After a regular season with a plethora of excitement including upsets, buzzer beaters and highlight plays, the playoffs have arrived. The first round of the 2022 MYHSAL varsity basketball playoffs kicked off in Woodmere, where the DRS Wildcats hosted the Waterbury Wolfpack.
There are few environments more entertaining than the DRS Greenhouse during the playoffs, which proved to be the case during the playoff opener this past week. The first half started off as a low scoring affair for both teams, with most of the action coming on the defensive end of the court. The Wildcats entered the second half with a four point lead, but that minor advantage quickly transformed into an insurmountable lead. Senior forward Shuey Bernstein would go on to score 10 points in the second half alone, while also asserting his dominance in the paint on the defensive end. Bernstein’s play was completed by stellar shooting from Isaac Solomon and Ari Saffra. When the final buzzer sounded, the hometown fans stormed the court and the Wildcats were already thinking about their upcoming challenge.
Up next for the Wildcats will be a matchup with the SAR Sting. These two teams have developed a “minor rivalry” over the past few seasons, despite being in different conferences. In their lone duel this season, the Sting easily defeated the Wildcats, but this time around the Wildcats hope there us more luck in their favor
The following evening, the Ramaz Rams made the trek to Teaneck, to face the TABC Storm. In the opening minutes of the game, the Rams jumped out to an early advantage off a scoring repertoire from junior guard Eden Bracha. As the first half continued, the Rams continued to build on their lead due to the tremendous post play from one of the premier underclassmen talents in the Yeshiva League, Milan Kushner. At the half the scoreboard showed a score of 29-23, with the Rams holding a six point advantage, but the Storm were not ready to be disappointed on their homecourt.
The second half featured an entirely revamped Storm team with, not only the determination to win, but to do so in an exciting and offensive based fashion. Senior Natanel Benloulou understood the assignment enroute to his 22 point performance, including countless buckets in crunch time. Storm center Tzvi Schrieber proved to be the x-factor through his lockdown defense and offensive paint presence resulting in 16 points of his own. On the opposing end, Kushner had a game high 23 points and Bracha contributed 14 of his own, but unfortunately it was not enough as the Storm took a six point victory with a final score of 67-61.
The Storm will now be tasked with facing the Magen David Warriors. The two teams faced off in the Yeshiva League regular season finale, where the Warriors were victorious by a comfortable margin due to the play of Asher Melamid and Mark Sardar. Will the Storm be able to leave Brooklyn with their season still alive?
The next playoff matchup was indisputably the most entertaining game of the first round. The JEC Thunder were able to pull off the road upset against the Hillel Heat to continue their season. The next challenge for the Thunder will be to face the lone undefeated team in the Yeshiva League, the North Shore Lions. Not only do the Lions have exceptional regular season play on their resume, but several players from their varsity roster were a part of the junior varsity championship run last season, which proves even the younger players on the team know what to expect in playoff basketball. If the Thunder can pull off another upset in the next round to continue their Cinderella Story that would be remarkable.
The final first round battle took place between the HAFTR Hawks and Flatbush Falcons. The Hawks very quietly put together a very impressive regular season, despite having star junior, Kevin Levy, sidelined most of the season due to injury. Unfortunately this run came to an end in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Flatbush Falcons. The Falcons were led in scoring by freshman Sam Jemal’s game high 21 points, while senior Zach Hassoun contributed 18 points of his own. Their upcoming playoff matchup against the Frisch Cougars has the potential to steal the show as the most interesting matchup. Earlier in the season the Falcons defeated the Cougars by 15 points while on their homecourt. Since that early season game both teams have immensely improved. Will the Falcons be able to pull off the road playoff victory to go 2-0 on the season against the Cougars?
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.
