The Bruriah Lightning advanced to the B-League championships with a 52-24 win against Ilan. It was all a semi-final should be: coast-to-coast action, few whistles, and two teams vying for a spot in the finals against SKA.

In an all-out team endeavor, the Lightning jumped out to a 12-0 lead. Ilan did not disappoint, though, and was as active as ever, closing the gap to 14-8. Sophomore Ilana Markowitz (17 points) helped grow the lead to 11 by the half. The lead swelled to 20 in the middle of the 3rd before Ilan cut it down to 14. Seniors Shayna Rosenzweig, Shayna Schwartz, and Elana Rutner led the Lightning on defense. Freshman Talya Markowitz’s crossover on a fast break was a highlight of the evening. Juniors Elisheva Pfeiffer, Shira Alter and freshman Rina Finkelstein all contributed to the offense. Rachel Eckstein, Orit Reiter, Gila Alter, Hindy Goldberg, and Sarena Wiederkehr all saw action in the game as well. Senior Avigayil Wiener (6 points) scored the final 2 points of her career, on her home court, on a breakaway layup.

By Susan Rifkin