Thursday, March 17, 2011
“It’s got more energy sometimes than Madison Square Garden,” said league President Mike Klein.
As college basketball players take to the floor for the beginning of the NCAA Tournament, Fort Lee’s own version of March Madness tips off tonight as well. With a “Madison Square Garden” level of energy alongside a “lose and go home” mentality, the Fort Lee Girl’s Basketball League starts the process of postseason play this evening with a tournament that league President Mike Klein compares to the ever-popular NCAAs. “It’s just as exciting at a different level,” he said. Where the college game features athletes typically between the ages of 18-24, these student athletes are only eight to 14 years old are playing in similar atmospheres. “You’ll see a very exciting game and a lot of energy in the building,” Klein said when describing what to…
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
“This is my way to contribute to the team.”
Americans tend to be afraid of speaking in public, so much so that studies have shown they are even more afraid of death than speaking in front of an audience. But those studies fail to mention how many people are even more afraid of singing in public. Some choose to sing in the shower, and others belt out the lyrics to their favorite songs in the car, but very few people would dare open up to the thought of singing in front of an actual aduience. This week’s Whiz Kid is different, however, and actually loves doing what most people would never be caught dead doing. After growing up in a musical household, Fort Lee’s Arev Dinkjian started singing at the age of six, joined her Church choir and began what became a time-honored tradition at …
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
Team decorates gym, donates money to American Cancer Society.
After weeks of planning, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen set out to accomplish something meaningful with their cancer research benefit game Saturday. Long before the crowd arrived for the noontime game, the team was at the high school, redesigning the gym with pink balloons, banners and streamers by 9:30 a.m. “We decorated the whole [place],” said junior guard Megan Gimson. “It was really close to our hearts because in our coach’s past and our past, we all have a connection.” As the team was playing for the school, the program and themselves, the thought of honoring cancer survivors was weighing on the minds of athletes, such as senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “It’s a really good cause, and it gave us a lot of motivation,” she said. “It’s not…
Friday, February 11, 2011
Senior guard Brianna Mattessich leads Lady Bridgemen with game-high 21 points.
With the future of the girls basketball team watching, the current Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen defeated the Wallington Panthers 47-32 at home on Thursday night. Coach Stacie Zafiris and Fort Lee Girls Basketball League President Mike Klein invited the younger girls to come watch the game in hopes of showing what it takes to play at the high school level. Zafiris did not want to make her team nervous before the game, but she did stress how important this game was for the program and for the girls who were watching them play. “I said, ‘You are the reason why we are where we are, and why you got Fort Lee basketball on the map,’ ” the head coach said before the opening tip. “But, there is a little girl out there that might be watching you for 5 …
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Nancy Sophias and Anatoliy Alkazov were the top student athletes making headlines last week.
From basketball to wrestling, indoor track to bowling, here is the latest news in Fort Lee sports:
Friday, January 21, 2011
Lady Bridgemen now on season-high three-game losing streak.
The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen welcomed one of the top teams in New Jersey to their gym on Thursday night and hung with the enemy for most of the contest. But in the final quarter, the visiting Lakeland Lady Lancers (11-1) pulled away with an 18-7 run to collect yet another victory. “I think we came out a little down,” said Lakeland head coach Erin Zarubnicky. “But I think we picked it up in the second half.” Early on, both teams played a close game, as Lakeland held just a three-point lead after the first quarter. During that time, Fort Lee looked to set up their offense in a new approach. “We slowed it down more than usual,” said senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “Today we tried to play our game and got more out of it.” The Lady Bridgemen …
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Senior guard nets 41 points this week in just a pair of games
As freshman turn into sophomores, and juniors become seniors, they start to earn more responsibilities with each passing year. This happens both in the classroom and in athletics. One basketball player has embraced the responsibilities of being a senior captain and is putting up the numbers to go with it. Fort Lee’s senior guard Brianna Mattessich scored 22 points and corralled 12 rebounds in a win Tuesday against Westwood and followed that with a 19-point performance at New Milford on Thursday night. “[Brianna] has been doing some things the last couple games that really make her a caliber player in the league and in the county,” Fort Lee Coach Stacie Zafiris said. “I wouldn’t trade her for anybody.” But when Mattessich was told about …
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Thursday, January 13, 2011
Lady Bridgemen winning streak comes to an end before it reaches three.
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 …
Monday, January 10, 2011
The chest-bump that wasn't: Fort Lee girls basketball players Mattessich and Clesmere "bump" their popularity to new levels.
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 …
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A busy week comes to an end as an even busier week lies ahead for Fort Lee student athletes.
Here is a rundown of Fort Lee athletics for the past week and a look at the upcoming week in sports: Check back during the week for game stories and any snow-related postponements that may occur.
