It was a magical run for the 2022 Hillel Heat eighth grade boys basketball team. They completed a perfect season with a 53-50 win over SAR to win the YMSSA championship.

Hillel coaches Jackie Ashkenazi and Ed Zucker  built a foundation on sharing the basketball and playing hard nose defense. Led by captains Bruce Epstein, Leyad Teren and Abraham Tobias, the team executed the game plan perfectly.

Going into the playoffs, Hillel sharpshooters Jason Zekaria and Max Rishty were firing on all cylinders. With Sam Nasar and Maurice Chehebar filling in for key minutes, the team was ready for a playoff run.

First round, Hillel faced Kushner and were victorious with a 75-36 win at home. Leading scorers were Hillel’s Rishty, with 20 points and Kushner’s sharpshooter Smilow, with 17 points.

Second round brought a hungry group from RYNJ into Hillel. Coach Eli Wolk had RYNJ ready to play and they took a 12-11 lead after the first quarter. Hillel adjusted defense and offense and went on an amazing run the next two quarters to dominate with a score of 42-17.

Leading scorers were Teren with 17 points, Epstein with 14 points and Zekaria with 13 points. For RYNJ, Dovid Block was the leading scorer with nine points. The Hillel fans were extremely impressed with the good nature and sportsmanship of the RYNJ team and coaches.

Hillel then had the big test of playing SAR, the early season favorite to win the championship. Led by the dynamic duo of point guard Ari Halpert and big man Evan Goldberg, it was going to be a battle.

Hillel had an undefeated record up to this point but most of their games were won with a 20 point advantage and the league wondered if they could handle the pressure of a close game. The Hillel team and coaches knew this game would be different and anyone’s game to win.

Hillel and SAR both came out firing and at the end of the first quarter, it was SAR with a one point lead 15-14. The second quarter was the Halpert and Goldberg show, as they combined for all 13 points for SAR. They took a 28-24 lead into the half. Fortunately for Hillel, Tobias was all over the court on offense and defense. Multiple blocked shots on defense and 14 points, scored by Tobias at the half, kept Hillel in the game.

At halftime, Hillel had their backs to the wall. Their defense was not containing the dynamic duo and on offense, shots were not going in. All five Hillel starters got a little pep talk to boost their morale before they came back on the court.

Both teams scored 10 points back and forth in the third quarter leading to a score of 38-34, with SAR in the lead going into the final quarter. SAR struggled to have an answer for the triangle two that was placed on Halpert and Goldberg. Hillel just needed to start hitting shots.

With 3:36 left in the fourth, Hillel called timeout with SAR leading 45-39. Hillel coaches tried to rally the troops and give them the vote of confidence to open up the outside shooting.

In the next three minutes, all five starters from Hillel went on a scoring spree. Rishty hit two 3-pointers down the stretch. Tobias and Teren took two plays in a row right to the basket for layups, giving Hillel their first lead since the beginning of the first quarter. The score was 48-47, with Hillel in the lead and Hillel fans erupted in cheers.

After holding SAR on the defensive end, Hillel slowed the game down by moving the ball around. Right when defense took a breather, Epstein passed to Tobias who kicked it out to Zekaria for the biggest 3-pointer in Hillel history to make the score 51-47.

After an SAR Jonah Blechner layup and Halpert free throw cut the score to 51-50, bringing SAR within one point to tie the game, Hillel leader Epstein calmly sank his final two free throws to increase the lead by three, and bring the score to 53-50. A long heave by SAR went wide left and Hillel fans stormed the TABC court in excitement. It was the first championship win for Hillel Yeshiva eighth grade boys in the history of the school. They avenged the 33-32 loss to Moriah in 2013 with all Hillel alumni players in attendance.

Congratulations to coach Ken Gleason and the entire SAR team on a spectacular game and great season. For Hillel, it was a long awaited championship and a hard fought victory. High scorers were Goldberg 22, Halpert 20, and player of the game Tobias with 17 points. Epstein was the leader and the MVP for Hillel’s season.

Thanks to YMSSA and all the teams for a great season. Being a part of this team is about the friendships made, memories created, camaraderie, mentorship and teamwork. It is hard to win a championship but when you win, it is unforgettable.

This league should be about appreciating how lucky we are to play the game we love. We look forward to seeing this whole new crop of players dominate the high school league. Until then, we present to you, the Hillel Heat 2022 champions! The full Hillel Heat roster: Bruce Epstein (captain), Leyad Teren (captain), Abraham Tobias (captain), Shai Braun, Maurice Chehebar, Matty Hackman, David Hakim, Charlie Mamiye, Michael Mizrahi, Sam Nasar, Max Rishty, Momo Salomon, Alfonse Sutton, James Tawil, Jason Zekaria, Jackie Ashkenazi (coach) and Ed Zucker (coach).