The TABC Storm faced a Ramaz team who came out with surprising energy and determination, sweeping both games of a doubleheader at Ramaz.
The varsity game was intense and came down to the wire. With tensions between the Storm players and the Ramaz fans running high, TABC found themselves down in the fourth quarter, after senior captain Mo Proctor fouled out. However, senior transfer Raanan Kimmel changed that when he hit three clutch threes and a free throw to tie up the game. On the next inbound, Ramaz was called for a technical foul for trying to call a timeout when they didn’t have any left. TABC hit another free throw to give them the lead, and were able to hold onto it with a defensive stop for the win.
The JV game saw Ramaz come out strong, defending well against TABC. The Storm struggled in the first half, but thanks to a strong second quarter from starting shooting guard sophomore Jonathan Haberman, the team was able to stay in the game and went out of the first half with a slight lead. After a motivational halftime speech by Coach Oswald Cross, TABC started the second half with much more poise and success. Sophomores Yechiel Keiser and Joe Baron came off the bench and gave TABC an extra spark, especially on defense. TABC quickly pulled away from Ramaz and enjoyed a commanding lead for the rest of the second half. TABC was able to hold on to their lead in part because of sophomore captain Alex Ostrin, who dominated on the boards and from the free throw line, and finished with a team leading 18 points. This was a solid opening game for JV, but they look to improve in order to reach their full potential.
Last week the TABC Storm JV Basketball team had their home opener against the JEC Thunder. After a strong opening night the previous week at Ramaz, the Storm eagerly awaited a harder challenge against JEC in front of their home fans. TABC came out strong, going up by nine points early, but couldn’t stop JEC’s three point shooters. The Storm barely held their lead, though they stayed ahead partly because of great shooting by sophomore Avi Proctor, who hit three threes in the second quarter. TABC finished the second quarter up by three, and were disappointed with their efforts in the first half. In the second half, TABC was much stronger, especially on defense. With sophomore Jonathan Haberman on the bench with foul trouble, TABC had to rely on freshmen Yoni Mann and Amichai Citron who played well, scoring ten points apiece. Mann and sophomore Alex Ostrin played especially well in the fourth quarter, stopping JEC’s comeback bids. Ostrin would finish the game with eleven points but his biggest contribution came from his ten rebounds, as he dominated the smaller JEC players in the paint. With a final score of 54-35, this was another strong victory for the Storm, who are now 2-0 and next face Hillel at home, before a hard matchup at MTA on Saturday night, December 3.
By Eli Rifkind
