As soon as Moriah (4-2) descended upon RYNJ’s (4-3) impressive new gym on January 7, the downward spiral began. Moriah’s Ethan Schechter struck early and often with six points. In response, RYNJ’s Yonah Hook and his tenacious defense gave Moriah a run for their money; he kept the score within reach. When the first quarter closed, Moriah was ahead 8-6.
After more intense play from both teams, when the half was winding down and Moriah was up by only one point, it suffered a huge blow. Six-foot-3 Gabi Katz, rolled his ankle and was ultimately carried off the court. With Katz out of the game, the Jaguars attacked the weakened the middle of the Moriah zone. At halftime, Moriah was ahead 14-12.
At the end of the game, with only 4 seconds to go in regulation and the game tied at 29, Horowitz stole the inbound’s pass and launched a fadeaway from his team bench. Surprisingly, the shot came close… but the game was headed for overtime.
RYNJ appeared on the scoreboard first when Bin-Nun hit a lone foul shot. Considered a top shooter in the league, Schechter nailed a long three-pointer, putting his squad up by two. Just as RYNJ was about to retaliate, Moriah’s Evan Solomon did what he does best, forced a RYNJ turnover, and scored a basket. Solomon’s defense was strong, but it was no match for RYNJ’s Yonatan Kaye’s clutch shooting; he responded with an offensive putback. After a Moriah free throw, Kaye sealed the deal with his game-winning jumpshot from the baseline. The final scoreboard displayed the incredibly low score, 36-35 in RYNJ’s favor.
Looking to avenge their loss to RYNJ, the crippled 8b Moriah squad was hosted by Yavneh Academy. Yavneh, playing without arguably the league’s best player, Max Zakheim, was ready to take on the Moriah squad.
Moriah’s Jake Stifelman scored the first point on a free throw. However, Yavneh swiftly responded; Danny Weinberger and his backcourt scored several baskets. After a Horowitz buzzer beater, Moriah had doubled Yavneh, 12-6.
Following a break in the first quarter, Moriah’s Lewis switched roles with Horowitz, giving Horowitz the long break. Yet, with no Katz or Horowitz on the court, Yavneh’s guards, Akiva Feit and Eitan Dukas, quickly took control of the game. Immediately, Dukas dropped all of his 8 points, including two treys. Feit was able to set up their offense and score a few baskets as well. When the buzzer rang, both teams headed towards the locker room with 18 points apiece.
The entire second half belonged to Citron and Horowitz. The ball seemed to have always been in their hands. Citron dominated down low, and finished the game with a team-high 10 points along with Weinberger’s 10. Although his team lost, Horowitz finished with a game-high 17 points; he had constantly hustled after every loose ball and rebound. Stifelman had a great defensive game, showing that he was able to fill in as Moriah’s big man.
When the game ended, Yavneh handed Moriah their second consecutive loss, with the final score 39-37.
By Zack Horowitz
