In the follow-up to the Cougars’ hard-fought win over the Storm in the championship game of the Rubinstein/Emunah Tournament on December 22, 2013, the two long-time Bergen County rivals took the court on one of the coldest nights in recent or distant memory.

The brutal weather notwithstanding, nothing was going to cool off the Cougars. After a lethargic start for Frisch that saw the Storm take a 4 point lead on two layups by sophomore G Aaron Heideman, the Cougars’ starting captains buckled down. On the back of two 3-balls by sophomore G Mayer Scharlat and 4 points each from sophomores F Andrew Langer and PG Noah Schechter, the Cougars led 14-9 after one.

The Storm battled back in the second period and the score was knotted at 20, before a lightning run launched by the Cougars’ press. With a bolt of scoring from freshman F Zack Comet, who was just back from an injury, Frisch roared ahead 28-20 at the half.

Picking up right where they left off in the first half, Langer and Scharlat helped the Cougars extend their lead in the third quarter on a series of steals and swishes that sealed the Storm’s fate before the last period even began.

By the end, every Cougar had played as Frisch closed the game out by a score of 67-45. Langer netted 17 and had 6 rebounds. Scharlat filled the stat sheet with 13 points, 5 steals, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Schechter tallied 8 points and added his customary virtuoso ball-handling and a monster block of his own. For his part, Comet poured in 9 critical points that energized the team. Sophomores Scott Levine and Captain Jon Seidel added 4 and 2 points respectively, while freshmen Eli Kern, Yisroel Solomon, and Josh Dukas dropped 5, 4, and 3 points respectively.

Frisch, now 8-0 (11-0), will meet SAR, another undefeated team, after winter break.