As the second season of the Mitch Gross High School Basketball league comes to a close, the games couldn’t be more exciting. Last Saturday night featured two intense semi-final games. Game one was a back-and-forth battle, as the 64-60 overtime score indicates. Advanced Medical Imaging EHMC took an early lead led by James Weiss, who scored 15 of his game-high 28 points in the first half. ELLKAY fought back, led by Bennett Epstein and Justin Hod, and took a 31-29 lead into halftime. Neither team gave an inch in the second half. Advanced Medical Imaging EHMC’s defensive effort was led by Rami Laifer, Ben Marans and NatanTauber and ELLKAY ‘s defense was led by Bennett Epstein, Hod, along with his brother Tyler and OriPuterman.
Advanced Medical Imaging EHMC had a late lead again led by James Weiss’s 11 second-half points and NatanTauber’s 8 points (17 in total), but Tyler Hod scored 10 of his 12 points in the half to keep the game close along with his brother Justin’s 8 second-half points that forced the game into OT. In OT, James Weiss and Jack Tauber hit three-pointers and Advanced Medical Imaging EHMC’s strong defense held off ELLKAY to advance. In the other semi-final game, Sinai Schools defeated Project Ezrah 62-58. This game was also very close throughout. At one point in the first half, Project Ezrah took an early lead, but Sinai Schools came right back and never let Project Ezrah get too comfortable in its offense.
In the second half of the game, Project Ezrah struggled from the free-throw line, which enabled Sinai Schools to stay even until ShaiKaminetzky took over. Kaminetsky scored a game high 21 points hitting several pull up jump shots, layups and a huge three late in regulation. Teammate, Jacob Shapiro (20 points), also had a big game and helped Sinai take the lead. However, Project Ezrah did not go down so easily, as Solo Shulman, who scored a team high 18 points, hit a clutch three-pointer and Michael Klein, who battled all game long down low and scored 13 points, popped out to the top of the key and hit a three pointer of his own to narrow the lead.
After a thrilling regular and post season, the championship is bound to be amazing. Mark your calendars, next Thursday night, June 20th, at City Sports, 9:15PM tip off!
