classic.
Frederick Douglas Academy from Manhattan was the No. 3 seed, Canarsie is No. 5 and Boys and Girls is seeded No. 6.
Cardozo, at No. 7, hosts New Utrecht in a first round game played Wednesday, Bayside is seeded 11 and hosts No. 22 Port Richmond, the top seeded Staten Island team, Thursday.
No. 12 Beach Channel hosts No. 21 Brooklyn Tech, No. 14 Newtown is home for No. 19 Grand Street Campus Thursday, No. 20 Bryant is at JFK in a game played Wednesday.
John Adams, Forest Hills, John Bowne and LIC also earned playoff berths and played outbracket games Monday. Forest Hills was the only team to win and plays at No. 5 Canarsie Thursday.
In the PSAL B playoffs, Richmond Hill is the top seeded team from Queens at No. 8. The Lions host Art and Design in the first round. No. 14 Robert Wagner plays Environmental Studies in an outbracket game and No. 20 Queens Vocational takes on Humanities in an outbracket game.
Second round games will be played Feb. 25-28 at neutral sites, including Lehman College, College of Staten Island and Elmcor.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
