SARACHEK 2022: Opening Round Matchups

The Bernard “Red” Sarachek tournament is back after a two-year Covid-forced hiatus but this year’s 29th installment will be the biggest, deepest and most wide open of them all, with 24 teams, 16 who have a shot at Tier 1 glory.

There will be three tiers, each expected to be highly competitive, with 52 games, more than ever, packed into the same Thursday morning to Monday afternoon format.

Below, Jewish Hoops America takes a peek at Thursday’s opening round matchups in seed order, with game times in parentheses. Rankings in the text are from this weeks JHA National Top 25. Check back at the end of each day for results and a look ahead to the next round matchups.

#1 SAR vs #16 Berman Hebrew Academy (10:00 AM)

Remains to be seen how Sunday’s devastating loss in the MYHSAL championship game will affect the #3 Sting (15-2). Yeshiva League teams have responded both ways following championship game losses in the past: Stepping up with something to prove or wilting as if the league title was the only glory worth pursuing. The latter is doubtful for a team coached by Rafi Halpert, the only person to win at Sarachek as a coach and as a player.

But SAR shouldn’t take too long to decide. Despite the seed differential, the #17 Cougars (15-10) can make noise, with speed, strong outside shooting and team defense.

#2 Valley Torah vs #15 MTA (5:30 pm)

The #18 Lions finished the regular season strong, with an overtime loss to TABC, before a close loss to Frisch in the playoffs. But nobody won as many huge games down the stretch as JHA’s new #1, the Wolfpack (32-4), who reached a California regional final for the first time by taking down three higher seeded teams in succession. JHA leading scorer Johny Dan and Noam Mayouhas lead a potent offense that is used to playing with the shot clock.

MTA will look to slow Valley Torah’s offense down and try to capitalize on a size advantage inside that was the Lions’ bread and butter all year.

#3 TABC vs #14 Fuchs Mizrachi (4:00 PM)

The #6 Storm (17-5) bring to Sarachek one of JHA’s most balanced attacks with seven players regularly contributing to the scoresheet and a mix of strong inside play and outside shooting. They will have to contest with Ephraim Blau, a threat outside and inside, and a #22 Mayhem (15-4) team that rebounds well and can knock down the long shots.

#4 DRS vs #13 YULA (7:00 PM)

Don’t be fooled by the #23 Panthers’ 4-16 record, as they beat Milken this season and narrowly lost to Shalhevet. Sarachek’s most successful program with eight championships is trying to recapture some of that tournament magic - but will need to find the consistency this weekend that they lacked all season.

The #5 Wildcats (12-3) fell in the Yeshiva League quarterfinals after their ferocious comeback came up short against Frisch. Another team with a very balanced attack, Avrum Stein’s squad is looking to prove their four weeks at #1 in the JHA ranking was no fluke.

#5 Shalhevet vs #12 Ida Crown (8:30 PM)

The Aces are a balanced team with no stars that will have to contest with arguably the tournament’s best player in Avi Halpert. If they can bottle him up and the rest of the Firehawks don’t step up, this will be Thursday’s big upset.

#6 Frisch vs #11 Yavneh Dallas (1:00 PM)

Possibly the most talented team in the tournament, the #7 Cougars (14-7) lived up to that only one or two games this season. Led by Alex Zakheim, Ben Haber and Jonny Levine, Frisch will have to contest with the scrappy #9 Bulldogs (24-4), a well-coached squad that plays excellent defense. Yavneh has an inside-outside power of its own in Noah Ohayon and came up just short in their Texas state final.

#7 Ramaz vs #11 Magen David (11:30 AM)

Fans of the #2 Rams (18-4) and many others probably scratching their heads about the team’s low seed. But the seeding was done before they knocked off Frisch and SAR to capture the league championship this week. That leaves them with a rematch of the quarterfinal game against a feisty, never-out-of-it #11 Warriors (12-6). The Rams’ trio of Julius Rubinstein, Caleb Rosenfeld and Cy Aminzadeh are as good as any threesome in the tournament and will look to contain Magen David outstanding double-double machine Asher Melamed.

#8 Flatbush vs #9 Katz YHS (2:30 PM)

The #10 Falcons (11-10) narrowly missed reaching the league semifinals but it wasn’t for lack of trying by Irwin Azar, who torched the Storm for 39 points. They’ll need his scoring again to counter the explosiveness of Jonathan Levy, who will dictate whether the #15 Storm (can crash the Tier 1 party..

