After the astounding win against the previously undefeated SAR team in the semi-finals, the 7-8 Girls Noam Knights Basketball team achieved its first championship in a close game against Moriah earlier this week. With incredible teamwork and leadership from its coach, the Knights did what no one thought they could do: They went all the way.
The championship game started with an early lead by Noam at 4-0. Noam then got into a little foul trouble, with Moriah scoring 100% of its foul shots, tying the score at 4. Noam got a little shaky, and by the end of the first quarter had fallen behind by one point. With a little pep talk from their coach, the Knights went out and played their hardest. The score kept going back and forth, with both teams playing exceptional offense and defense. By the end of the half, Moriah led Noam by 2.
After a motivational speech from Coach Ariela Herman, the Noam Knights came back hard in the 2nd half. With Sophie Lerer and Kayla Forman’s will to drive to the basket; amazing defense by Alli Zimmerman and Avigail Kaminetsky, and the voice of Noa Berkowitz leading the players, the team really came together. With one minute and 20 seconds left, Sophie Lerer was fouled, scoring one point and tying the game. Right after, Kayla Forman scored both of her foul shots, putting Noam ahead by 2. With tight defense from all five Noam players, Moriah didn’t get a shot in for the rest of the game. Within all the excitement, Alli Zimmerman was fouled and scored one out of two shots, putting Noam ahead by 3. The whole crowd started counting down the victory from 10, and then Sophie, without even realizing it, got fouled. She shot those foul shots with a huge smile on her face, and afterwards, when the clock got to zero, everyone from Noam jumped to their feet in celebration. The whole team met in the middle of the court and congratulated all the members on the team for achieving their goal. That moment was a dream come true for the players, the coach, Principal Rabbi Hagler, and all the Noam fans.
This team is incredibly special; its members are a family on and off the court. They support each other in everything they do, and are always there for each other. When a player gets off the court, everyone is genuinely proud of them for contributing to the team.
The Shabbat before the game, the whole team got together for a “basketball Shabbaton.” The Knights graciously thank the Katz’s, the Berkowitz’s, and the Hermans for hosting 12 teenage girls over the course of Shabbat. They also express gratitude to their amazing coach, Ariela Herman, who inspired them in their championship season. Every time they went into practice, she pointed to the banner hanging in the Noam gym, and said: “Our goal is to get another one of those.” With her direction and motivation, she guided them to that goal, and helped them achieve something no one thought possible.
By Kayla Goldstein
