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Playoffs Are Set! Dramatic Finish to Regular Season

2/25/2019

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by Ilan Katz

The battle for top seed in Tier I came down to the final game of the regular season, when two first-place teams hashed it out. Lobos and A. Rafi & Tommy's put on perhaps the game of the year which came down to a buzzer-beater. And one team won its final three games to sneak into Tier I.

FM Home Loans Game of the Week

Lobos 54, A. Rafi & Tommy’s 53 (OT)
The final Game of the Week of the regular season just may turn out to be dubbed the game of the year. This game had all the drama one could ask for, and then some.

A. Rafi & Tommy’s used its energy and 15 first half points from Adam Motovich to build a lead as large as 10, but Lobos erased that and took its first lead early in the second half.

Though he had help, the star in this one was Lobos guard Elisha Rudman. Never one to seek the spotlight, Rudman was excellent in every possible regard. Always sought out his teammates for open looks, but would take advantage if he saw a good look himself. He was all over the glass on both ends, and effectively shut down Motovich in the second half with great defense.

The drama in the final minute was so intense that a detailed summary feels necessary.

With 33 seconds remaining in regulation, Moche Levy had a key steal and layup to give AR&T a four-point lead. With 14 seconds to go, Yitzy Kessler hit a 3 for his first points off the bench, filling in for big man Shuli Katz who had fouled out. After AR&T missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Lobos called timeout, then Chaim Hirsch had a clutch bucket while getting fouled and made the free throw to give Lobos a late two-point lead. AR&T then turned it over but Lobos couldn’t capitalize after being fouled, and Adam Motovich was fouled after grabbing the rebound with six seconds left. Motovich made the clutch free throws, but a lane violation was called after the second, so AR&T still trailed by one. Hirsch then made one of two free throws, and Nethanel Assayag of AR&T was fouled on the drive by Hirsch, who fouled out on the play, meaning Lobos would have to close shorthanded as they were down to four active players. Assayag coolly knocked down both to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period, AR&T was unable to take advantage of the “powerplay” to pull away. Kessler came up clutch again, making a late 3, and after Motovich made two more clutch free throws to regain the lead, the stage was set for Rudman to shine. With under three seconds to play, Rudman caught the ball on the perimeter, waited for Motovich to fly by, took two dribbles to his left, pump-faked to let another defender soar past him, and knocked down a shot at the buzzer to win it.

Lobos earn the #5 Tier I seed and will take on Bad Boys next weekend. A. Rafi & Tommy’s settle at #6, and will look to shake off this loss against red-hot Power Mishna in the opening round of Tier I.

TC 56, Gold Seals 42
Gold Seals’ losing streak continued as they were unable to get anything going offensively against TC’s stingy defense. On offense, TC found high-percentage shots inside the arc, cruising to an easy victory, securing the #1 overall seed along the way with Sy Savages’ loss to Cross River Mooseheads. TC will earn a first-round bye in Tier I, while Gold Seals will battle Pittsburgh Strong in the same tier next weekend.

Team Piaceczna’s 48, Rap City 42
Team Piaceczna’s came in riding a hot streak, and they need it to continue for any chance at a Tier I playoff berth. It did, and the young men from Yeshivat Torah V’Avodah went to work early and often, staving off a late Rap City push to hang on for the win. Rap City will have to settle as the top seed in Tier II.

Team Piaceczna’s 46, Pittsburgh Strong 41
In their 5th game in three weeks, Team Piaceczna’s gritted out a win by hitting key free throws down the stretch to secure a spot in Tier I. They won three of those five, including two must-wins this weekend. Team Piaceczna’s will face Sharsheret Shaalvim in a first-round Tier I matchup, who defeated them in their first game of the season. Pittsburgh Strong will take on Gold Seals.

Cross River Mooseheads 52, Sy Savages 28
The Mooseheads have quietly put together the most impressive resume in the league, as they finish the regular season with a single loss, to fellow one-loss team TC (by two points, in overtime). They dismantled what was previously regarded as the league’s hottest team, holding them to their season-low scoring total. Each of these teams will earn a Tier I first-round bye, with Cross River earning the #2 overall seed, Sy Savages #3.