National Top 25

Jewish Hoops America
National Top 25
Week of March 21, 2022
Games through March 20

Team……………………………………………………..Record……….Votes………Prev

1.Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA(6) ……...32-4…………269…….….,,.2
2.Ramaz/New York,NY(5)……………….……..18-4……....…268…….…….5
3.SAR/Bronx,NY ………………………..……...….…15-2………..251…….…..…1
4.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA ………..…...26-9…….….241………….4
5.DRS/Lawrence,NY …………………….………12-3………..228……………3
6.TABC/Teaneck,NJ … ….………..…….……....17-5……......223……...…..6
7.Frisch/Paramus,NJ …………………….………14-7.………200……………6
8.Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL………….14-5…………..197…………..8
9.Yavneh Academy/Dallas,TX……………24-4………...…173…………..9
10.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY………………………11-10……………170..…..…..10
11.Magen David/Brooklyn,NY …..………..12-6…………….155……..…..11
12.Milken/Los Angeles,CA…………………..13-10………..…146………..….12
tieRochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL…………………18-4……….…146……...…..14
14.Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD….…13-7………..…141………..…13
15.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL……….…………10-6……….….127………….15
16.Ida Crown/Chicago,IL……………………….12-7………..….99…….….17
17.Berman HA/Rockville,MD…………………14-10……………84.….…...18
18.MTA/New York,NY………………………………9-6……………82………..19
19.Northwest Yeshiva/Mercer Island,WA..18-8……..…81………..16
20.Denver Jewish Day/Denver,CO……..17-3………..…50……….20
21.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL….11-11……………45……….21
22.Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH………15-4……………31…………23
23.YULA/Los Angeles,CA………………………4-16………...….28……….22
24.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY…………………….…9-11……………27…..……25
25.YDE/Brooklyn,NY…………………………….….9-9………...……24…….....24

Others Receiving Votes: Hillel, 20; Waterbury Yeshiva, 17; Fasman Yeshiva, 13; Southern California Yeshiva, 11; Maimonides, 7; Beren Houston, 6; Gann, 5; HA Montreal, 5; Emery Weiner, 1.

Mega RamRally spurs Ramaz to MYHSAL title

Cy Aminzadeh’s jumper in the lane with :12.7 left gave #5 Ramaz their only lead and a 29-28 comeback win over #1 SAR in the 2022 MYHSAL championship game Sunday night at Yeshiva University.

The Rams overcame 6-of-42 shooting in the first three quarters and closed the game on a 19-2 run as the Sting (15-2) went cold in the final eight minutes and saw their 13-game win streak end..

It was the eight straight win for the Rams (18-4) and gave them their first league championship since 2010. That last title was their third in six years after they ended a 40-year drought in 2005.

SAR, a relative newcomer to the league, seemingly had its first ever boys’ title in hand with 3:32 left in the 3rd quarter after a 3-pointer by Itai Berkowitz put them up 26-10. But Ramaz got a basket from Caleb Rosenfeld and a 3-pointer from their leading scorer Julius Rubinstein - his first points of the game - to get to within 11 at the end of the third. The Rams missed their first shot of the fourth but hit 7 of their last 10 shots while SAR managed just 1 of 9 shooting down the stretch.

Aminzadeh was the game MVP with 11 points. In addition to his winning basket, he connected on Ramaz’ first three field goals - 2 in the first half when Ramaz shot 2-of-28 and the opening basket of the second half to make the score 19-8. .

The Sting then went on a 7-2 run capped by Berkowitz’ trey before going cold.

Ramaz had four fouls to give in the final :12 and used two of them, including one where SAR’s Netanel Hyman thought he had hit the go ahead shot but the refs called the foul on the floor with :06.1 left. Hyman was left with only a fadeaway from 20-feet that hit the front of the rim as time ran out.

Rubinstein and Caleb Rosenfeld each scored 8 points. Hyman led the Sting with 6 points.

Both teams will play this week in the Sarachek Tournament, SAR as the top seed with an opening round game against Berman Hebrew Academy and Ramaz seeded 7th and playing Magen David.

National Results - Boys - March 15, 2022

YESHIVA LEAGUE

SAR 37 TABC 35

The #1 Sting (15-1) overcame a sluggish start to win their 13th straight game - including three over the Storm - and advance to the championship game against Ramaz. SAR never trailed in the final two quarters after closing the first half on a 12-5 run to take a 2-point lead into the locker room.

SAR had a six point lead with a minute left but TABC chipped it down to one, helped by SAR missing a pair of one-and-ones. But on the second one Josh Brody got fouled on the offensive rebound and hit one of two free throws with :07.9 left before TABC missed a 3-pointer that would have won it. Netanel Hyman and Moshe Spirgel each scored 10 points for the Sting. Netanel Benloulou led the #6 Storm (17-5) with 11 points.

Ramaz is also on a winning streak, having won seven in a row. SAR beat Ramaz 43-20 in January in their only matchup of the season, but the Rams were missing their top scorer and playmaker Julius Rubinstein.

HAFTR girls win MYHSAL championship

Ruthee Rosner scored 24 points and Megan Spivak added 15 as the HAFTR Hawks beat their Five Towns rival the SKA Sonics 49-34 in the league championship game.

The Hawks finished the season 18-3.

HAFTR led 11-2 after one quarter and 21-13 at the half . They scored the first basket of the 3rd quarter and the lead never dipped under eight after that.

The two teams tied atop the East Division this season, each losing just one league game - to each other. The Sonics (13-2) were riding a 9-game win streak into the final but struggled to contain Rosner inside. Daphna Steinmetz led them with 12 points and Simona Goldberg had 11.