With the regular season winding down, many teams’ playoff fates will come down to the final game. Here’s how they did on the second-to-last weekend of the regular season.
Tommy’s Midrash Ballers 54, Project Tzitzis 53
The FM Home Loans Game of the Week (streamed live on our Facebook page) lived up to its billing yet again, as Tommy’s hands Project Tzitzis its first defeat of the year. Led by the red-hot shooting Liron Benharush. (17 points) and the always reliable Nat Assayag (15 points), the Ballers chipped away at a double-digit second half deficit and iced the game thanks to a pair of free throws from Adam Motovich. Project Tzitzis is now 4-1, while Tommy’s moves to 5-1, inching closer to a first-round bye in the Tier I playoffs.
Gold Seals 52, The Chaburah Cubs 43
This game looked like it was headed for a blowout as the Gold Seals started the game up 10-0 and were up 31-15 at the half. But Chaim Katz (17 points) and co. brought the Chaburah back, as they started the second half on a 17-8 run and eventually got within three points of the Gold Seals. Unfortunately for them, they eventually ran out of gas. Gold Seals get to an even 3-3 on the season, while The Chaburah drops to 2-4.
Lobos 46, Loketch Group 27
This battle between two league veteran teams was won easily by Lobos. The Lobos made a deep run in last year’s Tier I playoffs, and look in position to potentially repeat. They are now 3-2 with two games remaining in their regular season. The Loketch Group, meanwhile, drops to 2-4 on the season as they lost their second straight game.
All American Poly 69, Team Piaseczna 33
As mentioned in last week’s recap, All American Poly is a much better team than their record indicates. Each of these teams entered this matchup at 1-4 on the year, but the scoring margin is more indicative of the difference in skill level. All American Poly, who were led by 26 points from Ari Eisenberger and 20 from Zevi Gralla, will need to win their final regular season game and get some help to qualify for Tier I. Piaseczna was paced by 16 points from Mendy Kanofsky.
KHK/SZG Investments 64, Symphony Care Network 46
Yisroel Feld once again led all scorers, netting 28 points in the KHK/SZG Investments victory. His team moves to 5-1 on the season, hoping to secure a Tier I first-round bye. Symphony Care Network, who played more competitive than the final score indicates, is another 2-4 team that will need to win and get help to qualify for Tier I. Otherwise, they would be one of the top Tier II teams in that field.
Papa’s Fried Potatoes 48, KMK 41
The Fried Potatoes have earned their way to a Tier I bid, as they now sit at 4-2 after this impressive victory against a very good KMK team. Made free throws by Papa’s down the stretch were the difference in a close game. Reuven Glashofer of KMK led his team with 14 points. KMK now sits at 3-3 and could use a win next week to secure a Tier I spot.
Zalman’s Hot Dawgz 61, Nesiv Hatorah 43
Shalom Dershowitz (18 points) led the Hot Dawgz, as usual. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and just barely keeps their Tier I hopes alive with a 2-4 record. Nesiv (1-5) will look to get ready for the Tier II playoffs in their final game after this tough loss.
Ashreinu Holy Bagel 42, Yeshiva League Pass 37
Ashreinu pulls off the upset of the week, as these teams entered the game three games apart in the standings. Max Mayerhoff (16 points), Aaron Weinstock (13), and Ariel Solomon (10) combined to score 39 of Ashreinu’s 42 points as the Holy Bagels move to 3-3 with their huge win. Yeshiva League Pass loses a close one for the second week in a row after starting the season 5-0. Their regular season is over, as they now await to see if their 5-2 record is enough to earn them a Tier I 1st round bye.
Kol Hanearim 60, Shtark Sharks 43
After starting the season 0-3, Kol Hanearim has looked like one of the scarier teams in the league, winning their past three games by an average of nearly 20 points per game. This game was close into the second half but, led by Moshe Wasserman (26 points) and Yehuda Wrotslavsky (18), pushed the pace and ran away over the final 10 minutes. Shtark Sharks were led by 14 points apiece from Jake Goldberg and Shlomo Meisels, and they now sit at 2-4 on the season.
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