YULA Ends Season #1

April 3, 2024

Jewish Hoops America
Final National Top 25

On the strength of a dominant overtime in the Sarachek championship game against this year’s dominant team, the YULA Panthers leapfrogged to the top of the rankings and finish the 2023-24 season as the #1 team in Jewish Hoops America.

Magen David had been #1 since the second vote of the season, won the MYHSAL championship and set a JHA record with 38 wins. But YULA, who narrowly missed a CIF sectional title and advanced to their regional playoffs, snapped the Warriors’ 24-game win streak to claim their fourth national title in the 16 years of the JHA rankings. It is the fifth straight season an LA team ended the season #1.

The Warriors got one 1st place vote, as did Rochelle Zell, which allowed the Tigers to edge out Flatbush for the #3 spot.

North Shore, which narrowly lost to Flatbush in the league semifinals, moved into the Top 5 despite an overall losing record that was the result of key early season injuries.

The biggest move in the final poll was by the DRS Wildcats, who moved up five spots to #15. The Wildcats won Tier 2 at Sarachek after playing six straight days including a play-in win over Frisch to make the tournament.

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

1.YULA/Los Angeles,CA (8)……………………………26-13…….…248…..……..3
2.Magen David/Brooklyn,NY(1) …..………..………38-3….…….240……...…..1
3.Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL(1)……………….………..23-8….……221……..…….5
4.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY………………………………….26-7………..220….……….2
5.North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY………………16-17………….195…………..7
6.TABC/Teaneck,NJ … ….………..…….…………..,……17-6….……...193…...……..9
7.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA………………… ……..26-13…………191…………..4
8.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………………….22-10…………189………….6
9.Ida Crown/Chicago,IL…………………….….…….……17-9…….…….181……..…..10
10.Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA……………………24-8………...152………….7
11.Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD…………………………….27-10…………..147………...14
12.Maimonides/Brookline,MA…………….……………26-5………….143………...10
13.Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL…………………….16-6…….…….142…………12
14.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL…………….17-11…..…..…...111………….13
15.DRS/Woodmere,NY………………………………………18-12…………..104…………20
16.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY………………………………….18-18…………..94………….15
17.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD…………………………..25-13…………..79.……..…..17
TieJewish Culture HS/Miami Beach,FL………….17-9……………..79…………..18
19.Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH…….…...………17-12….……….68.…………19
TieRamaz/New York,NY…………………………………….23-17………..…68………….16
21.deToledo/West Hills,CA………………………………….14-11……………60…………20
22.Leffell/Hartsdale,NY……………………………………….13-9…………..36………….22
23.Denver JDS/Denver,CO…………………………………19-5………….24………….24
24.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL…………………………………17-9………….22………….23
25.Frisch/Paramus,NJ …………………….…….………….….12-8.…………..19…………..24
TieSAR/Bronx,NY…………………………………………………..9-13…………...19…………..24

Others receiving votes: Tarbut vTorah, 2; Kohelet, 2; Herzliah, 1.

Previous JHA #1

2007 - YULA Panthers
2008 - Ida Crown Aces
2009 - HANC Hurricanes
2010 - Tarbut vTorah Lions
2011 - Flatbush Falcons
2012 - YULA Panthers
2013 - Shalhevet Firehawks
2014 - YULA Panthers
2015 - Frisch Cougars
2016 - DRS Wildcats
2017 - Frisch Cougars
2018 - Shalhevet Firehawks
2019 - Shalhevet Firehawks
2022 - Valley Torah Wolfpack
2023 - Valley Torah Wolfpack

Sarachek Tournament 2024: Final Day

April 2, 2024

Tier 1

Championship

YULA 69 Magen David 59 OT

After the #1 Warriors’ Moses Smeke hit a jumper just before the buzzer to send the game to overtime, Alex Gabbay scored the first 10 points of the extra frame to lead the #2 Panthers to their 9th Sarachek title.

The loss snapped a 24-game win streak for the Yeshiva League champions and marks the fifth straight Sarachek championship for a California team (Shalhevet, 2018, 2019 and Valley Torah, 2022, 2023).

