Fort Lee’s Second Half Lead Snowballs into Westwood Win
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.”
Viral Video Makes Lady Bridgemen Basketball Players Instant Celebrities at School
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.
Lady Bridgemen Back to Winning Ways with Victory at Memorial
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.
Fort Lee Boys Fight for First Win of Season
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.”
Fort Lee Squeaks Past Lyndhurst and into Championship Game
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.
Hitting the mats for the wrestling report
(NORTH BERGEN, N.J.) – In a small high school gym on an early Saturday morning, the Fort Lee wrestlers took part in another scrimmage to prepare for the upcoming season. The Fort Lee Bridgemen have lost ten seniors from last year’s squad but remain extremely optimistic.
Coach Alex Almeyda patrols the mats for Fort Lee.
I talked to head coach Alex Almeyda and he remains as confident as ever. The same goes for many of the new wrestlers who are just itching to hit the mats for their first match of the year.
The wrestling preview and scrimmage story will both appear on the newest Patch.com website on Tuesday for Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Check back later in the week for the notes on how this team has been conditioning unlike any other and which student athletes plan to step up as the newest team leaders.
Also, I will have more wrestling stories throughout the winter sports season as I follow the team and the boy’s/girl’s basketball teams as well.
Thanks again for all of the support everyone and please let me know what you think of the website.
The joy of sports: Expecting the unexpected
(ATLANTA, Georgia) – One of the most wonderful things about sports (and life!) is that you never truly know what is going to happen.
I have seen a lot of bizarre events while covering sports like a walk-off wild pitch, a fight during a soccer match, and a 30-10 baseball game, but never have I seen anything like Nikki Boon’s performance at the 2010 SEC Championship Game.
Nikki is a 2008 high school graduate from Minnesota who competed in the Dr. Pepper halftime show for a chance to win money for her college scholarship.
The hostess planned on throwing a football the normal way, until she learned a unique toss while working at a restaurant.
Here is how Nikki shocked the world, rocked the planet, and won $123,000 in the process:
Stories like these truly make me appreciate working in sports every single day. Congrats Nikki and thanks again for reminding us all to always expect the unexpected.
Shockingly surprised,
Mike
Welcome
Hey everyone. My name is Mike Radomski and I am a sports reporter currently working in Evansville, Indiana. I have 10 years of sports reporting experience dating back to my time covering the Bergen Catholic Crusaders and continuing with my reporting of the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. As a broadcast journalism major and sports studies minor, I was a play by play broadcaster and radio host at Quinnipiac before moving on to become the lead broadcaster for the Evansville Otters baseball club. I have served as a sports editor for Patch.com in Fort Lee, New Jersey and also announced sporting events for LMC-TV in Mamaroneck, New York. Now, I am back in Evansville as the Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Otters and I want to thank the organization for allowing me to do what I love every day. I would also like to thank my family for their undying support and dedication to my dream.
I started the site to highlight some of my old work and post new pieces of material as well. Feel free to let me know what you think and contact me anytime.
Thanks and best wishes! -Mike