Aliyah Glory 52, Ashreinu Holy Bagels 41
The role of spoiler was played by Aliyah Glory, as they utilized late season additions to stun the Holy Bagels and doom them to Tier II. Ashreinu will have a bye as the #2 seed in Tier II, while Aliyah Glory will take on The Loketch Group in a first round matchup.
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Cross River Mooseheads Stay Hot, Power Mishna Makes Late Playoff Push

2/18/2019

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by Ilan Katz
​
Week 8 Recap

The Cross River Mooseheads turned up the heat in our Game of the Week, joining idle Sy Savages and TC for a three-way tie in first place with one week left in the regular season. Meanwhile, Power Mishna used a double-dose of opportunities to make an unlikely push into Tier I contention.

FM Home Loans Game of the Week

Cross River Mooseheads 50, Gold Seals 35
The Mooseheads’ second appearance in the Game of the Week went much better than the first. In the first ever FM Home Loans game of the week (broadcast on our Facebook page), the Mooseheads blew a second half lead to rival TC, losing by a measly two points in overtime in what remains their only blemish on the season. Week 8’s win over Gold Seals continued their winning ways.

This game was very much a game of runs. Cross River opened the game with five straight points from point guard Shragi Peretz, but the Gold Seals countered with an 8-0 run. Following a timeout, the Mooseheads closed the half on a dominant 23-2 run, including four 3-pointers from 6th man Simcha Menlo. The Gold Seals’ dynamic duo of Eli Gruenberg and Yoni Bobker couldn’t get thing going, as the Gold Seals missed all 11 3-pointers attempted en route to a 32-15 halftime deficit.

Whatever the Gold Seals discussed at halftime seemed to be effective immediately, as they started the second half on a 14-2 run of their own, cutting the deficit to just five. But that would be as close as they’d get, as a 10-0 Cross River run essentially put the game on ice.

The Mooseheads used incredible efficiency from the three-headed monster of Menlo, Chaim Krieger, and Peretz, who had 22, 15, and 11 points, respectively, making up 96% of the team’s scoring. Peretz has been solid all season, and chipped in nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals in an all-around effort. The Mooseheads will likely earn a first round bye in Tier I.

Gruenberg has led the Gold Seals in scoring all year, and today was no exception, as he led them with 13 points. Captain Yoni Bobker is the ultimate glue guy, and chipped in eight rebounds and five steals. The Gold Seals have concluded their regular season and await their Tier I opponent.

A. Rafi and Tommy’s 48, Team Piacecna’s 33
Adam Motovich exploded for 30 points as A. Rafi and Tommy’s won their third consecutive game. Team Piaceczna’s fought as hard as they could, and they are battling for one of the final Tier I playoff spots, but they couldn’t keep Izzy Miller off the glass. AR&T still has a chance at a first round bye, depending on the results of the upcoming final weekend of the regular season.

Loketch Group 42, Invaders 40
The Loketch Group started off the game red-hot, jumping out to a 26-6 first half lead. But the Invaders intruded on the Loketch Group’s comfort, going on a 30-11 run of their own, but coming up just short. Loketch Group keeps its Tier I hopes alive, with Invaders likely relegated to Tier II.

Shraga 59, Bad Boys 40
It was a tough weekend for Bad Boys, as this was the first of their two losses. Shraga showed little mercy as they took out their frustration from last week’s performance on Zak Lenik and his Boys. Shraga ends their season in position to earn a first round bye, contingent on next week’s results.

Power Mishna 50, Bad Boys 39
Bad Boys entered the weekend one game above .500, and they leave it one game below, ending their regular season. While they will still have a shot at qualifying for Tier I, Power Mishna needed wins in the worst way, which they got by containing Bad Boys’ guards and scoring in transition.

Power Mishna 47, Falafel Ballers 38
The two huge wins for Power Mishna snapped a four game losing streak and has them right on the bubble. Whether they qualify for Tier I of the playoffs will depend on other teams’ results next week, plus a whole lot of complex tiebreakers.

Stay tuned!

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TC and Sy Savages Win Top-Tier Matchups to Claim First Place

2/11/2019

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by Ilan Katz

Week 7 Recap
The four first-place teams matched up with one another, cutting the number of teams with the top record in half. Elsewhere, Cross River Mooseheads continue to look elite, while Bad Boys looked to take advantage of two games on the weekend.