Gabbay led YULA (26-13) with 22 points - including 18 in the 4th quarter and overtime - and was named Tournament MVP. Yoni Holender added 20 points and Yishai Rosenblatt scored 13. Smeke had 24 points for Magen David (38-3) and Joshua Chabbott added 11.

3rd Place -TABC 67 Flatbush 66
5th Place - Ida Crown 63 Shalhevet 53
7th Place - Beth Tfiloh 71 Maimonides 59

Tier 2

1st Place

DRS 69 HAFTR 54

The Wildcats (18-12) jumped out to an 18-point lead in the opening quarter and were never threatened in winning their fifth game in six days, including the play-in against Frisch to get into the tournament. Tier 2 MVP Joe Aaron scored 22 points and Aiden Buchbinder added 18 points. Kevin Levy paced the Hawks (18-18) with 29 points.

3rd Place - Valley Torah 66 Fuchs Mizrachi 65
5th Place - Berman H.A. 72 Ramaz 57
7th Place - H.A. Montreal 66 MTA 49

Tier 3

1st Place

Kohelet 60 Cooper Memphis 45

Tier 3 MVP Asher Kahlon scored all 17 of his points in the 1st half, Izzy Weiner scored 18 points and Chezky Levitt added 13 to lead the Kings (20-11). For the Macs, Benny Freiden had 15 points on five treys, Yosef Vanderwalde added 14 points and Jack Kampf added 13, including three straight 3-pointers to start the 2nd quarter after Cooper had fallen behind 13-2.

3rd Place - Ohr HaTorah 43 Kushner 37

Sarachek 2024: Order of Finish, Player Awards, Top Scorers

April 1, 2024

Order of Finish

1.YULA
2.Magen David
3.TABC
4.Flatbush
5.Ida Crown
6.Shalhevet
7.Beth Tfiloh
8.Maimonides
9.DRS - Tier 2 winners
10.HAFTR
11.Valley Torah
12.Fuchs Mizrachi
13.Berman H.A.
14.Ramaz
15.H.A. Montreal
16.MTA
17.Kohelet - Tier 3 winners
18.Cooper Memphis
19.Ohr HaTorah
20.Kushner

Tier 3 MVP - Asher Kahlom, Kohelet

Tier 2 MVP - Joe Aaron, DRS

2nd Team All Tournament

Joe Aaron, DRS
Michael Cohen, Beth Tfiloh
Nate Jacobs, Fuchs Mizrachi
Kevin, Levy, HAFTR
Gabriel R'bibo, Valley Torah

1st Team All Tournament

Aiden Bitran, Shalhevet
Yishai Rosenblatt, YULA
Moses Smeke, Magen David
Mark Sardar, Magen David
Jakob Wortman, Ida Crown

Tournament MVP - Alex Gabbay, YULA

High Games

37, Eyal Kinderlehrer, TABC vs Berman
34, Moshe Jacobs, Fuchs Mizrachi vs Ohr HaTorah
29, Kevin Levy, HAFTR vs DRS
27, Gabriel R'bibo, Valley Torah vs Fuchs
27, Nate Jacobs, Fuchs Mizrachi vs Ramaz
27, Shmuley Levieddin, Berman H.A. vs Ramaz
26, Yishai Rosenblatt, YULA vs Flatbush
26, Jakob Wortman, Ida Crown vs YULA
26, Gabriel R'bibo, Valley Torah vs Beth Tfiloh
25, Nate Jacobs, Fuchs Mizrachi vs Valley Torah

Top Scoring Averages

Player…………………..Team……………………..Pts…………Avg.

