In a battle for first place, and as both teams are getting ready for the playoffs, the Sport Section Miracle defeated Salzman-Ashley Liberty 33-22 in a hard fought and exciting game on Feb. 10 at Cantiague gym.

The Miracle, coming off their best game of the season by scoring 45 points the week before, were ready and poised for the undefeated Liberty.

The Liberty took the early lead behind the scoring of Paige Prefer and led 13-8 at halftime. The Miracle came out strong in the second half with point guard, Tracy Sweetbaum scoring two quick baskets to cut the lead to one. The Miracle took the lead on a basket by Nicole Genchur and never looked back. This was truly a team effort as the Miracle had a balanced attack with each player contributing to the scoring. Melanie Motschwiller and Alanna Herling led the team in assists and Herling, along with Genchur and Sherry Greenberg had key rebounds down the stretch. The Miracle's swarming defense, which was anchored by Greenberg and Motschwiller, limited the Liberty to just nine second half points. Marnie Weiner and Stephanie Gould also played a big role in the Miracle's defensive effort as they each had key steals and blocked shots in the second half. Stephanie Smith and Sweetbaum led the Miracle in scoring and Smith had eight fourth quarter points to seal the victory.

In addition to Prefer contributing to the Liberty effort was Amanda Nagrotsky, Erica Goldstein, Jaime Bress and Lindsey Schnitt. Good luck to both teams the remainder of the season and in the playoffs.