HAFTR hosting girls varsity tournament

The annual HAFTR Invitational Girls Varsity Tournament tips off Thursday night in Cedarhurst.

The Hawks will host Berman Hebrew Academy from Maryland, the Jewish Culture High School of Miami and Yeshiva League teams Flatbush, HANC, Ma’ayanot, North Shore Hebrew Academy and Ramaz.

Five of the teams - #5 Berman, #9 Ma’ayanot, #12 Ramaz, #14 HAFTR and #15 Flatbush - are in Jewish Hoops America’s National Top 18 released for the first time Thursday.

Each team will play three preliminary games before Shabbot to determine seeding. Quarterfinals are Saturday night, with winners going into Tier 1 and losers into Tier 2. The semifinals and finals are on Sunday.

All games will be broadcast live at https://www.youtube.com/@HAFTRAthletics

Tournament Schedule:

Thursday

7:00 - HAFTR vs Flatbush; Jewish Culture vs HANC
8:30 - Berman H.A. vs Ma’ayanot; Ramaz vs North Shore H.A.

Friday

9:00 - HAFTR vs Jewish Culture; Berman H.A. vs Ramaz
10:30 - North Shore H.A. vs Ma’ayanot; Flatbush vs HANC
12:00 - Jewish Culture vs Ramaz; HAFTR vs Berman H.A.
1:30 - HANC vs North Shore H.A.; Flatbush vs Ma’ayanot

Saturday

8:30 pm - #1 vs #8; #3 vs #6
10:00 pm - #2 vs #7; #4 vs #5

Sunday

9:00 - Tier 2 Semifinals
10:30 - Tier 1 Semifinals
12:00 - Tier 2 Final
1:30 - Championship

National Top 18 - JHA Girls rankings

It took a long time but we finally have an in-season national ranking of Jewish Hoops America girls teams and here it is.

This is still a work in progress in many ways - how many teams we rank, who ranks them, chief among the ways. For now there is a panel of coaches, ADs and girls basketball observers. It’s not yet opened up more widely until we know there’s a groundswell of people across the country paying attention to all the programs out there.

We picked 18 because that’s how many teams got votes - and its quirky and Jewish, so maybe we’ll stick with it.

National Top 18
Jewish Hoops America
Feb. 1, 2023
Games through Jan. 31

Team……………………………………………………..Record

1.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA…………………24-1
2.SKA/Hewlett,NY……………………………………12-0
3.Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON………….21-1
4.Frisch/Paramus,NJ………………………………..14-2
5.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD………………….17-4
6.Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA…………………13-7
7.Ida Crown/Skokie,IL……………………………..12-2
8.YULA/Los Angeles,CA…………………………15-12
9.Ma’ayanot/Teaneck,NJ…………………………8-4
10.Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD………14-5
11.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………….9-12
12.Ramaz/New York,NY…………………………..10-8
13.SAR/Bronx,NY………………………………………10-6
14.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY………………………..13-3
15.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY…………………………9-4
16.Yavneh/Dallas,TX………………………………..20-7
17.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL…..9-7
18.Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH………10-9

National Results - Girls - Feb. 1, 2023

MIDWEST

Villa Angelina 79 Fuchs Mizrachi 32

The Mayhem are 10-9.

CALIFORNIA

Pilibos 59 Milken 42

Wildcats are now 9-13.

YESHIVA LEAGUE

Ramaz 35 Kushner 23

Molly Hiltzik scored 10 points as the Rams (9-3; 10-8) clinched 2nd Place in the West.

SAR 58 Heschel 17

Megan Horowitz scored 31 points as the Sting (8-4; 10-6) forced a coin toss with Ma’ayanot to determine 3rd and 4th places in the West.

National Results - Boys - Feb. 1, 2023

MIDATLANTIC

Berman H.A. 78 National Christian Academy 62

Asher Falk scored 23 points, passing 1,000 for his career, to lead the #21 Cougars (17-12). Erez Epstein also had 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Alex August added 13 points.

Jewish Day School 48 St. Anselm’s 23

Ben Bass scored 18 points to lead the #15 Lions (17-5).

Mekor Chaim 56 Key 32

Dani Ocken scored 20 points and Yakov Meister had 10 to lead the #24 Cyclones (15-8).

