#1 YULA Survives Scare in OT Thriller Against Relentless #8 Hillel Heat
- Tzvi Motechin
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
In one of the most thrilling games of the 2025 Red Sarachek Tournament so far, the defending champion and top-seeded YULA Panthers were pushed to the edge by a relentless #8 seed Hillel Heat squad in a Friday morning Tier I Quarterfinal. It took overtime—and a gutsy, late-game surge—but YULA ultimately pulled away to win 61–55 and keep their title defense alive.
From the opening tip, Hillel made it clear they weren’t backing down from the top seed.
Senior guard Eli Brasha led the charge, scoring 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including two three-pointers and a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. His early shot-making, combined with physical play on both ends, gave Hillel momentum and energy. The Heat’s backcourt duo of Brasha and Joey Kassin (8 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including two triples) kept the pressure on the Panthers. Bruce Epstein added 10 points and got to the free-throw line six times, while Leyed Teren chipped in 8 points and a team-high 6 rebounds. Hillel’s depth was on display too, as Abraham Tobias gave them a spark off the bench with 8 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
YULA, meanwhile, struggled to establish control early. The Panthers shot just 33% from the field and couldn’t string together a consistent offense against Hillel’s ball pressure and switching defense. Reigning Sarachek MVP Alex Gabbay had a tuff-shooting day—although finishing with 16 points on 6-of-20 from the floor and 2-of-8 from deep—but still managed to come up big in key moments. With the game tight throughout, it was junior guard Jaden Azeroul who rose to the occasion. Azeroul was fearless all game, slashing through defenders, hitting key three-pointers, and converting clutch free throws. He finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 3 triples and 7-of-10 from the line, while also grabbing 4 rebounds.
YULA also got a strong two-way performance from big man Elisha Feldman, who added 6 points and 7 rebounds, battled hard on the glass, and anchored the Panthers defensively when the game tightened.
By the end of the first quarter, YULA held just a slim 20–19 lead. Neither team had backed down, and both were trading baskets and defensive stops with playoff-level intensity.
Even that early on, you could feel it—this one would be a classic.
The game remained a tug-of-war through all four quarters. Both teams had chances to pull ahead in the final minutes of regulation. With under a minute left, Gabbay missed a tough shot in traffic, and Hillel came down the court, leading to a crazy spin move by Brasha to tie the game up. A final look by YULA led to no shot being attempted, and the score stayed locked at 53-53, sending the quarterfinal to overtime.
That’s when the Panthers—tested and experienced—finally showed their championship poise. Azeroul continued to attack, drawing contact and finishing strong. Gabbay sank a huge floater in the lane, and senior forward Josh Pachter—who finished with 7 points and 9 rebounds—came up with two massive defensive stops to help ice the game. YULA outscored Hillel 11–5 in the extra period and walked away with a hard-fought 61–55 win.
Though the Panthers got the result they wanted, the performance wasn’t as easy as they’d hoped for. YULA will move on to the Tier I Semifinals with a renewed sense of urgency, knowing they’ll need to clean things up to continue their quest for back-to-back titles. As for Hillel, they proved themselves as one of the toughest teams in the tournament. Pushing the #1 seed to overtime and battling them possession-for-possession shows just how dangerous this Heat squad is.
It wasn’t the quarterfinal anyone expected—but it was exactly what Sarachek is all about.
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