Talk Bronx New York

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

That saying held true in the second round of the PSAL ‘B’ tournament as two of the top five seeds - No. 4 Riverdale/Kingsbridge and No. 5 Adams - were upset by underdog squads, and another highly regarded team, third-seeded Banneker, was taken to the limit by No. 14 Bronx Leadership.

Three double-digit seeds advanced to today’s quarterfinals at Hunter College in Manhattan.

Here’s a look at the weekend’s second-round action:

No. 3 Banneker 2, No. 14 Bronx Leadership 1

Bronx Leadership nearly upended undefeated Banneker before bowing out in a three-set loss.

The Wolves played the No. 3 seed close in a 25-20 first-set loss, then hit their stride in the second set, winning, 25-21, on the strength of two 4-0 runs.

The Lady Warriors held an early eight-point lead in the third set, but Leadership rallied to tie the set at 23, and pressed the set into extra points before losing, 28-26.

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South Bronx seniors Nora Rodriguez …
… and Michelle Caraballo help Phoenix rise to first place in Bronx 2B with 2-0 road win at Taft on Friday night. Cairo for News

… and Michelle Caraballo help Phoenix rise to first place in Bronx 2B with 2-0 road win at Taft on Friday night.

South Bronx outside hitter Elaine Ducasse spent last season sitting on the sideline, watching in relative silence.

“It was her first year playing, and it was almost like she was afraid to get on the court,” Phoenix coach Denise Hernandez said.

But Ducasse was all over the court on Friday evening, helping South Bronx make a statement in the Bronx 2B Division with a road victory over Taft.

The senior’s five service points and three kills helped South Bronx to a 2-0 (25-19, 25-20) win in an early-season battle of unbeaten teams.

With the win, the Phoenix (3-0) put themselves in good position to win the division title.

“They all want to succeed and they all want to see each other succeed,” Hernandez said. “It’s not all about me, me, me. It’s all about us.”

The team play was evident in both games against Taft (2-1). Four players finished with more than five service points.

Outside hitter Michelle Caraballo had 10, including a string of six straight service points that helped South Bronx build a comfortable lead in the first game.

Nora Rodriguez contributed her own five-serve string in the second game as South Bronx broke a 12-12 tie and later finished off the Golden Eagles.

Ducasse said she and her teammates talked before the game about the importance of the showdown.

“We all said that if we could beat Taft we could make it to the playoffs,” Ducasse said. Read more..

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