Bruriah ended its regular season in the A-League with a win against SAR. The Lightning’s 8-4 record earned them a home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs vs. Flatbush, a rematch of last season’s first-round playoffs, also at Bruriah. Last year Flatbush emerged as the victors, so the Lightning were determined to avenge the loss. That they did with a 48-42 win in a game filled with big leads, fast-breaks, and sheer grit. Nikki Bick and Ally Orgel led the offense and Penina Abramov and Michal Hyman led the defense. With this win, Bruriah advanced to the semi-finals on the road against Ramaz.

The semi-finals lived up to the hype of all Bruriah-Ramaz competitions. The packed stands and rising energy level made the evening seem more like a championship event than a semi-final. Bruriah jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Ramaz called a quick timeout. Ramaz scored 6 straight points out of the timeout to tie the game and eventually take a 15-13 lead into the locker room at the half.

Ramaz led by 7 at the end of the third and pulled away in the middle of the fourth quarter to win 47-33. Bruriah was led by Nikki Bick and Penina Abramov on offense and Michal Hyman, Ally Orgel, and Dani Berlin on defense. Bruriah surpassed all expectations this season by advancing deep into the post-season.

The Lightning is grateful for the contributions of seniors Daphna Becker, Jennifer Gardner, and Penina Abramov and wishes them the best of everything as they embark on the next leg of their life’s journeys.

By Ilana Markowitz