The last game of MGBL Championship Sunday capped a great season nine for the boys. #HustleHeartSports defeated EW Berger 52-50 in buzzer beater fashion, apropos for March Madness.
EW Berger came out very strong and took an early 21-10 lead after the first, with balanced scoring from eight different players contributing along with tough team defense, especially from big man Zachary Raykher. #HustleHeartSports was led early on by Elias Segal’s six and Gabe Shein’s four first period points. In the second period, Shein and Segal (11 points) scored quick baskets and along with a foul shot from Avi Summers were able to cut lead to six, but Shmuel Yablok’s two fast break baskets as well as a foul shot extended the EW Berger lead at the half with score of 36-22. In the third period #HustleHeartSports picked up their defense to hold EW Berger to just five points in the period. Shein started asserting himself in the third, and key 3-pointer from Aiden Polinsky (six points) helped #HustleHeartSports trim the EW Berger lead to eight at the end of the third, at 41-33.
The fourth period was one of the most exciting periods of basketball we’ve had throughout the season. Kyle Dyckman (eight points in game) hit a big 3 to cut lead to 41-36. Yablok (with team high 17 points) countered with a basket, and the teams traded foul shots before Raykher hit a turnaround jumper to increase the EW Berger lead to 46-37 with just five minutes to play. Shein scored the next four points followed by a Polinsky basket to cut lead to 46-43. Yablok and Raykher added foul shots to extend lead to 48-43. It was then that Shein really took over scoring the next five points including converting a three-point play to tie the game with just 52 seconds left. Raykher hit a key basket to put EW Berger up by two at 50-48 with thirty seconds to play. Dyckman then scored to tie the game up again with less than 15 seconds to play. With the clock winding down, Shein (game high 26 points) stole the ball near mid-court and drove to the basket as time was expiring and got off a layup just before the buzzer. The ball hung on the rim and spun around for a second before falling for the game winner. It was #HustleHeartSports first and only lead of game. Shein received MVP honors, but Gabe wasn’t the only Shein making headlines today. His father Dave became the first coach ever to win both a girls and boys championship in the same season. EW Berger’s balanced scoring included, five points each from Ephraim Sheinbein and Avrohom Rivkin, four points from Tzvi Shor, three points each from Ben Richman, Yakov Abrahams and Daniel Zupnik and two points from Sam Richman.
Not to be forgotten, in the third/fourth grade division, Clifton Pediatric Dental Care and Meridian Capital Group, LLC made it to the finals which will take place after Pesach. Congrats to both teams for making the finals.
By JLNJ Sports Staff
