Playing short-handed, the CMEK seventh grade girls got an outstanding effort from Sydney Weinblut who finished strong at the rim all-game long to lead the team to the championship over the Cutters. The team broke-open a 10 point game at halftime when the motion offense started clicking in the second half. Eliana Tilem (Noam), the best power forward in the league, operated brilliantly from the high post as she connected with sharp-shooting wing, Paige Ratner (Yavneh) who buried four jumpers to put the game out of reach. Ayelet Motechin (Noam) controlled the paint all night long and did not allow dribble penetration. Hannah Bromberg (RYNJ) played a solid all-around game scoring and rebounding well. Sari Tager (RYNJ), one of the top athletes on the team drove to the basket hard and converted a few times in big spots. Aliza Poloner (RYNJ) played her best game on both ends of the floor by hitting a couple of shots. Eliana Pearlman and Aliza Wiederkehr (RYNJ) played steady all night and contributed to the total team effort.
In stunning fashion, the CMEK sixth grade boys, all from Moriah, defeated NR Elite and then 60 Minute Skills to win the boys sixth grade division. Shmoozie Rosen, the team’s most versatile player, was hot in all of the must win games down the stretch. And after trailing by 10 points early in the championship game, Rosen blew open what became a close game as CMEK won 66-53. Miles Grauberd, the team’s top defender, James Dyckman and Marc Eisenberger, pressured the ball relentlessly to force turnovers which lea to layups. The star of the final was center Jonathan Itzhaki, who out-played the opponent’s big man who most consider the most dominant inside player in the league. Bo Orbach was stellar all season and had 12 big points in the must-win game before the playoffs against Hoop Dreamz. Noah Fischman hit a big jumpshot late and Ethan Posy hit a big three-pointer that ignited the final run. Harry Baum was solid all-season long; his key jumper in the semifinal vs NR Elite was one of the biggest shots of the playoffs.
The CMEK grade three boys, all from RYNJ, defeated Gametime 24-20 as Jacob Gervis iced the game with two free throws in the final seconds. The team was led by Eli Wiederkehr who hit all the big shots down the stretch. He was setup by Rafi Karasick who made the key passes. Rafi also controlled the glass and led the team in rebounds. Akiva Jacoby was the team’s primary ball-handler. He hit some key shots and made great decisions all game-long. Netanel Bromberg, the team’s best athlete, was ferocious on both sides of the ball. Eitan Popowitz played big crunch time minutes and always seemed to have a knack for making a big play. Aaron Edell was solid all season scoring and rebounding. Shammai Kirschenbaum played good team basketball while his brother Yoni was a great defender. AJ Mandel is showing signs that he will develop like his big brother Coby, as he rebounded well. Jake Rubenstein and Netanel Schwartz both had solid seasons and were great team players.
