The Lady Bridgemen line up on the court for the National Anthem.
(NEW MILFORD, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen received a 19-point performance from senior guard Brianna Mattessich, but the team struggled to score otherwise in a 41-33 road loss at the Dumont Lady Knights.
Mattessich scored 14 points in the first half alone, but Fort Lee only had two points from the rest of the team at that point.
“We didn’t have five girls on the floor willing to shoot the ball and looking to score,” said Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris. “That ultimately hurt us.”
The Lady Bridgemen had the scoring edge early when they jumped out to a 12-5 lead. The advantage would have been smaller, but Mattessich was fouled heaving a half-court shot as the first quarter ended. Brianna made two of the three free throws to hand Fort Lee their biggest lead of the game.
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January 13, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Astillero, Bindi Parikh, Brianna Mattessich, center, Coach Kilgarren, Coach Zafiris, DeFreese, fans, Fort Lee, Fort Lee basketball, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, forward, freshman, freshmen, girl's basketball, green, guard, hoops, junior, juniors, Kilgarren, Lady Bridgemen Basketball, Lady Knights Basketball, Mattessich, Mike Kilgarren, New Jersey, New Milford, New Milford High School Gym, New Milford Lady Knights, officials, Orange, Parikh, referees, Sam DeFreese, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, Victoria Astillero, white | Leave A Comment »
Coach Ziemba and the Bridgemen lost their double digit lead in a loss to Westwood.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – After leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Fort Lee Bridgemen saw their lead evaporate into a 16 point loss on Tuesday night against Westwood.
“We defended incredibly well in the second half,” said Westwood head coach John Santulli. “We were not playing any defense in the first half.”
Early on, Fort Lee gained the advantage by dishing the ball inside to sophomore center Anthony Rafes. The down-low presence scored six of the first eight points for the Bridgemen in a new offensive set.
At the beginning of the year, Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba mentioned how his team’s offensive attack was founded mostly around the guard play. Now, the 20-year head coach has changed that philosophy to include the 6’6’’ center.
“The new offense we put it is to get him the ball,” Ziemba said. “We have to go through Anthony and he is still a sophomore but I’m still trying to see what certain guys can do.”
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January 11, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advantage, Anthony Rafes, boy's basketball, Cardinals basketball, coach John Suntelli, coach Ziemba, comeback, deficit, Dumont, Fort Lee, Fort Lee New Jersey, Gentile, head coach John Suntelli, head coach John Ziemba, high school, injury, lead, Lyndhurst, Mahmud, New Jersey, New Jersey High School Boy's Basketball, Nick Gentile, Qasim Mahmud, Rafes, rally, runs, shoulder, snowballs, threes, turn-around, Westwood basketball, Westwood Cardinals | Leave A Comment »
Sophomore Yosef Matayev (left) stares at his opponent before beginning the 112 match.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Ken MacIver was an assistant coach with the Fort Lee Bridgemen for the last three seasons.
During that time he fulfilled the role of mentor, coach and driving instructor to some of Fort Lee’s wrestlers and is even the godfather of coach Alex Almeyda’s son.
But Monday culminated in a new role for MacIver as he was now the opponent of Fort Lee in a make-up wrestling match from last Friday’s snowstorm.
MacIver returned to his alma mater this year as the head coach of the Dumont Huskies program and entered the contest with a little more than just wrestling on his mind.
“I wouldn’t have left Alex and the boys unless it was my high school,” an emotional MacIver said shortly after the match. “I knew what we were in for, and I had a good scouting report myself.”
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January 10, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Alkazov, Anatoliy Alkazov, assistant, Bridgemen, Bridgemen wrestling team, close, coach, comeback, Connor Rankin, Demir Radoncic, Dinkins, Drew Dinkins, driving instructor, Dumont Huskies, Dumont Huskies wrestling team, emotional, epic, first win, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Bridgemen wrestling team, Fort Lee High Schoo, freshman, freshmen, George Kostantakis, godfather, Harilaou, Huskies wrestling team, junior, juniors, JV, Ken MacIver, Kostantakis, MacIver, major decision, mentor, minor decision, nail-biter, New Jersey, Nick Harilaou, pins, rally, Rankin, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, Tantillo, teary-eyed, Thomas Tantillo, tie, varsity, wrestling | Leave A Comment »
Seniors Brianna Mattessich (left) and Lindsey Clesmere's failed bump attempt bumped their popularity at school
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – One of the new sayings in today’s fast paced world is that everything travels quicker on the Internet. The old idea was that information flew through high schools just as quickly. Put the two together, and it could be a recipe for a sweeping phenomenon, like the viral video that rushed through Fort Lee High School this past week.
