(TABC sports) On Tuesday, February 6, the TABC varsity basketball team hosted the Ramaz Rams in a matchup that would determine which team would get home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The two teams had just met on the Upper East Side less than a week earlier, with the Storm eking out a close victory. Before the game, the TABC Athletics department honored the six graduating seniors on the team (David Bitton, Ayden Gurin, Shaya Hirsch, Yaakov Salamon, Charlie Simmons, and Eitan Sulemanoff) and presented each player with a framed picture of himself in action on the court as a parting gift.

Like the week prior, TABC got off to a hot start after the tip-off, leading 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw junior standout Eyal Kinderlehrer out due to early foul trouble and the Rams outscoring the Storm, with Ramaz taking their first lead of the game as halftime approached. Gurin then hit another three (he sunk five on the night) and Sulemanoff fed Bentzion Keiser ’25 for a quick bucket before time expired with the momentum back on TABC’s side. Kinderlehrer checked back into the game for the third quarter and what a difference it made, as he scored big buckets while being fouled to maintain a Storm lead, which was at six as the game headed into the final frame. A big highlight of the final quarter was Sulemanoff hustling down-court to block a Ramaz player on a fastbreak after TABC recklessly turned the ball over.

The Rams could not find a way back in the game with Kinderlehrer heating up down low, Dovid Saks ’25 and Yonah Mandel ’25 protecting the basketball and hitting their free throws, and the home crowd carrying them to victory. TABC won by a final score of 53-48, winning their conference for the first time in school history! Gurin and Kinderlehrer led all scorers with 15 and 13 points respectively. TABC now earns a first-round bye and awaits their next opponent based on early-round playoff results.