RYNJ Jaguars seventh-eighth grade girls basketball had another season to remember in 2019-2020, finishing with a 9-2 record. Led by captains Nechama Adler and Miri Hochberg, head coach Shaina Gross and assistant coach Barbra Solomon could not be more proud of what the team accomplished this season. With only five returning players from last year’s strong run, a majority of the Jaguars girls basketball roster had not yet played for RYNJ. The team was a mix of fast, good ball-handler guards with some strong, tall defensive players. The two main centers on the RYNJ Jaguars were Ayelet Eizokovitz (aka “Zeke” among her teammates) and Shevie Coates. Each center contributed strong rebounds offensively and defensively throughout the season.
Basya Lynn scored 10 points in the championship game and really stood out on the court, giving 110% on offence and defence. Our season opened up on the road at YCQ. In this game, Hochberg was the lead scorer with 10 points. In the third game of the season, RYNJ played YDE. Adler scored 12 points, however this was not her highest score of the season. In the team’s second to last game, Adler put 18 points on the board. Tali Pfeiffer followed Adler, who in just the first quarter put up eight points. This write-up would not be complete without mentioning Shana Markowitz. She was one of the team’s most aggressive players on defense and has a fantastic 3-point shot that was clutch throughout the season. Markowitz was the lead scorer in the team’s game against Shulamit Long Island where she put up a total of 14 points. Another very notable seventh grader on the team is Shira Aschkenasy. Aschkenasy can play any position, but when she gets a fast break or steals the ball watch out! In the final game of the regular season, Aschkenasy scored a total of 10 points for the second time this year.
It is noteworthy to mention RYNJ participated in and hosted the Yasher Lechayil Tournament at the beginning of the season and played MDY in the championship. The tournament was a nice preview to the season and we knew we would be seeing Magen David Yeshiva again as our biggest competition. RYNJ won the championship and tournament. “This team was an absolute pleasure to coach, they worked well and hard together all season, many improved their basketball skills, they had great chemistry and will always be winners in (our) eyes,” said Gross. “They really were one collective unit who showed their love for the game and playing it together. I am so very proud of them.”
The team consisted of the following 13 players: Nechama Adler #55, Shira Aschkenasy #04, Shevie Coates #15, Ayelet Eizikovitz #30, Elisheva Finkelstein #25, Adina Friedman # 03, Baila Gopin #44, Miri Hochberg #11, Basya Lynn #22, Shana Markowitz #05, Dova Moskowitz #02, Tali Pfeiffer, Tali #54, and Adira Shor.
By Dan Sanacore
