Following a crucial victory against the top-ranked TABC Storm, the MTA varsity basketball Lions had winning on their minds this week as they aspired to build on their recent success. The Lions’ winning streak continued on Wednesday, December 26, when they played against the Kushner Cobras. Although they started out slow, the Lions kept their composure and were able to fight back and force the Kushner Cobras into overtime. During overtime, the Lions displayed their tremendous free throw shooting, going a perfect seven for seven at the line and playing lockdown defense to secure the victory.

Next up, the Lions faced a familiar opponent—the Hillel Heat—on Sunday, December 30. The Lions previously defeated the Heat, which started their winning streak, and they hoped to keep it going. The Lions came out shooting the lights out, led by senior Yoni Rothberg, who showed his Stephen Curry-esque shooting capabilities in his brand new Curry 5s, draining four of the Lions seven first-half threes. In the second half, the Lions continued their offensive success and it translated on the defensive end of the court, as they held an insurmountable lead. In the final seconds of the game, the Lions unleashed their secret weapon, a talented core of juniors who will lead the team next year. Mendel Hein, Ikey Gutlove, Elie Goldberg and Tzvi Zigelstein teamed up with senior Efraim Greenberg to put the finishing touch on the Lions’ victory, with a final score of 57-41. The Lions have gone from last place in their division to a playoff team in the midst of the past few weeks and hope to continue their success in the remaining four games of the regular season.

By Ikey Gutlove (‘20)