The #2-seeded Shalhevet Firehawks will face #15-seeded Katz YHS Storm in an exciting Tier 1 qualifier.
Shalhevet enters the tournament as the #2 overall seed with championship aspirations. After last year’s disappointing result in which they were knocked out by TABC 39-36 in an overtime thriller, the Firehawks and Coach Ryan Coleman hope to return to LA with some hardware to add to their already decorated trophy case. Since winning Sarachek in 2019, Shalhevet has underperformed their seed each year.
Firehawks Coach Ryan Coleman hopes to lead #2 Shalhevet back to the top of the Jewish Basketball mountain. Their first obstacle is #15 Katz in a Thursday matinee. (Photo Credit: ShalhevetBB/ Instagram)
Shalhevet had a strong regular season, highlighted by winning the Glouberman Tournament early in the year, beating their crosstown rivals YULA by a score of 61-45 in the finals. However, they later split the season series with YULA and struggled after injuries disrupted their rhythm. Shalhevet returns its core group of players from last season, led by Aiden Bitran, Sam Jacobson, and Yakov Lieberman. Bitran is their leader, a 5’7” senior guard who earned a selection to last year's First Team All-Sarachek. He is an elite scorer approaching 2,000 career points at Shalhevet, and his ability to take over games makes him the player to watch. Jacobson, a 6’3” forward, anchors the offense, doing damage in and around the post. Lieberman, a 5’8” guard, leads the team on the defensive side.
On the other side, Katz Yeshiva High School (KYHS) returns to Sarachek after a one year absence. Katz had an inconsistent season, though showed flashes of promise on the big stage at the Cooper Tournament in Memphis. The Storm got off to a hot start to their season, but injuries derailed their momentum and they cooled off. Even since coming back to full strength, they have struggled to regain their early season form.
The Storm are led by 5’10” senior guard Haim Elmakies, a quick and athletic two way player, and 6’2” forward Nathaniel Hoffman, their defensive anchor.
Shalhevet enters as the heavy favorite and aims to handle Katz with ease, but Katz is eyeing an upset to secure a spot in Tier 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Thursday in the Max Stern Athletic Center and will stream live on MacsLive as well.
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