On Wednesday, December 11, Ramaz JV faced off against MTA in the Upper East Side, aiming to rebound from two narrow losses to Frisch and Hillel.

Both teams struggled offensively early on, as MTA’s 2-3 zone defense, featuring three six-footers in the starting lineup, stifled the Rams’ attack. Despite the early struggles, Ramaz capitalized on turnovers created through their strong man-to-man defense, racing out to a 10-2 lead.

MTA responded with a surge of their own, as Gabe Josse hit several difficult shots to spark an 11-2 run, giving the Lions a 13-12 lead midway through the second quarter. But just as MTA seemed to seize momentum, Ramaz regained control. Emanuel Kushner nailed a critical transition three, putting the Rams back on top. From there, it was all Ramaz.

Hank Dweck made an immediate impact off the bench, contributing five points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist after being subbed in with five minutes remaining in the first half. His spark helped fuel a dominant 18-0 run that stretched across nearly 10 minutes, giving the Rams a commanding 22-13 lead at halftime. The momentum carried into the third quarter, as Ramaz extended their advantage to 30-13.

The final score stood at 45-25 in favor of Ramaz, as the team closed out a dominant second-half performance. Noah Hiltzik led the Rams with 13 points, while Dweck finished with seven points, five rebounds and two assists off the bench. Point guard Charlie Kaplan controlled the game, tallying four assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers, while going 1/1 from the floor.

For MTA, Josse was the standout player, scoring 12 points, while Shapiro contributed sox points in the effort.

Ramaz will next travel to Teaneck to face the #2-ranked TABC Storm on Thursday, December 19, at 8:30 p.m., looking to build on this solid win.