 Ramaz defeated HANC last night leading from start to finish. Dani Rubin came out on fire scoring the first eight points of the game and sending HANC to an early deficit.
.The game was never in doubt. A HANC run in the third fueled by Benjy Ritholtz (20 points), cut the Ramaz lead to seven. But a buzzer beating three pointer by Gabe Schwartz at the end of third pushed the Rams lead back to ten.
Mikey Berg and Max Feldstein did their usual damage as Ramaz went onto a 57-41 win.
Heschel and Ramaz will face off for the second time this season. They met in the semifinals of the Cooper Tournament in Memphis where Heschel coasted to victory.
We will have more previews and coverage of the game as Championship Sunday draws closer.
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Dateline: Paramus New Jersey, March 17, 2010
For the second time in 3 years, the Frisch Boys JV won the right to return to the Yeshiva League JV Championship game, with an impressive 66-62 win over the talented and dangerous SAR Sting in a game played at Frisch.
Frisch had bested MAYHS and Hillel to make the JV Final 4, but now the competition got even tougher as the Cougars had to face the 9-1 Sting, winners of the North Division in the semi-final game. Frisch earned the right to host the game at Frisch with a spotless 10-0 regular season record, the best in JV play this year.
As a matter of background, Frisch had played SAR in the semi-final round of the Emunah Tournament in January. In that game, SAR did not have its high scoring power forward, Friedman. Remember that name. Even without him in the tournament game, SAR was able to forge a 19-11 half time lead, until the Cougars were able to turn on the defense in the third quarter, holding SAR to 7 points while scoring 15 of their own to tie the game at the end of 3. In that final quarter, Frisch outscored the Sting 15-12, to earn a three point victory, 41-38 in the tournament semi-final game, and a hint of things to come.
That hint was realized with the long awaited semi-final rematch for all the marbles and the opportunity to meet East Division leader, DRS in the Championship game on Sunday.
The Cougars' strategy was to focus on the killer bees, Dicker at PG and Nulman at SF. Soph Oliver Schwalbe was assigned the Nulman job out of the gate and Captain, Soph PG Jordan Hod had the Dicker responsibilities. And those two acquitted them selves admirably. Friedman started the scoring with a basket for SAR but Hod answered with a tree at the 6:50 mark and Soph SG Mike Bouaziz added a basket to give Frisch a 5-2 lead with 6:10 to play in the first quarter.
From there, Frisch worked the lead to a 13-4 bulge, and ultimately a 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, both teams scored 11 points, punctuated bu Cohen's two treys, and that effort enabled Frisch to maintain an uncomfortable 9 point lead at the half in a 29-20 contest.
In that second quarter, SAR dominated their offensive glass, getting two and three shooting opportunities after virtually each miss. That did not bode well for the second half, as a 9 point lead for a power team like SAR was a whisper.
After a spirited locker-room talk, the Cougars came out with D in their blood. Schwalbe was back on Nulman and there was no scoring until 5:33 in the 3rd quarter, when Captain Soph AY Yablonovich scored for Frisch to make the score 31-20, Frisch.
Dicker answered with a trey of his own, and from there it was back and forth. Each time SAR scored, Frisch had an answer, with huge treys by Frosh SG Judah Cohen, a spectacular drive through the paint by Hod and then, with 3 seconds to play in the third period, and a portent of things to come, Bouaziz was fouled. Bouaziz hit both, and helped Frisch extend its lead to 42-32, at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, out of desperation, SAR was forced to foul. With more than 6 minutes to play, Frisch already was in the double bonus and received 2 shots each time fouled. Bouaziz was sent to the line repeatedly and in those waning moments shot 8-8 from the foul line. Hod, as the ball handler, also went to the line 8 times in the 4th quarter, and shot 5-8. Frisch as a team shot an excellent 15-24 from the foul line in the final quarter.
With Frisch was going to the line and building up a 50-36 lead with 5:28 to play, it seemed as if the game might be over early.
But these Sting had plenty of venom left, and they began a barrage of three pointers, making 6 in the waning minutes (a negative Frisch JV record). Those three pointers, in contrasts to Frisch's made foul shots, allowed SAR to whittle the lead down. In fact, that lead went from 61-48 Frisch with 2:09 to play, to 66-62. but that was as far as SAR got, as the Cougars had built enough of as lead to withstand the onslaught from SAR to win by that 66-62 margin.
There were many heroes for Frisch in this huge win: Schwalbe for his defense of high scoring Nulman, helping to hold him to 2 first half points and 13 overall, but 11 of those in the final quarter as SAR began their desperation comeback.
Cohen was the offensive star for Frisch with a season and career high 20 points, including 5 three pointers, usually with the Sting in his face or pushing him as he shot, together with stalwart defense and 8 rebounds.
Hod was outstanding at the point, controlling the ball, earning 6 assists, and setting the tempo of the game with two treys in the first quarter that let the Sting know they were in for a tough night. Hod scored 15 points, including 5-8 from the foul line in that 4th quarter.
Bouaziz also scored 15, but the key to his points was his 10-10 foul shooting and his ability to answer SAR's 4th quarter thrusts, shot for shot, with clutch foul shots that swished smoothly through the twine, each swish a dagger in the Sting's comeback efforts.
Yablonovich had 9 points, 5 of them in that important first quarter as Frisch developed its lead and control of the game.
Soph C David Borghard dominated the glass in the second half, finishing with 10 boards to go with 5 points.
For SAR, Friedman finished with 21, including 2 treys. Nulman tallied 13, while Stenwick had 9, Dicker and Schreiber scored 8.
Frisch now moves on to face DRS (HALB) on Sunday, Championship day. Those two teams met in the Emunah tournament as well, with Frisch surprising the Wildcats, 49-26 in that contest.
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