FM Home Loans Game of the Week
TC 54, Shraga 45
If the beginning was foreshadowing of what was to come, things weren’t looking good for TC. after winning the tip, they turned it over mere seconds later. Then Shraga guard Max Leibowitz hit a signature pull-up 3, followed by another turnover by TC on their second possession. As the players got more comfortable, TC was able to run great offense and neutralize Shraga’s star to bounce back from last week’s first defeat on the season and win.

​Shraga used a 2-3 zone, possibly as a result of seeing how Sy Savages stymied TC in last week’s contest. But this time TC adjusted flawlessly. Point guard Tai Gerszberg did an excellent job running the show. A common sight was him finding either one of the Buchbinder twins in the high post, who just as often found a cutter for an easy layup. TC also dominated on the offensive glass, despite missing each of its top two big men (in addition to starting guard Zevi Gralla). Shraga themselves were without two key players, as Dovie Marcus and Josh Dukas (who had 29 points combined last week) missed this one.

On the other end, Max Leibowitz could never completely get into a rhythm, mostly due to excellent shutdown defense from Gerszberg. TC did an excellent job as a whole at getting back in transition, preventing those easy looks that Shraga usually finds.

Rap City 63, Invaders 48
It’s been a tough stretch for Rap City, who came in having lost three straight, but they bounced back in a big way with this 15-point victory. Nochum Paltiel was huge for the young men from Rap, as he finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Roy Tal led all scorers with 21 points, including five made 3s. Invaders couldn’t build off their dramatic Week 6 win, unable to cool down Rap City’s hot shooting.

Cross River Mooseheads 61, Sharsheret Shaalvim 54
The Mooseheads had to spend the final ten minutes shorthanded, as one of their five players fouled out with no reserves available, but they were able to fend off a late Sharsheret push. Shaalvim loses their second consecutive close game against top competition. The Mooseheads are now 4-1, with their lone defeat coming at the hands of rival TC by two, in overtime.

Sy Savages 45, Gold Seals 32
Sy Savages clearly get their name from their defense, as it stuns a first-place team for the second consecutive week. They started the game on a 10-0 run and Gold Seals was unable to consistently break through the Savages trademark 2-3 zone. Savages made clutch free throws down the stretch to thwart any hope for a Gold Seals comeback.

Lobos 63, Power Mishna 48
The matchup of two middling teams coming off losses was controlled from start to finish by the Lobos, who used a balanced scoring attack to get back in the win column. All five Lobos players had between 8 and 16 points (Ben Hamer had 16, Elisha Rudman and Sholi Katz had 15 apiece). Power Mishna generally has great length, but couldn’t use it to keep the Lobos off the glass.

Bad Boys 61, Team Piaceczna’s 48
Zak Lenik made his season debut for Bad Boys, and that could be a turning point in the season. The veteran FM Home Loans IBL point guard was steady as it gets, and weathered Bad Boys through what was a ferocious Team Piaceczna’s comeback attempt. After building a 48-29 second half lead, Bad Boys started to falter to Piaceczna’s press, who went on a 16-3 run to come to within six. But Lenik and co. were able to hit shots at the line and take care of the ball in the final minutes to secure the win. This was Bad Boy’s first result in their five games that was decided by more than seven points.
​
Team Piaceczna’s 55, Loketch Group 40
It was double-duty for Team Piaceczna’s as they took out their frustration from the loss to Bad Boys to hand Loketch Group a tough defeat. Piaceczna’s was locked in on the defensive end and pushed the tempo for a win which has potential to be a turning point in their season. Loketch Group beat Bad Boys earlier in the season, so the triangle of victory between these three teams (Team Piaceczna’s, Loketch Group, and Bad Boys) is complete. 
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race for top spot heats up; parity continues to even out

2/5/2019

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by Ilan Katz
​
Week 6’s results leave a four-way tie for first in FM Home Loans IBL (Sy Savages, TC, Gold Seals, Shraga), but the list of viable contenders extends much further with many impressive showings. Meanwhile, the final winless team entered the win column in dramatic fashion.

