Sleepy #1 YULA Panthers Wake up in 2nd half to Fend off Relentless #16 Mesivta Mustangs
- Yisroel Rosner
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
Seconds after tipoff, this matchup seemed destined for a classic #1 seed #16 seed routing, as YULA’s Jaden Azeroul taps the ball to Josh Pachter, who finds Yoni Holender charging the basket in stride for a swift layup and early 2-0 lead. This game, set up to be easy for the favored Panthers, turned out to be anything but, at least for the next 15 minutes.
On defense, the Mustangs swarmed the ball forcing turnovers and ill-advised shots, keeping the game low-scoring. On offense, they were crashing the board and creating good looks. Nothing was falling for either team until down 4-0, Shaked Ben David got fouled on a fall-away three-pointer, which somehow found the basket. He missed the foul shot, keeping the game at 4-3, but from that point on, Mesivta clearly believed in themselves.
The rest of the 1st quarter followed this pattern, with steals and fouls defining the majority of possessions. The first-quarter slugfest was full of momentum swings, with a long 3 from Dov Hirsch giving the Mustangs their first lead, 10-9, with less than a minute to go in the quarter. After a quick response by Azeroul who got fouled making a second-chance layup, the quarter ended with the Panthers clinging to a 12-10 lead over the Mustangs.
The second quarter continued the intensity of the first, with Mesivta and YULA trading baskets and the lead. Offensively, Mesivta first half star, Shaked, continued his run, scoring 4 consecutive points after a skillful 3-point play assist. YULA got sporadic contributions from Feldman to Yasharpour to Holender, but it felt as if Mesivta was controlling the pace, and YULA was just there for the ride, biding their time before turning on their engine. The half ended with YULA up just 23-20 against #16 seed Mesivta.
As the game entered the second half, the dominant YULA team everyone anticipated to dominate suddenly materialized in dramatic fashion. Spearheaded by Jaden Azeroul and incumbent Sarachek MVP, Alex Gabbay, the Panthers began the second half with a 14-3 run over the Mustangs, extending their lead to 37-23. They would not look back. This deficit proved too much for Mesivta to overcome.
The reigning champions and top-seeded YULA Panthers kickstarted their title defense with a 56-44 win over the #16 Mesivta Mustangs and advanced to a Tier I Quarterfinal date with Hillel. (Photo Credit: YULA Boys/IG)
The Panther’s size advantage started to inevitably wear down the smaller Mustang’s lineup in the 2nd half. Nearly every ball bouncing off the rim found its way into a YULA player's hand. Second and third chance opportunities were common occurrences for the Panthers, and though the Mustang’s defensive grit made finishing tough, YULA scored many of their buckets off these extra possessions.
The clock ran out in the 4th quarter, after a few unnecessary fouls by Mesivta, a statement of their competitive spirit, to reveal the final score: YULA- 56, Mesivta- 44.
Both teams walked off, likely proud of the outcome. For the Mustangs, they gave the titular best team in the tournament a real scare. Everyone thought the game would be a blowout; it was decidedly not. For the Panthers, they got the win they needed to propel them into the Division 1 Qualifier. Although they underperformed, this game undoubtedly gave them the jolt they needed in order to beat better teams in higher-stakes games.
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