The second annual American Friends of Sderot (AFS) eighth grade yeshiva day school boys basketball tournament got underway this past week. Fourteen yeshiva day schools from the New York/New Jersey area, divided into different regions, are participating in this unique fundraising event. During the month of November each participating team will play two rounds at gyms throughout their region. The goals of the tournament, as presented at half time at each venue by Judah Rhine, director of AFS and the tournament, are to raise awareness about Sderot, raise funds for Sderot and to play competitive basketball with other eighth grade yeshiva day schools.
Opening game of the second annual Swish for Sderot basketball tournament, featured Bi-Cultural Day School visiting Manhattan Day School. MDS started off very fast and opened a large lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, MDS continued their dominance and extended their lead to 34-10 at the half. In the third quarter, Bi-Cultural put together a great run, outscoring MDS 16-8, and cut the lead down to 42-26 at the end of three. In the fourth quarter, MDS put on the pressure and pulled away to a 54-36 victory.
Leading scorer for MDS was Moshe Spirgel with 19 points. Bi-Cultural was led by Andrew Reicin with 15 points.
Moriah hosted RTMA/JEC in a local matchup. Moriah raced out to a very quick start and held a 14-5 lead after one quarter. Their running game was in excellent form and they continued their dominance holding a 30-12 halftime lead. JEC started to hit some threes to close the gap, but Moriah continued their dominance and cruised to a 69-28 victory. At the end of the third quarter, a Sderot mezuzah cover was raffled off and the Ness family walked away with a beautiful Sderot mezuzah cover made from the fragments of the Iron Dome.
Leading scorer for Moriah was Ben Haber with 14 points. Rami Rozazedeh led JEC with seven points.
HALB hosted the first doubleheader of this year’s Swish for Sderot basketball tournament at their brand new campus in Woodmere.
In the opening game between HAFTR and North Shore, both teams came out strong and HAFTR held a 12-9 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, HAFTR applied the pressure and held a 27-22 lead. The third quarter was a seesaw battle and HAFTR increased their lead to seven points. In the fourth quarter, North Shore put together a 18-7 run and came away with a thrilling 50-46 victory.
Leading scorer for North Shore was Zuckerman with 15 points. Salem led HAFTR with 20 points.
In the nightcap, HALB hosted HANC and raced out to a quick 15-2 lead. HALB maintained that advantage and led at halftime by a score of 28-14. The second half was a different story, as HANC put together a nice run and closed the gap, trailing 41- 40 with just under two minutes left. Ultimately, HALB was able to hold on with a 45-40 victory.
Leading the balanced scoring for HALB was Jaren Schiowitz with 10 points. Ari Ivry led HANC with 21 points.
During the month of the tournament, while games are being played on the courts, the participating schools have launched fundraising initiatives to raise funds for Sderot, while educating their students about the community of Sderot and the role that the Hesder Yeshiva of Sderot plays in the lives of all the residents of this special city.
For more information about the tournament including updates on games, results and teams, and to donate online, please visit www.sderot.org/basketball or email [email protected].
The standings of the tournament are based on a unique and innovative point scoring system. Below are the updated standings after four games. Remaining games are scheduled for the next few weeks, as all the schools will be playing.
Tournament Point Scoring Standings— Record T. Points
Moriah 1-0 72
HALB 1-0 67
North Shore 1-0 66
MDS 1-0 66
HAFTR 0-1 40
HANC 0-1 38
Bi-Cultural 0-1 24
JEC 0-1 17
MDY
Ramaz
RPRY
YCQ
Flatbush
Yeshiva Har Torah
AFS Launches Score 4 Sderot—The Big Game Raffle
American Friends of Sderot is proud to announce the Score 4 Sderot big game raffle. Win two tickets to the big game in Minneapolis on 2/4/18 plus round trip airfare and a one night stay in a hotel—or $10,000. Whoever sells the most raffle tickets wins a big game catered party for 25 people. For more information, please go to www.sderot.org/football.
