While many teams were enjoying their winter break, the SAR Sting and Heschel Heat decided to bring some entertainment to those on vacation with an exciting conference matchup. After a team-leading 16 points off the bench in a victory against Ohr Yisroel, junior Benny Neuwirth was given the green light and granted a starting role and did not disappoint. Neuwirth began the evening on a hot start scoring the first basket of the game, which was followed up by a back and forth battle on the defensive end throughout the quarter. With the buzzer sounding shortly after a putback from SAR big man Josh Brody the scoreboard showed the Sting up by a mere four point advantage.

After trading baskets to start the quarter, SAR opened the game up with a 7-0 run. In an attempt to ice the run, Heschel’s Coach Pickman decided to call timeout and rejuvenate his players. The magic of Coach Pick began to show as the Heat created many offensive opportunities off great ball movement, but were unable to contain the Sting defensively. At the half, SAR held a comfortable 10 point lead, but Heschel was determined not to give up with plenty left to play.

The Sting came out of the half firing on all cylinders on the offensive end, while only allowing two points in the first three and a half minutes of the period. The Sting could not be stopped with countless weapons from all three levels offensively, leaving the Heat with no answer.

Going into the fourth quarter the SAR Sting held a 20 point lead and would only build on the advantage. Heschel continued to work the ball around productively, but it was not their night as shots continued to rim out. When the final buzzer sounded, the Sting left with a sense of pride after a hard fought matchup resulting in a 22 point victory with a score of 55-33. Riding a seven game winning streak, the Sting will look for continued success when they host TABC next week. For the Heat, their playoff hopes are still possible, but getting back in the win column will be essential for postseason basketball to be a reality. They hope to get back on track in their upcoming matchup against Ramaz.

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.