Opening night of the basketball season is always an exciting time for its players and fans, and the opening game proved to be no different. After He’Atid scored the first basket of the season, Yavneh quickly jumped out to a commanding 17-6 lead at the half. Despite the deficit, the Hurricanes refused to give up. They made their halftime adjustments and came back with a renewed sense of energy. They were able to tighten up their defense, limiting Yavneh’s scoring opportunities and slowly chipped away at the lead. With each made basket, the Hurricanes’ confidence grew, and they started to play with more urgency. As the game went on, the momentum shifted in favor of the Hurricanes and in the final minutes, they took their first lead (21-20) since the opening minutes of the game. In the final minute Nicole Pruzansky knocked down a baseline jumper to seal the win for the Hurricanes as they went on to beat Yavneh 23-22.

“I’m extremely proud of our team’s effort tonight,” said Coach Aaron Neufeld. “We had a slow start in the first half, but they stepped up and showed a lot of resilience and determination to come back and win in the second half. “

Leading the way for the Hurricanes, Atara Cooper finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds; Pruzansky recorded seven points and had five steals, while Amira Fleishmann chipped in with four points and knocked down an amazing shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter.

“It was so exciting to get the win,” Cooper said. “I’m so excited for the rest of the season.”

By Abby Cooper