The Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach (RASG) hosted a Girls Basketball Shabbaton on February 17-21. The Ma’ayanot varsity basketball team attended with a lot of excitement and energy. This was a way to begin with a clean-slate from their discouraging season. Coming out with 100 percent aggressive and focused strategy, the Rapids gave every team a challenge. “Many coaches came up to me after the first game to compliment the girls’ playing abilities and said they expect us to do well,” said Coach Jen. The family that hosted the players said, “They were all so polite, sweet, respectful and kind. We thoroughly enjoyed having them and we were so impressed with their overall attitudes and behavior.”
There were two other competitions in which the Rapids excelled: the 3-Point Shootout and the Hot-Shot Challenge. The Hot-Shot Challenge invited the players to score as many baskets as possible in a minute, but no two consecutively from the same spot. Michal Horn and Nachama Stern made it to the final round for the semifinals; Michal had 9 3-pointers and Nachama had 8. Gabi Lerner made it to the finals with 14 points for the Hot-Shot Challenge.
The ruach of the Shabbaton brought all the teams together. The teams that participated included Ulpanot (Toronto), Fuchs, Flatbush, Hebrew Academy, CTA (Columbus), Ida Crown, Atlanta Hebrew Academy, Rochelle Zell and Ma’ayanot. Coach Jen remarked, “I have to say, I’m so impressed with the level of maturity, respect, and enthusiasm our girls displayed throughout the tournament, but especially on Shabbos. For example, there were times when the teams were encouraged to sing zemiros, and our team was an obvious leader in encouraging the other teams to follow along.”
The semifinals on Saturday night at 8 p.m. was a tough one. All the teams playing were rushing after Havdalah to change into their uniforms for the games. Ma’ayanot hustled, and got to the gym to warm up against the first seed, Flatbush. Flatbush entered the game undefeated in the tournament. The Rapids knew that if they were able to defeat Flatbush, they would face the winner of Ida Crown vs. Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach game in the finals.
Although Flatbush pressed hard, the Rapids were able to consistently break the press. Yet, the up-tempo game definitely rushed the Rapids’ strategy. At halftime the score showed Flatbush ahead 35-15. After a halftime pep-talk—that included reminders to the ladies from Ma’ayanot to play “our game” and to work on the things they could control—the girls picked up their heads and pushed past the frustration. In the third quarter, Ma’ayanot scored 16 points and Flatbush only had 15. Senior Captain, Adina Rosenberg led the Rapids’ attack with 4 foul shots and a jumper. Nachama Stern knocked down 2 3-pointers. The Flatbush lead, however, was too great and the Rapids could not make up the difference. The final score was 62-37.
The Rapids had one more game to play, against Hebrew Academy of Miami. A battle for third place and a chance for Ma’ayanot to redeem themselves after dropping their first meeting by a mere 6 points, were both at stake.
The Rapids came out on fire. In the first quarter, all the seniors started and senior Nachama Stern had 3 3-pointers and a jump shot. Adina Rosenberg also added a 3-pointer. They continued scoring with shots from the juniors for most of the second quarter; Amanda Solomon knocked down both foul shots, Racheli Zomberg scored a jump shot and Michal Horn managed a big 3-pointer. In the third quarter, the Rapids were the most successful, playing incredible defense by Tamar Segal, Sydnee Anderson and Amanda Solomon against a 5-foot-10 center. Th Rapids held the Hebrew Academy Warriors to 7 points and scored double that. By the fourth quarter, the Warriors were down 10 but were not giving up. Every foul was granting them the opportunity to go the line. Senior Chaya Robinson came in with one goal and deflected several key passes that would have given the Warriors the lead. All this helped clench a close win of 50-49.
The Rapids left the tournament with a third place finish overall, but were winners— playing with the impressive middot that the Athletic Department incorporates into every Ma’ayanot team. One example of this sportsmanship occurred in the Rapids’ game against Flatbush in the semi-finals, a very tough game. When Nachama Stern accidently knocked down an opponent while Ma’ayanot had the ball, she stopped playing and helped to pick her up and see if she was okay.
The team consisted of: captains Adina Rosenberg and Gabi Lerner; fellow seniors Nachama Stern, Sydnee Anderson, Shana Adler, Chaya Robinson; and juniors Michal Horn, Amanda Solomon, Alissa Felder, Tamar Segal, Racheli Zomberg.
By Jen Sanders and Esti Knapp