Kohelet 65 Community Academy 44

Eli Wallace’s 16 points led five players in double figures as the Kings (11-3) won their fifth straight game. Asher Kahlon added 12 points, Gabe Pugman had 11 and Daniel Benjamini and Didi Abergel each scored 10.

NORTHEAST

Maimonides 60 South Boston 46

The #12 M-Cats (13-3) won their third straight behind Shabtai Kaplan’s 18 points, 12 from Oren Spira and 11 from Nate Weinstock.

Gann vs Cambridge of Weston

SOUTHEAST

Posnack Jewish Day 59 H.A. Miami 44

Eidan Weiss scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures for the #7 Rams (12-3). Mikal Biton added 14 points, Gabe Djamal scored 11 and Gideon Greenberg had 10.

MIDWEST

Cornerstone Christian 74 Fuchs Mizrachi 54

Netanel Jacobs scored 20 points and the #19 Mayhem (13-4) trailed by just two at halftime but they couldn’t keep up with a pair of D1 recruits in the 2nd half.

Ida Crown 71 Holy Trinity 53

The #10 Aces are 12-2.

Fasman Yeshiva 70 Morgan Park 47

David Bitton had 15 points to lead The Yeshiva (

CALIFORNIA

Pilibos 65 Milken 56

The #25 Wildcats are now 7-16.

deToledo 63 Holy Martyrs 50

Michael Galeck scored 21 points and Harel Levi and Adam Gerad added 10 each for the #16 Jaguars (20-5).

Tarbut vTorah 72 Newport Christian 54

Yonah Light had 26 points and 16 rebounds, Isaac Joelson scored 17 points and Jake Coblentz-Green added 13 for the Lions (11-7).

Del Lago 60 San Diego Jewish Academy 48

Jonathan Wang scored 11 points and Jack Silberstein had 10 for the Lions (8-12).

YESHIVA LEAGUE

North Shore H.A. 52 HAFTR 42

David Ohrbach scored 21 points and Jonah Carmili added 10 as the #3 Lions (12-0; 22-3) clinched 1st Place in the Eastern Conference. The #23 Hawks (7-6; 12-13) can’t finish higher than 5th in the East.

Heschel def MTA

The Heat are now 5-15, 3-10 in the league. The Lions drop to 3-9.

National Results - Boys - Jan. 31, 2023

MIDATLANTIC

Jewish Day School Field

Barrack H.A. vs City School

NORTHEAST

Leffell 57 CSEE 33

Joe Schanzer scored 13 points and Benjamin Fortinsky added 11 for the Lions (6-9).

Eagle 37 Golda Och 24

Roadrunners now 6-9.

CANADA

Selwyn House 54 H.A. Montreal 46

The Heat (8-2) had their 4-game win streak snapped.

JFK 53 Yavne 37

Yavne du Nord now 4-4.

SOUTHEAST

Atlanta Jewish Academy vs Galloway

MIDWEST

Columbus Torah Academy vs Ohio School for the Deaf

WEST

Daniel Academy 74 Hyman Brand H.A. 45

The Rams are now 5-5.

Denver Jewish Day 57 Front Range Baptist 50

Gavin Foonberg scored 16 points as the #18 Tigers (12-1) won their eighth straight game.

Evergreen Lutheran 86 Northwest Yeshiva HS 54

The Lions are 4-9.

CALIFORNIA

Moorpark 59 Shalhevet 43

Nathan Sellam scored 11 points and Elijah Stern added 10 for the #1 Firehawks (27-6).

Oakwood 92 YULA 62

Alez Gabay scored 13 points, Yoni Holender added 12 and Aaron Javidzad had 10 for the #4 Panthers (20-10).

Classical Academy 51 San Diego Jewish Academy 33

Jack Silberstein had 10 points for the Lions (8-11).

Drew 50 JCHS San Francisco 40

The Wolves are now 4-14.

YESHIVA LEAGUE

SAR 72 Magen David 41

The #5 Sting (11-1; 19-3) led by just three points after one quarter but a 20-1 2nd quarter all but ended it The #6 Warriors (8-3; 16-4) had their 5-game win streak snapped.