Already well into the season, the Ma’ayanot Varsity basketball team is still going strong and holds a solid record of five wins and five losses.

On Sunday night, the Rapids traveled to Kushner, in West Orange, to play the Cobras for the second time this season. The Rapids defeated the Cobras in the beginning of November, and hoped to do it again.

The game got off to a rocky start for Ma’ayanot and within the first few minutes the Cobras had a 10 point lead over the Rapids. Chaya Robinson scored the first 4 points for Ma’ayanot, officially putting the team on the scoreboard. The Rapids continued to play great defense and execute their offensive plays until they began to catch up to the Cobras in the middle of the 2nd quarter. For the remainder of the first half, it became a close game, each team always within a few points of the other.

Going into the second half of the game, the Rapids were up by only a few points. Determined to gain a solid lead, however, the Rapids scored 8 points in the first few minutes of the 3rd quarter. As the second half progressed, though, the Rapids lost a bit of their tremendous lead and allowed the Cobras to come within a few points of them and, at one point, tie the game. Thankfully, the Rapids did not give up and continued to play hard until they regained their lead. The Rapids won the game with a final score of 62-51.

Under the amazing guidance of their coaches Daniella Escovitz and Atara Polinsky, the team hopes to continue to thrive for the remainder of the season.

By Shana Adler