On Dec. 31, the Lady Bridgemen basketball team won their second straight holiday tournament when they defeated the Park Ridge Owls. Winning the trophy in back-to-back years brought the girls some recognition but nothing close to the popularity the team received after a video surfaced – a video originally posted on Patch – of their championship celebration.
After the final buzzer sounded, senior guard Brianna Mattessich rushed toward the Fort Lee bench to be with her teammates. At the same time, senior guard Lindsey Clesmere left the bench to join the girls on the floor. The result made the girls instant celebrities at their school.
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January 10, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: America's Funniest Home Videos, basketball, bowls over, bump, chest bump, Clesmere, Facebook, family, famous, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, friends, funny, Gimson, girl's basketball, guard, high school, High School Girl's Basketball, hilarious, instant celebrities, Lady Bridgemen, Lindsey Clesmere, Mattessich, Megan Gimson, New Jersey, NJ, senior, senior guard Brianna Mattessich, viral video, YouTube | Leave A Comment »
Fort Lee wrestler Demir Radoncic faces Cliffside Park's Chris Piper.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Here is a rundown of Fort Lee athletics for the past week and a look at the upcoming week in sports:
The girl’s basketball team started the week as reigning two-time holiday tournament champions by losing back-to-back contests. The Lady Bridgemen fell to Ridgefield Park on Tuesday 52-33 before falling to an undefeated Dumont team on Thursday 57-42. In their last game of the week, Fort Lee traveled to beat Memorial High School on Saturday 40-25, and they now look forward to what next week has in store. But in order to carry the momentum to Tuesday night’s game at Westwood, the Lady Bridgemen are hoping to have the services of senior forward Bindi Parikh. The soft-spoken student athlete suffered a foot injury on Saturday and her status for the Westwood game and New Milford contest on Thursday are uncertain.
In boy’s basketball, the Bridgemen also lost to Ridgefield Park on Tuesday, 52-40, but then recovered with a victory against Dumont 51-40 on Thursday. Freshman point guard Dashaun Washington was named the Athlete of the Week after scoring double digits in both of those games including 13 of them in the team’s last game of the week.
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January 9, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: bowling, boy's basketball, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Athletics, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, girl's basketball, indoor track, New Jersey, NJ, wrestling | Leave A Comment »
Coach Stacie Zafiris talks to the Lady Bridgemen during a timeout.
(WEST NEW YORK, N.J.) – Despite losing senior forward Bindi Parikh to a foot injury, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen were able to overcome her absence in a 40-25 road win against the Memorial Tigers.
After losing back-to-back games entering Saturday’s action, Fort Lee was in full pursuit of avoiding a possible three-game losing streak.
The Lady Bridgemen started the game by winning the tip, working for a good shot and finding junior guard Ally Long for a corner three. Fort Lee scored seven of the first eight points in the game. The last points of that stretch were scored by Parikh, whose night ended when she was taken out of the game a few minutes later.
“When Bindi got hurt we stepped up as a team,” said junior guard Megan Gimson.
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January 8, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2-5, 3-4, Ally Long, back to back loses, believe in themselves, best team game, Bindi Parikh, Brianna Mattessich, Bridgemen Basketball, Caolanny Melo, center, centers, confidence, first half, first win, foot injury, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen basketball, Fort Lee New Jersey, forward, forwards, freshman, freshmen, girl's basketball, guard, guards, head coach Stacie Zafiris, high school, High School Girl's Basketball, hurt, injured, jumper, junior, junior forward, junior guard, juniors, lay-up, leader, league, Long, Mattessich, Megan Gimson, Melo, Memorial Tigers, New Jersey High School Girl's Basketball, Parikh, practice, pursuit of a win, Renee Mattesich, rest, role players, Saturday afternoon, scoreless, secondhalf, senior, senior forward, senior guard, seniors, sophomore, sophomore guard, sophomores, Stacie Zafiris, swish, teamwork, three pointer, Tigers, Tuesday, Westwood, win the top, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Freshman point guard Dashaun Washington
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Freshman year of high school is a unique time for all boys and girls.
It is a time to be nervous yet anxious, excited and worried, but most of all, high school comes with uncertainty.
Today, Patch’s Athlete of the Week award is presented to a freshman who is making a name for himself on the hardwood.
Against players twice his size and some even four years older than him, guard Dashaun Washington looks overmatched.
But on the basketball floor, he is matching up just fine.
Washington has been “playing up” since his time in the Fort Lee rec program where he was a younger athlete already playing with 7th and 8th graders.
This season it happened again.
