(Courtesy of TABC Sports) On Wednesday night, TABC hosted DRS for the varsity semifinal game. The night began with a pregame Purim shiur from TABC’s Rabbi Dovid Einhorn. After the shiur there was Chickie’s, and as the fans fueled up on food, the school began filling up. As the tip-off drew near, the gym was packed, not an empty seat in sight! DRS sent a fan bus and the energy was palpable, with both schools cheering back and forth. TABC gave out yellow rally towels and foam fingers, while most of the students wore white.

The teams were evenly matched in the first half, trading baskets back and forth, with TABC leading 26-25 at halftime. The game lived up to the hype and the TABC crowd got louder and louder as the night went on. Down 36-34 midway in the third quarter, Zevi Samet heated up and catapulted the Storm on a 12-0 run all by himself, draining four triples in a row and earning the Storm the lead. Kudos also to veteran captains Yoni Mann, Yehuda Mirwis and Ari Kaminetzky who further bolstered the team with their solid leadership. Avery Stepner contributed with big minutes while stepping in for the injured Yonatan Kaye, leading the Storm to victory with an impressive 58-46 scoreline.

As the song “Mishenichnas Adar” rang down from the bleachers, the Storm faithful charged the court in celebration. TABC now advances to the championship game where they will look to lift the trophy for the first time ever in varsity basketball. They will await the winner of the SAR Sting-Shaare Torah Stars semifinal with the location and date to be determined.