In the second week of FM Home Loans IBL action, several teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack. Meanwhile, a match-up between two teams led by league veterans went down to the wire.
Tzitzis Project 54, Ashreinu Holy Bagels 45
Led by league veterans Shragi Peretz and Chaim Krieger, Tzitzis Project got out to an early double-digit lead. That’s when Max Meyerhoff of the Holy Bagels caught fire and made this one a close game the rest of the way. Meyerhoff, who finished with 28 of his team’s 45 points, made contested jumper after contested jumper, but Peretz wisely controlled the tempo and along with contributions from his teammates, made smart plays down the stretch to win their season debut.
Loketch Group 24, The Chaburah Cubs 21
In a scrappy, low-scoring affair, Loketch gets its first win of the season. It was a strong defensive performance from both sides, and Loketch used a balance scoring attack to score just enough, with no player scoring more than seven points. The Cubs, who were led in scoring by Chaim Katz, dropped their league debut. Brighter days are ahead.
All American Poly 49, Gold Seals 46 (OT)
This thriller featured a multitude of FM Home Loans Israel Basketball league veterans, and moxie was passed back and forth between the squads. All American Poly got out to a 12-4 lead, but Chesky Lewin of Gold Seals hit a barrage of outside shots to give Gold Seals a similar lead. All American Poly made a run of their own to make it a 25-24 halftime deficit. On the final possession of regulation, Gold Seals had a chance to win it at the charity stripe with one second left, but missed both free throws. In overtime, All American Poly’s veterans showed poise by emphasizing defense and rebounding to secure a three-point win.
B-Woods 63, Shtark Sharks 36
A second half romp by the boys from Los Angeles negated a strong first half effort from Shtark Sharks. In the battle of the Meisels’, Noam led B-Woods with 22 points, while Shlomo of the Sharks had 15 of his own. The Sharks kept it close early, trailing just 19-16 at half. But B-Woods’ talent was too overwhelming en route to a 44-20 second half surge. B-Woods improves to 2-0, while Shtark Sharks are still looking to get in the win column.
Tommy’s Midrash Ballers 52, Zalman’s Hot Dawgz 44
In a game closer than the final score indicated, Tommy’s was paced by three double-digit scorers. Marc Giahn provided steady point guard play for TMB, along with 12 points, as Adam Motovich and Yitzy Kapetas chipped in 14 points apiece.Shalom Dershowitz led his team in scoring for the second consecutive game, however both performances ended with a loss. The Ballers (formerly known as Team Giahn) improved to 2-0.
Yeshiva League Pass 60, Symphony Care Network 44
Ari Kafka was the early story for YLP, as he dominated inside en route to a 28-19 halftime lead, but the story of the game was the performance of the Heller twins, who nearly outscored Symphony Care Network by themselves. Moshe Heller had 27 points, while brother Aharon had 12. “Great ball movement led to easy shots,” Moshe said after the game on his breakout scoring performance. “We didn’t need to force any shots.” Yeshiva League Pass improves to 2-0, while SCN drops their first game of the season.
