Sunday April 19th at a quarter past eleven, the 3rd/4th grade champions were crowned when the Meridian Capital Group faced team Citibank. All in attendance were treated to a rematch of some of the key players from last year’s second grade championship game. On this day the hoops were a little higher, the uniforms were different colors, and there were some new faces on the court. Last Season, Meridian beat Citibank by one point, giving them their only regular season loss. When they met up again, Citibank got their revenge. Shmoozie Rosen was unstoppable and helped them win the championship and took home MVP honors.
This year, Meridian Capital was writing a Cinderella story, a number nine seed, in the championship game. They were playing their first game after bouncing the heavily favored (previously undefeated) number one team, ‘Glatt Express’. Team Citibank has had another solid season, entering the big game as the number two team.
The game did not disappoint. It was a close and intense game when Meridian Capital defeated Citibank by eleven, 33-22. Meridian was led by championship game MVP Kovi Lightman, who scored a game high 13 points. Meridan Capital played great team ball, with seven players scoring. They opened up a 16-8 lead in the first half, displaying key scoring plays by Max Gollender, Roni Heumann and Jakey Heumann. Intense defensive pressure came from David London, Zev Gross and Ben Dubroff. Citibank fought back strongly in the second half, highlighted by Shmoozie Rosen and his 11 game points. Point guard J.J. Waldman’s dribble penetration allowed for Ami Dube’s and Yonah Luber’s scoring plays that brought Citibank within five points, with only two minutes to go. However, second half scoring by Noah Fischman, Jack Greenfield and Zachary Ciment put the game out of reach and gave Meridian Capital the championship.
MGBL high school registration is now open, but filling up fast. There are still spots and team sponsorships opportunities available. For more info go to mgbl.org.