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January 8, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Athlete of the Week, baby faced, basketball player, basketball player Dashaun Washington, Bridgemen, Bridgemen Basketball, bright side, Coach John Ziemba, Dashaun, Dashaun Washington, double digit points, elite class, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Bridgemen Basketball, Fort Lee High School Gym, Fort Lee New Jersey, freshman, freshman guard, freshman point guard, head coach John Ziemba, high school basketball, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, one of the best, Patch, Patch.com, performance, point guard, positives, Radomski, soft-spoken, student athlete, Washington, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
The wrestling team will have to wait until tomorrow for a chance at their first win.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Just like in late December, a snowstorm is once more shifting the Fort Lee sports scene.
Both the bowling and wrestling matches for Friday evening have been postponed.
According to Fort Lee High School Athletic Director Patrick Ambrosio, the events have not been rescheduled yet and all games for Saturday are still on.
The bowling team was scheduled to play Lakeland Friday at Bowler City beginning at 4 p.m., but the cancellation continues a whirlwind of events for the student athletes. Most of the Bridgemen bowlers were snowed out from practicing over the school break due to the most recent blizzard, then returned only to have no opponent on Tuesday and now are prevented from playing again.
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January 7, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11 AM tip, blizzard, bowling, bowling team, Bridgemen, delay, Dumont, Fort Lee, Fort Lee bowling, Fort Lee bowling team, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee wrestling, Fort Lee wrestling team, friday, girl’s basketball, Hasbrouck Heights, Hasbrouck Heights High School, junior varsity, Kenny MacIver, Lady Bridgemen, Lakeland, MacIver, Memorial High School, no games, no practice, no reschedule, postponed, quad meet, reunion, reunited, Saturday, snowstorm, two game losing streak, varsity, weigh-ins, wrestling, wrestling team | Leave A Comment »
Coach Zafiris draws out a play during the second half.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – After entering halftime tied, all signs pointed to the Dumont Huskies and the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen playing a close game until the final buzzer.
But halfway through the third quarter, Dumont took control with an 11-0 run on their way to remaining undefeated.
“We really wanted to beat our rival and come out with fire,” said Fort Lee senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “We were playing with them the whole time. Then in the second half, we came out and turnovers killed us.”
Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris prepared countless hours for Dumont and was not pleased with the final outcome.
“Again, we beat ourselves,” said Zafiris. “I don’t think that they earned the win. I think we gave them the win.”
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January 6, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11-0 run, 15-point victory, 57-42, advantage, basketball, carries team well, center, changes, coach Stacie Zafiris, control, countless hours, defeat, Defense, deficit, Dumont, Dumont Huskies, earn the win, fire, first half, first quarter, flow, Fort Lee, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forward, fourth quarter, freshman, freshmen, full court press, gave it to them, girl's basketball, guard, head coach Stacie Zafiris, high school basketball, Holiday Tournament, Huskies, intensity, junior, junior forward Carly Reitano, juniors, Lady Bidgemen, loss, Lyndhurst, Mattessich, Memorial, Memorial High School, New Jersey, NJ, not pleased, one point, Parikh, practice, preparation, Reitano, rely on her, rivalry, run, Saturday, second half, second quarter, senior, senior forward Bindi Parikh, senior guard Brianna Mattessich, seniors, snow, sophomore, sophomores, staying on top, third quarter, Thursday, tomorrow, turnovers, unbelmished, weather-related, win, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Coach Sayer said that Ammad Quraishi (left) was one of his more improved players from break.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The holiday season is usually very busy with very little free time.
But throw a blizzard into the mix, and all of a sudden, the holidays just became a little bit more hectic.
With all of the hours spent with family, and maybe even more hours shoveling, you can see where it may be difficult for a student athlete to find practice time in late December.
This is one of the albeit unusual dilemmas that plagued the Fort Lee bowling team during the past week.
Many of the co-ed bowlers made plans to practice during vacation but were forced to break from their normal routines due to the circumstances.
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January 6, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, 2011, advantage, assisting, back on track, bowl, bowler, Bowler City, bowlers, bowling team, Bridgemen and Lady Bridgemen, Bridgemen Bowling Team, children, coach Dennis Sayer, crazy, Daniels, David Daniels, Dennis Sayer, difficult, dilemma, directions, Englewood, first time meeting, forced to break routine, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, fortune begins to change, freshman, freshmen, friday, get back into it, Hackensack, hectic, holiday seasonm busy, hours shoveling, hours with family, Inalman, junior, juniors, Lady Bridgemen Bowling Team, Lakeland, late December, laughing, little bit of luck, lucky, mid-week session, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, NJ, no driving, out of league opponent, parents, Patch, Patch.com, Pirates, positive attitude, practice, practice time, practicing, Radomski, record snowfall ruins bowler's routine, relaxed, root each other on, rooting, Sayer, scrimmage, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, sport a team, stressed, student athletes, tough, unusual, Wednesday, Yeliz Inalman | Leave A Comment »
Fort Lee's Demir Radoncic lines up to continue his match.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – With the lights dimmed and the crowd filling nearly every seat in the gym, the Fort Lee Bridgemen wrestling team took to the mats for their home opener against Cliffside Park Wednesday night.
