The Portledge girls' varsity basketball team dominantly clinched the PSAA Championship, storming past Lawrence Woodmere Academy with a 54-36 victory in the final game on Friday, February 14. With the home crowd behind them, the Panthers delivered an electrifying fourth-quarter performance to claim the title. Freshman guard Laila Folkes, nicknamed "The Future" by her coaches, stood out with an impressive 19-point performance—17 of which came in the second half. Despite early foul trouble, she came to life in the final quarter, scoring 10 points during a decisive 15-point streak that sealed Portledge’s victory. “We call her 'The Future' and we call her 'The Future' for a reason,” coach Kara Becker said. “She’s the future of the program. She was as nervous as she could be before the game. I talked with her before the game … and she locked in.”

 

Portledge spread the scoring across multiple players. Senior Alexis Mitas contributed 12 points, while Kennedy Abrahams and Maddy Jelloe added 11 and 10, respectively. Abrahams made an immediate impact, draining two three-pointers in the first 34 seconds to help Portledge jump to an 8-0 lead. “I felt that set the tone,” Abrahams said. “The first time we played them, we went down 20 [points] instantly. So this felt amazing. After that, I knew in my head we could do this.”Portledge led by four at the end of the first quarter and extended its advantage to 22-18 by halftime, boosted by a clutch three-pointer from Abrahams before the break. The Panthers pushed their lead to 30-18 early in the third quarter before the Tigers battled back, cutting the deficit to just one point heading into the final period. Folkes scored eight of her 10 fourth-quarter points during Portledge’s 15-0 run over the first three minutes of the final period. She made a pair of three-pointers during the stretch. The fourth-quarter run came in response to Lawrence Woodmere Academy’s 13-2 run over the final 3:50 of the third quarter, which cut Portledge’s lead to 32-31 entering the fourth. Portledge outscored Lawrence Woodmere Academy 22-5 in the final eight minutes. “Something just sparked,” Folkes said. “I felt like when we had the momentum, you couldn’t stop us. We were just going.”

 

The road to the championship wasn’t easy for the Panthers, who finished the season 17-5. They had lost to Lawrence Woodmere Academy twice during the regular season but used those setbacks as motivation for their title-winning performance. “We came after it this year,” Folkes said. “After losing in the [PSAA] championship last year and losing to Lawrence Woodmere twice, they thought they had this game easy. But we came in and defeated them.” With the PSAA title secured, Portledge focuses on the Wednesday NYSAIS Class B quarterfinals. The team is eager to continue its winning streak at the state level.

 

“This feels amazing, and it’s great to know I have three years left with this program,” Folkes said. “I’m really happy.”

 

The Panthers’ dominance this season extended beyond the PSAA Championship. Mitas led the league in scoring, averaging 24 points per game, and reached the 1,000-career-point milestone against Stony Brook School. Abrahams, averaging 13.7 points per game, ranked eighth in the PSAA standings. Coach Becker praised her team's resilience and growth over the season. “They wanted it more than anything,” Becker said. “They knew this year was our year, and I told them you have to want it for you; I can’t want it for you, and they proved it on the court.”

 

As the Panthers prepare for the next stage of their journey, one thing is clear—the future has arrived, and Portledge is just getting started.