Scholastic Roundup: Brooklyn boasts 10 champions

The NBA Finals ended with the Boston Celtics becoming the 79th champion of the association.

And MaxPreps dug into the archives to explore which state has produced the most players on championship rosters. California leads the way with 72 NBA champions, including Kawhi Leonard, Tyson Chandler, Klay Thompson and 11-time winner Bill Russell.

New York is second on the list with 44. The Empire State produced legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Power Memorial High School; and Julius Erving, Roosevelt, L.I. In the 1948 finals, Connie Simmons from Flushing High School led the Baltimore Bullets in scoring.

Brooklyn has produced no less than 10 players on championship rosters; Steve Bracey, Midwood; Billy Cunningham, Erasmus Hall; Leroy Ellis, Jefferson; Jerry Fleishman, Erasmus Hall; Donnie Forman, Boys and Girls; Red Holzman, Franklin K. Lane; Vinnie Johnson, Franklin D. Roosevelt; Jack McMahon, St. Michael’s; Jim McMillian, Jefferson; and John Salley, Canarsie.

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The 2023-24 PSAL 3A Softball Championship was a rematch of the title game from a year ago. with No. 1 seed Tottenville High School from Staten Island meeting Rockaway Park’s Scholars Academy at Columbia University’s Baker Athletic Complex last week.

It was the Seawolves from Scholars Academy who scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat Tottenville, 2-0 for the title. At the same time, they got their revenge from last year’s championship game.

After Tottenville got the first out on an infield pop-up in the top of the seventh, Charlotte Theis got things going for the Scholars with a single up-the-middle. It was their first runner on base since the fourth inning.

Lauren Dorazio smacked a double down the left-field line and Theis scored from first. giving the Seawolves a 1-0 lead. Scholars Academy would score again after a single to left center from Kiara Frias.

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Fourteen schools, including four from Brooklyn, traveled to Francis Lewis High School in Queens to compete in the PSAL…