Our panelists continued to roll on Friday. Can these Tier II teams slow us down?
Standings:
Yosef Silver (YS) 15-2
Akiva Poppers (AP) 14-3
Oren Glickman (OG) 12-3
Ari Schopf (AS) 13-4
Marvin Azrak (MA) 12-5
YS: This game will be between the full court transition offense of Montreal and the halfcourt offense for MTA. There will probably be stretches where MTA can keep it in the halfcourt and let Abenaim and Treuhaft go to work. However, I think Montreal’s handsy defense will give MTA problems and force a lot of turnovers, leading to transition points for the Heat. Isaac Cons dunks in this one as Montreal advances to Sunday. Montreal 58 MTA 52
AS: Montreal put up 91 against Maimonides, but they’ll face a much tougher defense in MTA. Josh Treuhaft and Jakey Abenaim will provide the offensive firepower to give MTA the win.
MTA 53 Montreal 43
MA: This is shaping up to be a fantastic matchup with contrasting strengths. Montreal's high-powered offense, led by Abenaim and Alloul, will be tested by MTA's disciplined defense anchored by Treuhaft and Ohayon. The key question is whether Montreal can generate enough scoring opportunities against an MTA team that slowed down a strong Berman squad despite the loss. I think they do. Montreal 68, MTA 62
AP: Treuhaft/Ohayon and Abenaim/Alloul. I think the older Lions get the better of Montreal here in a tight, fun game one. This is a very meaningful contest for both teams as each had high hopes coming into Sarachek of proving that they were a real contender in Jewish high school hoops. For Montreal, it’s a chance to do what they couldn’t last year and get into the Tier II semifinals and have a crack at tying their best finish in school history, while MTA looks to match their best finish since 2019 when they won the Tier II ship. Give me the host MTA on the road TABC floor, 63-60.
OG: It seems like we get MTA-Montreal a lot in Sarachek. Alloul and Ohayon feasted on the M-Cats while the Lions got a bye into Saturday night. I like the Canadians here in a close one. Montreal 57 MTA 51 in OT
YS: Both of these teams put in disappointing efforts on Thursday. However, now we have a battle of Chicago and rivalry games are always close. They split the season series and Fasman plays these games with a chip on their shoulder. They have a mentality that they are done being the little brother to Ida Crown and Rochelle Zell. However, I think Ida Crown prevails off of a strong game from Avi Okner. Ida Crown 58 Fasman 53
AS: A disappointing loss for Ida Crown in the Tier 1 qualifying game, but they’ll face will bounce back against Fasman. Avi Okner will have his best game of the tournament in the win.
Ida Crown 55 Fasman 41
MA: Ida Crown, led by Avi Okner, is the clear favorite, but Fasman can keep it competitive. Expect a tight, physical rivalry game where Ida Crown’s offensive edge proves decisive late.
Ida Crown 63, Fasman 59
AP: The Battle of Chicago. Neighborhood games in Sarachek are either very fun or very annoying. It’s important not to overthink such games when picking a winner. While The Yeshiva did get the better of Ida Crown when they last met, there’s a reason the Aces were the better seed. Ida Crown 49, Fasman 42.
OG: It’s always a lot of fun seeing out of town neighbors square off in Sarachek. Fasman had a nice bounce back on Friday while the Aces received a bye into Tier 2. I think Ida Crown learned from their mistakes on Thursday and will be ready to go against their crosstown rivals The Yeshiva. Ida Crown 62 Fasman 52
YS: DRS definitely did not want to be back in TABC. After going 28-3 on the year, they were stunned at the buzzer against Frisch. Mesivta has been really impressive but I think the talent discrepancy is too much to overcome. DRS 54 Mesivta 40
AS: DRS was stunned against Frisch on a buzzer beating three that sent them to tier 2. Joe Aaron and DRS will be motivated to redeem themselves. Mesivta picked up a nice win against Valley Torah but they’ll be no match for the YL champs.
DRS 50 Mesivta 36
MA: DRS is simply on another level in terms of depth, size, and skill. Mesivta’s execution is solid, but they don’t have the firepower to keep up. Even if Mesivta executes well, the motivated Wildcats defense after their heartbreaker against Frisch, will wear them down over four quarters. If Coach MoCo plays a deep bench, Mesivta might hang around, but DRS still has too much talent to lose. DRS 74, Mesivta 58
AP: Call me crazy but I think Mesivta can hang around here. They’ve proven they were not too-highly seeded and if DRS sleeps on the Mustangs they will be playing in Tier II Consolation on Sunday. There’s a huge talent gap here but I think Mesivta’s offensive execution will work against the DRS matchup zone, and their effort on defense will keep them in the game. Ultimately though, I just don’t think they have an answer for the weapons DRS poses offensively. DRS pulls away in the second half and wins, 57-45.
OG: Mesivta proved the seeding committee right by knocking off Valley Torah on Friday. Their reward? A Saturday night tilt with the YL champs. There’s no question DRS are still upset and don’t want to be playing in this game. Coach MoCo might have a little fun with this one and rotate in a lot of reserves. He will be able to get away with it against this Mustangs team. DRS 54 Mesivta 41
YS: NSHA suffered a close loss to MDY while Katz really impressed vs Shalhevet, but faltered on Friday against Fuchs. This will be all about the slow pace of NSHA vs the run and gun style of Katz. I think NSHA is able to dictate the pace and contain Katz in transition. NSHA 52 Katz 41
AS: North Shore lost a tight contest against Magen David but that loss looks a lot better now given that Magen is now in the Tier 1 semifinals. Katz played Shalhevet very tight and picked up a nice win over Fuchs. This game will be a tight low scoring affair with North Shore coming away with the win behind a big 4th quarter offensive output.
North Shore 44 Katz 39
MA: Both teams play strong defense, so expect a slower tempo. However, North Shore’s slightly more efficient offense led by Sassoon, Bokhour, and company should be the difference. North Shore 52, Katz 46
AP: Interesting matchup here. A huge indicator I look for when thinking of picking upsets in Tier II games is the disappointment the “better seed” has from their previous loss. In this case, I’m not too concerned about North Shore and I think that Sassoon and Bokhour and co. will come out playing loosely. Katz impressed against Shalhevet, but I do think they get bounced from trophy contention here. Lions win this one, 52-44.
OG: This is my favorite game of the night. Two teams that were very close to cementing their Tier I status now duke it out in Tier 2. Katz bounced back against Fuchs while North Shore had the day off. This is the second game where I am picking a team that played on Friday over another team that had a bye. I like Katz coming out on top over North Shore in a nail biter. Katz 49 North Shore 44
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