The Murry Bergtraum Lady Blazers are walking into the city playoffs on a high note after reaching the Manhattan Borough Championship for the last three consecutive seasons and securing back-to-back titles with an inspiring 69-45 victory over the Thurgood Marshall Panthers.
Since Jeff Noel took over the program four seasons ago, the mindset surrounding the Lady Blazers has been about growth and consistency. Murry Bergtraum earned the top seed in the borough tournament this season after an undefeated season in league play and becoming division champs, a feat that has been accomplished in each of the last three seasons.
However, this season has meant even more for the Lady Blazers. It’s been the culmination of all the work the group has put in throughout their high school tenure. It’s the first class that Noel has had since they were freshman and after coming up just short of the city championship last season, falling in the semifinals, the Murry Bergtraum is hoping to go out with a bang.
Noel said the team's ability to reach three straight borough championships, but to also take a step forward each season and extend the year in the city playoffs is a sign of the growth mentality and the progression of the team’s leadership and guidance.
“The first year we were facing a lot of adversity. We were the number one seed and then we lost several players leading up to the day of the championship game. That first one was tough,” Noel said. “We were all disappointed, but coming back last year and having to put on the gas from the beginning and not letting up, we just showed our dominance all the way through.”
He said winning the first one last year felt like the team finally got over the hump but also showed them what they were capable of in the biggest games. He said heading into this season there was unfinished business after falling just short in the city playoffs, which gave them the motivation to become even more dominant.
“Although we won the borough last year, we still had a sour taste from the city playoffs,” he said. “Coming into this year, everybody just approached it with way more urgency. I just see a lot more maturity and just a lot more eagerness.”
The belief in Noel's coaching philosophy is that championships are won in the offseason so from the very beginning of the new league year, each one of the players identified what goals they wanted to achieve individually and collectively and locked in on the process.
On top of getting back to the city playoffs semifinals and advancing even further the route to do so was to become the most dominant team in Manhattan. Throughout the season, Murry Bergtraum routinely eclipsed 100 points per game while beating opponents by double digits.
The results proved the offseason work was crucial and beneficial as the Lady Blazers continued to check off their goals throughout the season.
“That was the tone that we were trying to set, but also we have shifted our focus quickly to the city championship,” Noel said. “That’s our next goal in line. It's just not a surprise that we’re here. We belong. We're not doing this for the first time. We know what it feels like to be number one. We know what it feels like to be number one and lose, we know what it feels like to be number one and win. We know what it takes.”
As the fourth seed in the city playoffs, Murry Bergtraum will have a bye in the first round and will face the winner of the No. 13 Adams St. Academy versus No. 20 Newcomers first round matchup in the next round. The second round will tip off at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Murry Bergtraum High School.
“This senior group, they've experienced a lot over the last four years. We're not fazed anymore. We're just hungry and want to go out on top,” Noel said. “This group is just super motivated to end on a winning note and this season so far has shown it.”
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