Hoops Squads Bounce Back

Having dropped four of its previous five games, the Palisades High girls’ basketball team found itself at a crossroads last week. Coach Torino Johnson’s squad has made strides despite a challenging schedule and that gamer toughness showed in impressive victories on Thursday and Friday that got the Dolphins back on track. Palisades could have taken a forfeit win over Dorsey earlier in the season but Johnson insisted that the nonleague game be rescheduled so the issue could be decided on the court. Led by sophomore guard Ashlie Bruner (21 points and 8 steals) and sophomore center Donae Moguel (19 points and 11 rebounds), the Dolphins overcame a sluggish first quarter to outlast the host Dons, 59-48. The next night, Palisades returned home and kept themselves in the thick of the Western League race with a 64-37 blowout over University. Moguel was unstoppable in the paint, scoring a game-high 30 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and blocking two shots. Sophomore guard Skai Thompson had 11 points and Bruner added 10 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals. Boys’ Basketball Coach James Paleno’s squad rebounded from its loss 19-point to first-place Westchester by posting a pair of Western League victories and appeared to be clicking on all cylinders heading into Wednesday’s second-place showdown at Fairfax (result undetermined at press time), where Palisades lost by one point last year. Palisades team led the Lions by eight points in the fourth quarter before falling 75-69 in their first league meeting January 15. Senior wingman Garrett Nevels had 34 points, senior forward Kenneth Towner had 13 points and 12 rebounds and sophomore guard Donovan Johnson added 10 points in the Dolphins’ hardfought 76-68 triumph over visiting Hamilton last Monday. Nevels poured in another 26 points and Johnson added 19 points and 11 rebounds in a convincing 90-76 victory at University on Friday. Boys’ Soccer A scoreless tie with Fairfax last Wednesday landed Palisades in second place in the Western League, but five of the seven teams still have a legitimate chance to finish first. Shane Centkowski is the Dolphins’ scoring leader with 4 goals. Nick Ledesma, Max Ledesma, Alex Anastasi and Nate Cutler each have two goals. Girls’ Soccer Despite allowing their first goal to a league opponent all season, the Dolphins beat Fairfax, 3-1, last Friday for their fifth win in a row. Kathryn Gaskin, Zoe Aliado and Katie Van Daalen Wetters scored the goals for Palisades. Gaskin leads the team in points with 18 goals and 10 assists. sports@palipost.com