Before the match, junior Demir Radoncic pumped up the Bridgemen with chants of “Let’s go,” and “Go hard!” Most of the wrestlers said they were excited to wrestle in front of the home crowd, and some even admitted to being a bit nervous.
“I had some pregame jitters,” said senior Anatoliy Alkazov.
Freshman wrestler Devin Sokolicn went even further with describing the atmosphere.
”Scary,” Sokolicn said. “[The] heart was racing, blood was pumping.”
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January 6, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 152, 160, 171, 19-12, 3-0 lead, Aaron Moon, advantage, Alex Almeyda, Alkazov, Almeyda, Anatoliy Alkazov, atmosphere, back to back pins, blood pumping, Bridgemen, Cliffside Park, Coach Alex Almeyda, coach MacIver, consecutive points, crowd, Dadoncic, deficit, Demir Radoncic, Devin Sokolicn, disrespect, downer, Dumont, excited to play, failed to earn points, final 38 points, final message, Fort Lee, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee High School Gym, Fort Lee New Jersey, fought back, freshman, freshmen, friday, go hard, great, head coach, heart racing, heavyweights, high school wrestling, home opener, house, intensity, jitters, junior, junior varsity, juniors, let’s go, lightweights, MacIver, match, Moon, nervous, never seen that before, New Jersey, New Jersey High school wrestling, pins, re-gain the lead, Red Raiders, scary, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, strengths, Tantillo, Thomas Tantillo, throw-up, throw-up delay, thrown on my back, trainer, varsity, weaknesses, Wednesday, wrestlers, wrestling, your team verse your team | Leave A Comment »
Coach John Ziemba(left) talks to Dashaun Washington (center) and Tandee Mushanda (right).
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Separated by just five miles, the rivalry between Fort Lee and Ridgefield Park grows large in just the small amount of space that divides the two New Jersey towns.
It is a rivalry where the Scarlets and Bridgemen simply do not like each other, and on Tuesday night, it was Ridgefield Park that walked away with bragging rights in a 52-40 win.
One of the key components of the victory was the play of Nelson Mendez, the Scarlets’ senior forward. Mendez utilized his inside presence and post-up maneuvers to lead all players with a game-high 24 points.
“Mendez is the best player in the league,” said Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba. “He made some unbelievable shots.”
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January 4, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 15 points, 24 points, 52-40, 90 pounds, Anthony Rafes, best player in the league, best players at that position, best point guard, Bridgemen, Bridgemen and Scarlets, center, combined, criss-cross move, crossover, Dashaun Washington, defeat, distance, Dumont, Dumont High School, five miles, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, forward, fourteen years old, freshman, freshmen, game high, guard, half-court offense, head coach John Ziemba, high school basketball, John Ziemba, junior, juniors, loss, mid-40s, Mike Radomski, Nelson Mendez, New Jersey, NJ, Patch, Patch.com, point guard, Radomski, Rafes, Ridgefield Park, Ridgefield Park Scarlets, rivalry, Scarlets, scoring, senior, seniors, separation, sophomore, sophomores, spread offense, stature, Thomas Gerken, Thursday, totaled, Tuesday, unbelievable shots, victory, Washington, win, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
Coach John Ziemba talks to the Bridgemen in a full timeout.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee boys basketball team hoped to carry the momentum of a win over Mahwah into the new year, but the Bridgemen were tripped up against Montclair on Sunday 53-36.
With the win, the Montclair Bulldogs finished fifth in the Jack Reilly Tournament, leaving the Bridgemen looking at what went wrong.
“Thursday we had so much more energy,” said sophomore guard Nick Gentile. “Today we were all dead.”
With a noon start time, Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba emphasized that the team with the quicker start would have the edge in this contest, and it was Montclair who did just that.
“We came out, made two mistakes early and were down 4-0 eight seconds into the game,” Ziemba said. “To me, that set the tone.”
