The MDY Warriors were heading into the Satran Tournament having lost their last game vs. the HAFTR Hawks and were looking to turn things around. They faced a familiar foe in the Hillel Heat in the opening match up of the tournament. The game was very slow-paced but the Warriors’ defense held its own and was the catalyst for the win. The Warriors then faced the gritty North Shore Stars on Friday morning, and managed to control the game from the tip to head into the final preliminary match-up undefeated. Next up for the Warriors was the Heschel Heat, a team they know all too well from the previous years of the tournament (2-1). The Warriors played a complete game on both ends and headed into Shabbat undefeated.

Shabbat began in HAFTR HS with all the teams meeting for tefillah. Afterwards, they ate together in the Scott Satran Arena where they heard from Ed, Scott’s father, and Robbie, Scott’s brother. They also heard divrei Torah from a representative of each team. It was truly special. Each team bonded not only with each other but with the other teams as well and it cemented both Rob’s and Eddie’s words. The players also heard from Yeshiva University head coach, Elliot Steinmetz, who spoke about making a difference as a Jew in today’s world.

The Warriors were off on Saturday night after receiving the bye, but met DRS on Sunday morning, playing a complete game on both ends of the floor. They were then set to face off against HAFTR after losing to them less than 10 days before. The game was a grind on both sides and truly brought out the best of both teams. In the end, the Warriors were able to complete their quest of becoming back-to-back Satran Tournament champions.

Thank you to HAFTR, the Satrans and all of the generous hosts for this weekend. They went above and beyond in accommodating all the teams and putting together an amazing tournament. Special thank you to HAFTR head coach, Joey Hoenig, for coordinating a wonderful, memorable weekend.

By Morris Zarif