After an unstoppable regular season, the TABC Storm entered their quarter-final matchup against the HAFTR Hawks, with the mindset of their task not even being close to completed. Their goal of victory was clear from the early minutes of the game as they jumped out to a quick 14 point lead before the Hawks saw the scoreboard show a single point in their favor. A steal and corner three in the final seconds of the first quarter gave the Storm a 17 point advantage, but with three quarters remaining in the game a comeback from the Hawks was still possible.
The Hawks’ offense caught fire early in the second quarter off clutch shooting from freshman Nate Meyer to narrow the deficit to 11 points. Unfortunately for the Hawks, this was as close as they’d come to completing a comeback as the Storm would go on a 25-1 run over the next quarter to expand their lead to a score of 52-19. In the fourth quarter the Storm put on the finishing touches to secure their birth to the semi-finals.
Later in the week the SAR Sting took on the DRS Wildcats in a playoff thriller. The Sting entered the game coming off a successful regular season and a first round home victory against the MTA Lions. Now on the road, the Sting were faced with the challenge of playing the Wildcats, who were the second seeded team in the Eastern Conference. The two teams did have one prior matchup during the annual Rubenstein Invitational Tournament where the Sting were victorious. This time around both teams had their season on the line, which set the stage for an incredible matchup.
Up until the final two minutes of the game the Wildcats held a minor advantage on the scoreboard over the Sting, but with time remaining this quickly changed. After a clutch steal, freshman guard Ari Halpert ran the length of the court and finished an acrobatic layup to minimize the Wildcat lead to only one point. On the following possession, Halpert nearly reenacted his play from the previous possession, this time diving for a loose ball then quickly getting to his feet and running the length of the court where he converted another tough layup despite much contact. This basket gave the Sting a one point lead as the time ticked to below one minute remaining in the game. After a pair of free throws from the Wildcats, Halpert struck once again to put the Sting ahead by one. A pair of free throws from sophomore guard Matteus Ellis gave the Sting their biggest lead of the night at three, but with six seconds remaining the Wildcats were not done yet. With two seconds remaining the ball was in the hands of sophomore guard Tzvi Saidi, who broke loose from the defense after a head fake and managed to put up a shot several feet beyond the 3-point line that banked in as time expired to send the game to overtime.
The excitement refused to let up in the extra period, highlighted by a jaw dropping off the backboard block by the Wildcats sophomore forward Joseph Aaron to prevent a basket for the Sting. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that would be their final highlight of the night as the Sting were the eventual victors and will advance to semi-finals.
The first semi-finals matchup is now set as the TABC Storm will host the SAR Sting. The Sting appeared to be the Storm’s greatest challenge in the regular season, being the only team the Storm beat by a single digit margin, which could lead to an exciting playoff showcase.
There are still two quarter-final matchups remaining—the Frisch Cougars face the Magen David Warriors and the North Shore Lions take on the Ramaz Rams.
Make sure to check this section weekly for all updates and the latest news from around the Yeshiva League. Also make sure to check out Yeshiva League Pass on Instagram and their website for nightly updates on varsity basketball and hockey.
Ikey Gutlove is the Jewish Link sports intern. Please contact [email protected] if you have interest in contributing to this column by providing stories and updates from any high school athletic teams.
