On March 19, the SAR seventh grade boys basketball team defeated Moriah in the championship for the second year in a row. On championship night, the TABC gym was filled to capacity with fans who wanted to win the championship almost as badly as the players. Many students and faculty came out to support both teams with tremendous school spirit. They cheered on the players which added great energy and enthusiasm. The gym felt alive and filled with spirit.

This season SAR went 9-1. Right from the start of the game, it was clear that SAR was not going to back down from any challenge they faced on the court. The starting lineup consisted of, Eytan Slasky, Jacob Klestzick, Yaakov Salaman, Gilad Smith and Sammy Teplitsky. In the first two minutes, Eytan Slasky scored two 3 pointers and a mid range shot, which got SAR going. Klestzick, arguably the best player in seventh grade, had several assists and was single handedly able to break the Moriah press which ultimately led us to victory. Teplitsky, significantly the tallest player in the league, couldn’t finish any layups in the first half, which made him even more determined to make his layups in the second half of play. During the second half, Teplitsky found his rhythm and impacted the victory. A newcomer on the team, Charlie Hammerman, along with Teplitsky (“the Twin Towers”) worked well together to score many layups and to get many rebounds. Salomon, as usual was a valuable player and hit some useful shots for the win. Moriah came out early with Dovey Forman’s famous press which kept the game close all the way to the end. But they were no match for SAR and Slasky, who was the MVP, had five three pointers and two mid-range shots with a total of 19 points.

SAR would like to thank their coach Matt Springer for leading them to victory two years in a row. His leadership, guidance and enthusiasm built the team into what it is today. A special shout out to TABC for hosting three championship games in one night.

By Eytan Slasky