Every Tuesday morning at 7:20 ET Nachum Segal will present Elliot Weiselberg on JM in the AM to deliver the Yeshiva League Sports (YLS) Update. Tune in for the latest Yeshiva League Spring Sports information, as well as, the occasional update on other sports happenings in the Jewish world. The transcription for this morning’s update is below.
Thanks Nachum!
Today on the last Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update of the calendar year, we close out 2019 with a bit of irony in a shortened schedule, playoff-shaping contests in hockey, upsets at the top in boys varsity and JV basketball and a division clinched in girls varsity basketball. A complete rundown of the final full week of 2019, straight ahead. Good morning, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.
We’ll start off in Boys Hockey where only 7 games were played between JV and Varsity this week. In Varsity, HAFTR avenged the Overtime loss to the Magen David, trouncing them at home by the score of 9-0. That loss, combined with Flatbush’s 6-2 win over HANC and HAFTR’s 6-0 win over HANC last night has effectively ended the season for the Warriors, and clinched playoff spots for DRS, Rambam, North Shore and HAFTR, with the final spot belonging to either the Falcons or the Hurricanes depending on the remainder of their schedules. Juniors Gerry Sabbagh and Joe Mamiye each scored two goals for Flatbush in the win over HANC. In other action, JEC defeated Hillel 5-2 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the West. Some good action on the week ahead, as 2019 will end tonight with a Frisch-TABC matchup, and we will kick off 2020 with TABC hosting DRS on Sunday.
Only three JV scores on the week, Magen David got their first win of the season, downing HAFTR 4-2, but would fall by the same score to YDE, clinching a playoff spot for the Thunder. YDE will claim the 2nd seed in the East, as DRS has already clinched the division, and will enjoy a first-round home game against the West #3 seed. In the race for the remaining two spots, HANC defeated HAFTR to jump over Rambam and Flatbush into sole possession of the East #3 seed. Their playoff hopes will still come down to their matchup with Flatbush in February, but a HANC win or tie will get the Hurricanes into the second-season.
Over in Basketball, 9 games were played. The JV board saw HAFTR play in 3 of the 4 contests, with the Hawks going 1-2 on the week. HAFTR took a 64-42 loss to Magen David and a 53-50 overtime loss to YDE but were able to bounce back with a 59-49 win over HANC last night, finishing up the season at 4-6, but still hanging on to slim playoff hopes. Now tied at 4 wins with HANC, should HANC lose out and Shaare Torah not reach the 4- win mark, HAFTR would still be alive for the final playoff spot. The only non-HAFTR game on the week was a biggie at the top of the East, where Flatbush topped Magen David 50-44 to knot both teams at 7-2, pulling the Warriors out of their tie with DRS for first in the East and effectively down to 3rd. Both teams will fight for the 2nd seed and will wait to see if DRS drops any of their remaining games to keep the others alive for Home-Court throughout the East playoffs.
In Varsity Basketball, the Warriors suffered a similar fate, as HAFTR upset Magen David 67-63. The loss drops the Warriors to 10-2, even with the Hawks in losses, but only a win ahead following HAFTR wins over YDE on Saturday night and HANC last night behind Senior Jordan Appel’s 22 points. With very few games left, and a split season series, these two could go down to the wire for the East top spot, however, both with need to face DRS who sit only 1 loss behind the pair, and could throw an added wrinkle into the standings down the stretch. In other action, Flatbush defeated Magen Avraham 68-55 and out West, Hillel took one step closer to taking the top seed with a 61-45 win over Kushner to improve to 10-1.
Finally in Girls Basketball, 4 results on the week. In varsity, HAFTR clinched the East with a win over HANC, while Flatbush did the same to improve to .500 at 4-4. Out West, Maayanot jumped ahead of Frisch with a win over Hillel upping their record to 8-1. And in JV, the only contest this week saw HAFTR defeat HANC 47-38
For those keeping count, in the final week leading into 2020, there were, yes, ironically, 20 games played. We would like to wish all of our listeners a happy new year, and as we enter a new decade, we look forward to all that the Yeshiva League has in store for us for the rest of this season and beyond.
For the Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.
