By Zak Lenik
With teams heading down the home stretch and trying to earn postseason spots, Symphony Care Network, SINAI Schools, and Regah Ventures came up with crucial victories in the FM Home Loans Israel Basketball League.
Regah Ventures picked up momentum with a convincing victory over the Midrash Ballers 59-43. The Regah Ventures were led by a two-headed attack, with 22 points from Chaikel Schwimmer and 19 from Aaron Mizrachi. Nat Assayag Led the Midrash Ballers with an impressive 21.
Regah Ventures moved to a title-contending 4-2 on the season.
TC came out strong and never looked back, for a 52-34 defeat over YLP Shaya’s. TC Nechemia Gross led with a game-high 17. Moshe Heller’s 15 were not enough for the Shaya’s crew, who were short-handed due to injuries and covid protocol. TC proved their versatility, scoring on the break as well as in the half court, as they moved near the top in the standings with an impressive 4-2 record.
Demi-Glaze came out victorious over the short-handed Baba Sali’s, in a competitive low scoring game, 28-20. Defense was the name of the game as points were tough to come by. Demi-Glaze won with a balanced attack, and their stifling defense allowed a mere 20 points in the game.
The Aish Heat gave undefeated B-Money Cards a run for their money, keeping the outcome in doubt until the final minutes, when B-Money pulled away, 46-29. Eli Jesselson led B-Money Cards with 18, while Aish brought an effective balanced attack. B-Money Cards is now 6-0, standing alone in the number 1 spot in the standings.
Deco Gear Musketeers picked up a win in convincing fashion over the Neveh Fighters 53-21. Deco Gear had a balanced attack led by Morris Dweck with 12. Deco Gear has had perhaps the toughest strength of schedule, thus far playing against 3 of the top teams in the league. This win could spark a drive, with league insiders calling Deco Gear the top “sleeper pick” heading into the stretch run.
Cyclone Investment Group defeated the Hebrwoos in a high-scoring affair, 80-58. Even with a key injury, Cyclone once again showed their resilience and depth. Jackie Haber notched an impressive 25 to lead the Cyclones to a 4-2 record, putting them within reach of a coveted seed in the playoffs. Alex Pearl led the Hebrwoos with 18.
Sinai Schools improved to 4-2 with a convincing win over the Underdogs 48-33. Yonah Tarzik led the balanced attack with 14. The Underdogs are making their name prophetic, as they set the table for a potential Cinderella story. David Cohen led all scorers, coming up with well over half of his team's points, for a game-high 20. Sinai Schools are another team putting themselves in the contender category.
In the marquee matchup of the weekend the undefeated Tubi Titans faced Symphony Care Network. The game was livestreamed to an international audience, and it did not disappoint, with the teams creating a series of highlight-reel plays, and the result going down to the wire. Symphony Care used an impenetrable perimeter defense to stymie the potent Titans attack, opening up a ten-point lead at the half, led by Tzvi Winter’s 13 points.
The Titans came storming back in the second frame, thanks to an ingenious adjustment by coach Gabe Berman, who sent big man Elie Igbui to set effective high screens, creating a sliver of daylight for guard Jojo Velensky. Velensky scored 14 points of his own, and fed Steven Levian on the outside, and a slicing Zach Brown cutting to the hoop for clutch buckets, to give the Titans a 3 point lead with 4 minutes left in the game. But with the clock winding down, Symphony rallied to retake the lead, and kept their cool to ice the game from the free-throw line, for the 44-39 win.
The Vikings Snagged a big victory over the Big Ballers 57-36. Ethan Thurm led the Vikings with a presence in the paint, racking up 15 points. The Vikings improve to 4-2, putting them in the running to secure a high seed in the playoffs. Ikey Yadid paced the Big Ballers with 13 with some shots from way downtown.
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