This week’s spotlight game takes us to Ben Porat Yosef. On court number two, the Sharsheret team (wearing white) took to the court eager to rebound from a thrilling final second defeat the week before. Their opponents (in red) team www.TenaflySmiles.com had other plans in store.

Sharsheret jumped to an early lead, and found them selves up 11-7 with 23 seconds to play in the first half. Basya Lynn, of team www.TenaflySmiles.com, turned up the defensive intensity, forcing three turnovers in the final seconds. As a result of Lynn’s lockdown defense, the score was knotted 11-11 when the third period began.

Sharsheret came out of the half fired up, lead by eight of Shana Markowitz’s team high 11 points. Despite the www.TenaflySmiles.com offensive onslaught, led by Samantha Pruzansky’s 13 points, www.TenaflySmiles.com was staring at a 31-29 score with under 30 seconds to play. Lightning struck twice and the www.TenaflySmiles.com girls did the impossible, but this time it was the defensive play of Danielle Beckoff that forced two turnovers and led to two baskets. The final shot kissed off the backboard as the final buzzer sounded, giving www.TenaflySmiles.com a thrilling victory.

The Mitch Gross Basketball League commemorates Mitch Gross, a”h, while serving as a high-caliber recreational basketball program for Bergen County boys and girls in second through eighth grades and high school boys. The league focuses on teaching basketball fundamentals to players at all levels and the value of working together as a team. The league is an enthusiastic and affordable program open to residents of Bergen County including Bergenfield, Englewood, Fair Lawn, New Milford, Teaneck, Tenafly and other surrounding Bergen County towns—and also includes participants from Passaic County, Manhattan, Riverdale and Rockland County. After general expenses, all profits of the league will be donated to local charitable organizations in memory of Mitch Gross, a”h.

Registration is now open for the boys league, set to tip mid-December. https://www.mgbl.org/SignUpPart1.php. For more information about the league or to sponsor a team please email [email protected]. You can a follow us every week right here in the Jewish Link of New Jersey and on Facebook @MitchGrossBasketballLeague. We would love to print pictures of your stars, please send pictures of your MGBLers in action to [email protected]