Game of the Week
Shraga 60, Sharsheret Shaalvim 52
The FM Home Loans Game of the Week lived up to the hype, as we had a fast-paced affair from the opening tip. Shraga star Max Leibowitz didn’t disappoint, leading all scorers with 22 points, scoring in a variety of ways. He had ample help though, with Dovie Marcus chipping in 15 and Josh Dukas adding 14, including some clutch free throws to put the game on ice.

Shaalvim struggled to take advantage of their tremendous size, with both Stevie Paul and Moshe Bennett saddled with foul trouble all game long. Captain Jake Greenberg had a quiet game, while guard Noah Pomerance carried the scoring from the backcourt.

Despite the result, each team proved in this match that it has serious potential make a deep run into the postseason.

Sy Savages 48, TC 43
Sy Savages came off their bye full of energy and shocked previously undefeated TC. The savages came out in a 2-3 zone, which proved to be a brilliant strategy to contain TC’s quick guards. TC wouldn’t go down without a fight, however. After trailing 26-18 at the half, TC started the 2nd half on an 11-0 run to take a three point lead. But Sy Savages recovered after a timeout and fought back to take the lead in the final minutes. Alan Franco hit five 3s in the Savages’ previous game but was shut down most of this contest via excellent man-to-man defense from TC’s Zevi Gralla. With under two minutes to play, Franco caught the TC defense on a switch and buried a dagger 3-pointer from the top of the arc to essentially seal the win. Savages enter a four-way tie atop the standings with the victory.

A. Rafi and Tommy’s 50, Power Mishna 45
Power Mishna got out to a 10-2 lead and were looking great on both ends, forcing A. Rafi and Tommy’s to call a timeout to regroup. Whatever was said in that huddle clearly worked, as they went on a 15-0 run and led 25-21 at halftime. Power Mishna focused on taking away Adam Motovich’s shooting prowess, but AR&T’s star guard still managed to affect the game and will his team to a five-point victory.

Cross River Mooseheads 42, Lobos 37
Cross River relied on defense and rebounding to bounce back from last week’s close defeat to rival TC. The Mooseheads keyed in on stopping Lobos leading scorer Elisha Rudman, preventing him from penetrating inside. Mooseheads big man Ari Eisenberger continues to be a problem for opposing teams on both ends of the glass. Opponents need to find a way to keep him away from missed shots to have any sort of chance at defeating the Mooseheads.

Gold Seals 74, Rap City 40
Rap City hung tough early on, countering a 10-0 Gold Seals start with a 10-0 run of their own, but Gold Seals’ elite talent was too much. Gold Seals’ guard Eli Gruenberg nearly outscored the opposition by himself, notching 35 points. Their 74 points are the most any team has scored this season.

Invaders 45, Falafel Ballers 42
Invaders used excellent defense to pull out their first victory of the season. Falafel Ballers were coming off a dramatic, come-from-behind victory last week, but couldn’t use the momentum to build on their winning ways despite a great effort from guard Emanuel Dicker.

Bad Boys 56, Ashreinu Holy Bagels 49
Ben Greene and the rest of the Bad Boys seemingly couldn’t miss from deep, and Ashreinu’s tough luck continues. The Holy Bagels clearly have the talent but would love to string some wins together as we inch closer towards the postseason. Bad Boys rebound in a big way from their aforementioned collapse to Falafel Ballers last week.

Pittsburgh Strong 47, Aliyah Glory 29
The men from Yeshivat Hakotel lived up to their team name with a strong 2nd half performance to put away Aliyah Glory. AG couldn’t build off their dramatic victory last week, with Pittsburgh Strong’s fast pace proving too much. Pittsburgh Strong has won three of its past four after dropping its first two.
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    Authors

    Ilan Katz is a veteran author, sportscaster, analyst and organizational sports consultant. His first love in journalism is basketball, for which he has been doing play-by-play since his days as the lead broadcaster for the Yeshiva University Macabees, as well as the Red Saracheck Tournament. He anchors the FM Home Loans Israel Basketball League weekly broadcasts.

    Monty Wayland is a journalist whose work is syndicated by the GAN News Network, and featured in media including The Jerusalem Post and Ha’aretz. 

    His latest book, co-authored with Figmentov Uri Magination, is “Fourth-and-T’fachim: What the NFL and the Babylonian Talmud Teach Us About the Dynamic Tension Between Technocratic and Substantive Systems of Codification, and Life”.

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