Nate Jacobs………..Fuchs Mizrachi…….110………..22.0
Gabriel R'bibo……..Valley Torah……….. .85….…….21.3
Michael Cohen……Beth Tfiloh…………….84………..21.0
Jakob Wortman…..Ida Crown…………. …81……..…20.3
Moshe Jacobs…….Fuchs Mizrachi……. 96………..19.2
Kevin Levy…………..HAFTR…………………….76………..19.0
Simon Alloul………..H.A. Montreal…………73………..18.3
Moses Smeke…….Magen David………….72………..18.0

Sarachek Tournament 2024: Day 4

April 1, 2024

Tier 1

Semifinals

Magen David 56 TABC 44

Joshua Chabbott scored 20 points and Moses Smeke and Mark Sardar added 15 each as the Warriors (38-2) won their 24th straight contest to reach the championship game for the third time. Charlie Simmons led the Storm (17-6) with 11 points and Ayden Gurin added 10.

YULA 68 Flatbush 57

The Falcons cut a 17-point 1st quarter deficit to 7 at the half but could get no closer, ending any Brooklyn hopes of a 6th meeting with Magen David this season. Yishai Rosenblatt led the Panthers with 26 points, Judah Robin added 17 and Alex Gabbay had 14. Solly Gadeh led Flatbush with 19 points.

Consolation

Shalhevet 48 Maimonides 41

Aiden Bitran led the Firehawks (26-12) with 17 points. Avi Schwartz scored 16 for the M-Cats (26-4) andNate Weinstock added 13.

Ida Crown 60 Beth Tfiloh 46

Jakob Wortman led the Aces with 23 points. Michael Cohen had 24 points for the Warriors.

Tier 2

Semifinals

DRS 53 Valley Torah 49

Aiden Buchbinder scored 12 points for the Wildcats (17-12), who pulled it out after squandering a 16-point 2nd half lead. Gabriel R’bibo had 16 points for the Wolfpack (23-8).

HAFTR 57 Fuchs Mizrachi 42

Kevin Levy led the Hawks (18-17) with 20 points and Peter Drukker and Sam Siri added 10 each. Nate Jacobs scored 16 points for the Mayhem (17-11) and Moshe Jacobs had 11.

Consolation

Berman H.A. 59 MTA 48

Ramaz 65 H.A. Montreal 50

The Rams (23-16) trailed by four at the half but an 11-0 start to the 3rd quarter put them in control.

Tier 3

Semifinals

Cooper Memphis 57 Kushner 55

Benny Freiden hit a corner trey at the buzzer to cap arguably the greatest comeback in Sarachek history as the Macs had started the 4th quarter down by 18 points. Yosef Vanderwalde led Cooper with 22 points and played a key role in the winning basket as he snagged an errant pass and fed Freiden, who finished with 19 points, including 16 in the 4th quarter and the last 9 for the Macs.

Kohelet 68 Ohr HaTorah 40

The Kings relied on balanced scoring with four players in double figures led by Asher Kahlon’s 19 points. Chezky Levitt added 18 points, Daniel Benjamini had 15 and Izzy Weiner scored 13.

Sarachek Tournament 2024: Day 3

March 31, 2024

Tier 2 Quarterfinals

Valley Torah 67 MTA 45

Gabriel R’Bibo scored 16 points, Eli Hayun added 15 and Ben Mahgerefteh had 10 for the Wolfpack (23-7). Doniel Baron led the Lions (4-17) with 14 points and Josh Treuhaft added 10.

HAFTR 80 H.A. Montreal 62

Noah Freundlich’s 20 points led four players in double figures for the Hawks (17-17). Kevin Levy added 18 points, Sam Siri had 16 and Peter Drukker scored 10. Simon Alloul led the Heat (7-5) with 20 points, Isaac Cons added 16 and Yacov Okayon had 15.

Fuchs Mizrachi 60 Ramaz 57

Nate Jacobs had 27 points and Moshe Jacobs added 16 to lead the Mayhem (19-11). Milan Kushner led the Rams (22-16) with 19 points and Nate Sugar had 13.

DRS 55 Berman H.A. 48

The Wildcats (16-12) rallied from 10 points down in the 2nd half to beat the Cougars (23-13) for the second straight year. Joe Aaron had 19 points for DRS and Tzvi Tsaidi scored 14. Alex August scored 23 points for Berman and Itai Rozmaryn added 10.