Although the season isn’t over yet, many of the teams in the league are already thinking about the playoffs. Thankfully, this year, everyone in the league was able to play the sixth grade league champion, SAR, before the playoffs, which the schedules did not allow last year. SAR had lived up to their reputation as the team to beat, until they lost at home to the Yeshivat Noam team they had beaten last year in the sixth grade championship. The Noam team felt great about achieving redemption, yet the game was tough and highly competitive, and victory is not assured the next time these two teams meet.

For playoff time, SAR and Noam are the favorites and the teams to beat in the playoffs. There are three teams looking to topple them. Moriah, the likely 5 seed with a brand new gym, is looking to play tough with their quick guards. They could easily make some noise. RPRY, the likely 4 seed with a 4-4 record battled it out all season and never gave up. They have a good all-around team which could propel them to their second straight semifinals game. In third place, RYNJ, with a strong 7-2 record, gave both Noam and SAR a run for their money during the regular season and can be expected to do the same in the playoffs. The road to the championship for RYNJ is through either Noam or SAR (or both). This will be hard but it is certainly possible.

The 2 seed SAR has a 7-1 record, with their only loss to Noam. They have two of the best big men in the league and who can help them win for a second year in a row. The 1 seed Yeshivat Noam is highly motivated to avenge last year’s championship loss and will be a formidable foe for anyone. Their strong front and backcourts and suffocating defense will likely be the key if they go all the way.

Looking forward to some good basketball in the coming months!

By Noam Kinderlehrer