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January 2, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1-5 season, 13-3 run, 2010, 2011, 4-0, 53-36, 9-0, advantage, Anthony Rafes, basketball, behind every game, boy's basketball, Boy's Basketball Tournament, break, Bridgemen, bright future, Bulldogs, catchup, Chinua Young, Cliffside Park, competative, dead, defeat, down, early run, eight points, energy, few minutes in, fifth place, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Bridgemen start new year with loss to Montclair, Fort Lee New Jersey, freshman, freshmen, games, Gentile, halftime, head coach John Ziemba, Holiday Tournament, intensity, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Tournament, January, junior, juniors, Kabi West, league schedule, loss, Mahwah, momentum, Montclair, Montclair Bulldogs, new year, Nick Gentile, noon start time, ol year, optimism, Padin, players, positive, press, Rafes, rattle off wins, Ridgefield Park, rivalry, seconds in, senior, senior forward, senior forward George Padin, senior guard, seniors, six points, sophomore, sophomore center, sophomore guard, sophomores, Sunday, talent, Thunderbolts, Thursday, tons, trailing, transition, turnovers, victory, West, win, young, Ziemba | 1 Comment »
Coach Stacie Zafiris (center) poses with MVP Bindi Parikh (left) and captain Brianna Mattessich (right).
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Looking forward to 2011, the Fort Lee athletics program hopes the new year turns out to be a lot like how the last year ended.
On the very last day of 2010, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen defeated the Park Ridge Owls to win the Lyndhurst Girl’s Basketball Holiday Tournament.
Senior forward Bindi Parikh was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament after scoring 25 points and senior guard Brianna Mattessich was also named to the All-Tournament team along with her teammate.
It was the second straight championship for the Lady Bridgemen, who are now 2-2 this season and looking forward to the week ahead.
They have three more games to worry about this week, including a tough road game against Ridgefield Park on Tuesday, back home against Dumont on Thursday and another road game on Saturday morning against Memorial High School.
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January 2, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, 2011, 26 medals, 4 x 200, 4 x 800, A Look Ahead, A Look Back, A look back and a look ahead, All-Tournament team, athlete of the meet, away, back to back, basketball, Bindi Parikh, Bowler City, boy's, boy's basketball, Brianna Mattessich, Coach Ed Garrison, Coach John Ziemba, December 20th, Dumont, Englewood, fifth, first contests, first home meet, first win, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee High School Gym, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, four o'clock, freshman, freshmen, friday, Garrison, girl athlete of the meet, girl's basketball, girls, Hackensack, Holiday Relay Carnival, home, indoor track, Jack Reilly Tournament, Jersey City Armory, junior, juniors, Lakeland, lasy year, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Girl's Basketball Holiday Tournament, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, Mahwah, male athlete of the meet, Mattessich, Melanie Plattner, Memorial, Monday, Montclair, most valuable player, New Jersey, Old Tappan, Orange, Parikh, Park Ridge, Park Ridge Owls, Plattner, relay, repeat champions, Ridgefield Park, road, run, Saturday, second, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, sprint, St. Mary's, Sunday, The Week in Sports, third, this year, Thursday, times, Tom Zaccone, Tom Zaccone Invitational. Farleigh Dickinson University, Tuesday, Wayne Hills, Wednesday, wrestling, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
Bindi Parikh is the Athlete of the Week.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Senior forward Bindi Parikh scored a season-high 25 points in the championship game of the Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament and was named the Patch Athlete of the Week.
As the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen won their unprecedented second consecutive championship, Parikh led the charge from beginning to end.
The forward outscored the Park Ridge Owls 11-5 in the first quarter and continued to pour it on throughout the game.
The soft-spoken Parikh said, “We have an awesome team so with the help of everyone we were able to have a great game.”
What makes the senior’s performance even more remarkable is what happened to her in the team’s opening game of the tournament. Riddled with foul trouble throughout the contest, Parikh saw limited minutes and only scored four points in Fort Lee’s narrow win over Lyndhurst.
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January 1, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11-5, 25 points, Athlete of the Week, award winning forward, back to back, baskets, Bindi Parikh, Brianna Mattessich, buckets, champions, championships, champs, clicking, coach Stacie Zafiris, double up, emphasizes team play, everyone, first quarter, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forward, foul trouble, fourth quarter, friday, Golden Bears, great, great game, guard, happy, head coach, January 4th, limited minutes, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, make the shot, modest, most valuable player, MVP, narrow win, only scored four points, outscore, outstanding play, Owls, Parikh, Park Ridge, pass it to her, Patch.com, performance, personal accolades, presence, Ridgefield Park, season high, season high 25 points, second consecutive, second quarter, senior, senior forward, senior forward Bindi Parikh, senior year, soft-spoken, talented, tch, team, third quarter, threat, trophy, victory, Wednesday, wonderful, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, back to back championships.
(LYNDHURST, N.J.) – Make room on the mantle! The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen won their second straight holiday tournament Friday, defeating the Park Ridge Owls 50-46 in Lyndhurst.
