The MDY Warriors faced off against the HBRA Rams in the first round of the annual Cooper Yeshiva Basketball Tournament. Although the Warriors were fairly confident they would have success in the tournament, they were going to be faced with the challenge of playing without star Albert Nsiri for a third consecutive game.

In the first half, the Warriors came out on all cylinders and took command by 46 at the half. The Warriors slowed the pace down in the second half and continued to add on to their lead. The final score was 71-12.

Jo Sultan finished with a game high 12 points on 5/6, and a monster slam, shooting in just nine minutes. Elliott Dweck added 10 points with two rebounds and two assists. Addison Brand finished with eight points for the Rams.

Next, the MDY Warriors faced off against the NSHA Stars in the quarterfinals of the tournament. They welcomed the return of Albert Nsiri back to the lineup, yet he was still playing injured. Edmond Antebi led the Warriors to an 8-6 lead after one quarter by scoring by five points.

The second quarter, both teams came out with lockdown defensive. The quarter ended with a score of 16-16, ending on a buzzer beating 3 by North Shore’s Steven Levian.

The second half began with back and forth scoring, until the Warriors converted steals into baskets, and the Stars couldn’t contain the defense. The final score was 43-31.

The Warriors faced off against the Hillel Heat in the semis of the Cooper Invitational in Memphis. The Warriors came out on a quick run but the Heat fought back. The first half went back and forth, until the warriors led by one at the half.

After the break, the Warriors took the lead early and led by 34-27 at the end of the third quarter, as Hillel was not able to get anything in the middle due to the presence of Sultan.

The Heat came storming back in the fourth. They took a one point lead going into the final four minutes and had led 40-35 with a minute and a half left. Sultan then hit a huge layup to cut the deficit to three. The Warriors got a huge defensive stop and a huge 3 by Dweck to tie the game, but were not able to beat the Heat in regulation. The first overtime was slow paced as the Warriors scored the first points with 2:30 remaining but the Heat got a key basket right back, tying the game at 42-42.

The Warriors opened the second overtime owning the foul line and led by five. The Heat hit a huge 3 to cut it to two but Teddy Cohen iced the game at the line for a final score of 49-45.

High scorer for the Warriors was Sultan with 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks, while Zach Cytryn led the Heat with 14 points.

The MDY Warriors faced off against the Shaare Torah Stars in the finals of the tournament. The Warriors started down early and were clawing back and forth with the Swaid brothers and Jackie Haber (the three leading scorers of the tournament entering the game). The Warriors were down 11-10 after one quarter.

In the second quarter, both offenses came out firing as they traded baskets back and forth. The Stars got into foul trouble and the Warriors took advantage. They pushed the pace and got to the line, creating a 34-29 lead at the half.

The second half began with Warriors defense causing turnovers, which the they converted into easy baskets. Albert Nsiri and Eli Nachmias led the Warriors on the fast break. The Warriors led 61-39 at the end of third quarter.

The Warriors put the finishing touches on the game and iced it at the line. Tournament MVP,Albert Nsiri went 12-14 from the line and helped the Warriors complete their quest as repeat champions. The final score was 68-49.

Nsiri finished with a game high 22 points and had seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

Dweck and Nachmias each had 12 points.

Freddy Louz led the Stars with 13 points.