Coming off a dramatic league championship in the winter Hoop Heaven season, Thunder 9 looked to repeat in the spring. They had a strong regular season, finishing 5-3 in the highest ninth grade division, and earned a #3 seed in the playoffs. They went up against a tough team, The Ivy, who had defeated them in overtime in the regular season. Unfortunately, they lost a tight game and did not advance to the finals. However, the inaugural Thunder 9 2018-2019 season was a great success with the team winning 72% of their games. More importantly, they started to gel as a team and had a great time playing with each other against strong competition. They look forward to many more seasons of successful basketball.

After taking the winter season off to study, Thunder 11 returned for the spring season well rested and with a few new players. There was an immediate infusion of energy with the addition of Nate Cukor, Jonah Rubin and Aaron Lubat to the Thunder 11 veterans. After starting the season slowly, Thunder 11 hit its stride halfway through the season and finished the regular season 5-3 and earned a #2 seed in the varsity red division going into the playoffs. They beat a tough team, Father English HS from Paterson in the semifinals with some outstanding outside shooting. They went up against the Mustangz in the finals. Despite having four players who were dunking in warmups, including a starter for Teaneck High, the Thunder was able to match up with the Mustangz with its own brand of physical play and timely shooting. The game was close throughout until the Thunder finally won 59-56 on a 3 point shot by Jon Comet with three seconds left in triple overtime. It was a dramatic moment in a terrific season.

The Thunder are a collection of all star players from local yeshivas including SAR, Frisch, Ramaz and TABC. Their motto is “compete, play hard and have a great time with your friends.” The Thunder teams will celebrate their accomplishments and plan for next season during their annual year end barbecue. Roll Thunder!