Senior forward Bindi Parikh led all players with 25 points on her way to being named the tournament’s most valuable player. Senior guard Brianna Mattessich added 15 points in the program’s historic victory.
Fort Lee has now won the tournament in consecutive years for the first time. They also gained a little revenge on Park Ridge for beating them in the finals in 2008.
“Two years ago, we watched [Park Ridge] get their trophies,” said Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris. “It was almost like those players from two years ago made a vow to not have that feeling again.”
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December 31, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11 points, 15 points, 21-5, 25 points, 50-46, All-Tournament team, amazing, back to back, Bindi Parikh, Brianna Mattessich, center, center court, centers, consecutive, defending champs, Defense, disbelief, doubling the total, first team, first time, first time in program history, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, forward, forwards, foul trouble, freshman, freshmen, game high, guard, guards, head coach, head coach Mike Weaver, head coach Stacie Zafiris, historic win, Holiday Tournament Championship, junior, juniors, Lady Bridgemen, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament Champions, make room on the mantle, Mattessich, Mike Weaver, most valuable player, MVP, never gives up, offense, Owls, Parikh, Park Ridge, Park Ridge Owls, played hardest, points, revenge, Ridgefield Park, season high, senior, senior forward, senior forward Bindi Parikh, senior guard Brianna Mattessich, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, struggling to score, team high, trophies, want need, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Coach Ziemba talks to the Bridgemen
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Bridgemen took advantage of two late technical fouls, earning their first win of the season in a come-from-behind 42-39 victory against the Mahwah Thunderbolts.
The win also secures Fort Lee another game on Sunday against Montclair as Mahwah was eliminated from the Jack Reilly Boys Basketball Tournament.
After going 0-4 to start the year, the Bridgemen were ecstatic to get the win.
“We needed a win in 2010,” said Fort Lee coach John Ziemba. “I know we have a tough team to play on Sunday, but we needed this win so bad.”
To begin the night, Fort Lee held Mahwah to just five points in the first quarter, something many of the players attributed to the return of senior forward George Padin.
“It helped us a lot, and our team defense got a lot closer,” said Josh Ford, the freshman guard. “He is the main focus on our team. He did everything.”
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December 30, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 0-4, 18-18, 30-26, 39-36, 42-39, 8-0 run, advancing, advantage, angle, ball up the floor, basketball, boy's, boy's basketball, Boy's Basketball Tournament, Bridgemen, Bridgemen keep composure in critical fourth quarter, celebrate, center, centers, come from behind, concussion, conference-mandated, Deer, defeat, defense got closer, ecstatic, edge, eliminated, expletive, first quarter, first win, five point first quarter, Ford, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Fights for First Win of the Season, Fort Lee head coach, forward, forwards, foul, fouled out, fourth quarter, free throws, freshman, freshmen, gam high, game-tying, Gentile, George Padin, Glicini, go ahead, golden opportunity, guard, guards, halftime, he did everything, head coach, helped a lot, high school, high school basketball, inbound, intensity, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Tournament, Jim Deer, John Ziemba, Josh Ford, junior, juniors, kept composure, least amount of points, loss, Mahwah, Mahwah Thunderbolts, Mark Glicini, missed three, Montclair, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, Nick Gentile, NJ, only do so much from the bench, Padin, physicality, plan to foul, position to win, positive, reaction, return, second quarte, senior, seniors, Snyder, sophomore, sophomores, stole the game, storm the court, Sunday, team high, techincals, technical foul, technical fouls, technical fouls helped, third quarter, thought it was in, Thunderbolts, Thursday, tie, timeouts, to be in the game, tough team, twelve days, victory, we needed a win in 2010, we needed this win bad, whiff, win, yell, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
Coach Zafiris runs through the gameplan with the Lady Bridgemen.
(LYNDHURST, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen basketball team edged the Lyndhurst Golden Bears 48-46 Wednesday afternoon at Lyndhurst, earning their first win of the season and securing a spot in the championship game of the holiday tournament.
Trailing by two points with just 25 seconds left on the clock, the Lady Bridgemen found junior guard Ally Long standing at the top of the arc for a go-ahead three-pointer.
Behind 46-43, Lyndhurst missed their initial shot, but the Golden Bears were able to grab the offensive rebound. Junior Nicole Barratta took full advantage as she swished in the game-tying three.
But when Lyndhurst fouled Long on the inbound pass, freezing the clock with just 2.27 seconds left in a tie game, Lyndhurst coach Perrin Mosca argued with the officials after the play and received an additional technical foul, confusion ensued as to how the free throws would be handled.
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December 29, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 48-46, 48-46 lead, Ally Long, arguing, back to back, Baratta, bench, bonus, Championship game, confusion swept across the gym, defet, disagreement, displeasure, eight points, final buzzer, first win, first win of the year, five second violation, Fort Lee, foul trouble, free throw confusion, freezing the clock, freshman, freshman Grace Tomko, freshmen, friday, game high, Genevieve Noel, girl's basketball, Golden Bears, half court heave, head coach, head coach Perrin Mosca, head coach Stacie Zafiris, high school, Holiday Tournament, inbound pass, initial shot, junior, junior forward Anthe Nikolaidis, junior guard, juniors, Lady Bridgemen, late three, lead, loss, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst gym, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, Midland Par, Mosca, New Jersey, Nicole Baratta, Nikolaidis, Noel, officials, one and one, one o'clock, one of two, Orange, Palisades Park, Park Ridge, players stepped up, plus technical, rematch, repeat, second chance, senior, senior Brianna Mattssich, seniors, six points, sophomore, sophomres, swish, team free throws, team high, team high ten points, technical foul, ten points, tied it up, timeout, Tomko, top of the arc, trailing, unbeknownest to the situation, unecessary foul, victory, want second one, Wednesday afternoon, wide open, win, without her we wouldn't have won, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Head Coach John Ziemba instructs the Fort Lee Bridgemen before the game.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Orange Tornadoes defeated the Fort Lee Bridgemen 52-37 Tuesday night in the final game of the opening round of the Jack Reilly boys’ Basketball Tournament at Fort Lee High School.
Junior forward Kahled Muhammad led all players with a game-high 14 points for the Orange as freshman guard Josh Ford netted 10 points for Fort Lee.
The night began with a 6-0 run by the Tornadoes that forced the Fort Lee to play from behind yet again.
“We got outhustled,” said Fort Lee’s sophomore guard Nick Gentile. “It was the hustle that killed us. We just couldn’t execute.”
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December 28, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 14 points, 15 points, 3:45, 52-37, 5:30, 6-0 run, ahead, all in the second half, always on the floor, behind, Boy's Basketball Tournament, Bridgemen, converted, crowd, defeat, easy buckets, energy, enough offense, excellent shots, execute, final minues, first quarter, Ford, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, fourth quarter, freshman, freshman forward, freshman guard Josh Ford, game high, Gentile, great kid, hard, head coach John Ziemba, high school basketball, hit in the nose, hustle, injured knee, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Boy's Basketball Tournament, John Ziemba, junior, Kahlad, Kahlad Muhammad, killed us, long-distance, loose balls, lose, loser's bracket, loss, Mahwah, Montclair, Muhammad, Nick Gentile, Old Tappan, open looks, opposite end of the floor, Orange, Orange Tornadoes, playing tough, points, pull one off, quickness, second quarter, senior, seven o'clock, Snyder, sophomore, sophomore guard, St. Mary's, team high, ten points, third quarter, Thursday, tied it up, Tornadoes, turnovers, two o'clock, updates through the week, victory, want a win, Wayne Hills, win, winner's bracket, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
The Jack Reilly Boy's Basketball program
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Jack Reilly Tournament was postponed Sunday.
Fort Lee Athletic Director Pat Ambrosio made the decision early on Sunday morning after watching the radar, consulting with colleagues and thinking of everyone’s safety.
“Ultimately, the decision needs to made about the safety of everyone first,” Ambrosio said. “It made no sense to force the issue when you have a holiday week.”
The athletic director also said that it became “like a game” trying to see if the school would be able to get the games in and beat the impending blizzard.
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December 26, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 3:45 PM, 5:30, 7:00, AD Pat Ambrosio, all games, Ambrosio, at night, athletic director Pat Ambrosio, basketball, blizzard, boy's basketball, championship, consolation games, consulting colleagues, delayed, forecast, Fort Lee, Fort Lee New Jersey, high school basketball, high schools, Holiday Tournament, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Boy's Basketball Tournamet, like a game, losers, Mahwah, Montclair, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, next Sunday, NJ, no sense to play, Old Tappan, on the road, one game, Orange, Pat Ambrosio, postponed, safety to everyone, same time, send them back, snow, Snyder, St. Mary's, Sunday, Sunday morning, thundersnow, Thursday, tournament continues, travel, Tuesday, two o'clock, varsity basketball, varsity boy's basketball, watch the radar, Wayne Hills, winners | Leave A Comment »
Junior wrestler Andrew Lee stares down his opponent
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – During the past week, the Fort Lee wrestling and indoor track teams started their seasons, the co-ed bowling team had their last match before the break and both basketball teams have finished their first slate of games.
Last Tuesday, the boy’s bowling team defeated Westwood 5-0 with strong performances from senior David Daniels and junior Peter King. Both players shot in the 190s as the Bridgemen earned the sweep. On the girl’s side, the Lady Bridgemen were defeated by Westwood 5-0. Senior Yeliz Inalman had a team high game of 175.
On the mats, the Fort Lee wrestling team lost the season opening match on the road to Mahwah 58-15. Junior Andrew Lee recorded a pin for the Bridgemen in the 135 weight class and later on in the evening, senior Anatoliy Alkazov recorded a late come-from-behind win at 152.
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Athlete of the Week: Nick Gentile
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – In the season of giving, it only seems fitting to start giving away our Athlete of the Week Awards.
At the end of every week, Patch will honor one student athlete who performed exceptionally well in his/her sport, while also highlighting their accomplishments.
The first Athlete of the Week is sophomore guard Nick Gentile of the Fort Lee Bridgemen varsity boys’ basketball team.
Nick started the season last Friday with a 17-point performance on the road at Bergenfield and has continued his strong play throughout the following week.
On Tuesday, Gentile added another ten points against Cliffside Park before posting a season-high 18 points Thursday night versus Ramapo.
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December 25, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 0-3, 17-point performance, accomplishments, Athlete of the Week, basketball, Bergenfield, Boy’s Basketball, Boy’s Basketball Team, Bridgemen, Christmas, concussion, Defense, double digits, eager, elevated his game, first win, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Boy’s Basketball, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, friday, Gentile, Jack Reilly Boy’s Basketball Tournament, Jack Reilly Tournament, major minutes, New Jersey, Nick Gentile, offense, on the road, pass the ball, Patch, Patch.com, point guard, Ramapo, ready, season high, season high 18 points, season of giving, senior, senior George Padin, sidelined, sophomore guard, sophomore guard Nick Gentile, student athlete, Thursday night, trying, varsity | Leave A Comment »
The officials look over the current situation of the game before continuing the suspended affair.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen lost the continuation of a suspended game against the Bergenfield Lady Bears on Thursday night 65-30.
Junior guards Krystal Carvajal and Jessi Corredor invigorated Bergenfield with a combined 32 points as Fort Lee was forced to play from behind, dating all the way back to last Friday.
The two teams started the game Dec. 17 but were only able to play a single minute before referee Greg Dobbin collapsed on the court.
Dobbin was able to rise to his feet and walk off the court under his own power, but the game was suspended until Thursday with Bergenfield holding a 5-2 advantage.
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December 23, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 0-2, 14-4 run, 5-2 lead, 65-30, advantage, Ashley Marfo, Bergenfield, Bergenfield Lady Bears, Brianna Mattessich, Carvajal, centers, coach Stacie Zafiris, combined 32 points, continuation, Corredr, December 17, December 23, defeat, eliminate, first in program history, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forwards, freshmen, girl's basketball, guards, high school basketball, Holiday Tournament, invigorated, Jessi Corredor, junior, Krystal Cavajal, Lady Bears, Lady Bridgemen, look to repeat, lose, loss, Lyndhurst, Marfo, matchup, missed layups, mistakes, Monday, New Jersey, official, Palisades Park, re-energized, rec level, referee collapses, referee Greg Dobbin, senior, sophmore, suspended game, trailing, trailing since last week, turnovers, two teams, varsity basketball, varsity level, victory, Wednesday, win, wins | 2 Comments »
The captains from both sides meet on the mat.
(MAHWAH, N.J.) – The Mahwah Thunderbirds utilized experience and seven pins in a 58-15 win over the Fort Lee Bridgemen at home on Wednesday night.
Both teams were primed for the match but were forced to wait out an 11-minute delay due to a power failure.
Once the scoreboard was turned back on, Mahwah started lighting it up.
Just 53 seconds into the first match, freshman Erik Molina pinned fellow freshman Devin Sokolicn in the 103 pound match for an early 6-0 advantage.
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December 23, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 285, 2:15, 58-15, Alex Almeyda, Alkazov, Almeyda, Anatoliy Alkazov, Andrew Lee, Bridgemen, coach, conditioning, defeat, Devin Sokolicn, Erik Molina, first match, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, freshman, head coach, high school wrestling, junior, Kalewicz, Lee, lighting it up, lose, loss, Mahwah, Mahwah Thunderbirds, Mike Kalewicz, Mike Radomski, Molina, New Jersey, New Jersey High school wrestling, Patch, Patch.com, power failure, power outage, Radomski, rusty, scoreboard out, season opener, season opening, senior, Sokolicn, sophmore, teams, Thunderbirds, victory, Wednesday, Wednesday evening, Wednesday night, weight classes, win, wins, wrestling | Leave A Comment »
