Nachum welcomed Elliot Weiselberg to this morning’s 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 transcript for this morning’s update is below.
Good Morning,
We at the JM in the AM Sports Update join the rest of the Nachum Segal Network family in asking for your help, given recent events. The Lower East Side studio was home to many live in-person Season premieres and tournament previews, as well as the first ever edition of The Court Report. Please help support our Network and in doing so, support Nachum, who has been there to support us for so long.
With absolutely no real way to segue off of that…Straight ahead on the Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, the Saracheck tournament wraps up the Winter sports calendar, Good morning, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.
The 2022 Red Saracheck basketball tournament returned in grand fashion after a few years on the sidelines due to the Covid pandemic. 24 teams, the largest gathering, converged on Yeshiva University to rekindle the greatest weekend in Yeshiva Basketball. Of the 24 teams, 10 of them were from our very own Yeshiva League, including semifinalists, Frisch and TABC, runner-up SAR and league champion Ramaz.
Early on, Tier 1 was destined for intrigue when Ramaz and Frisch were upended by 10th seeded Magen David and 11th seeded Yavneh respectively. #8 Flatbush survived a scare, while SAR, TABC and DRS easily advanced to Day 2. Friday’s action saw three Yeshiva League teams advance to the Tier 1 semis as SAR topped Flatbush, DRS defeated Shalhevet and TABC downed Yavneh. A bid for four Metro area teams fell just short as Magen David jumped out to an early 19-10 advantage over 2 seed Valley Torah, but could not hold on, being outscored 48-31 the rest of the way.
Semifinal Sunday brought its own fireworks as Isaac Solomon nailed two free-throws in the final minute to cap a furious 4th quarter comeback for the DRS Wildcats to knock off the top-seed SAR Sting. Their Monday opponent would be the #2 seed Valley Torah Wolfpack, winners over TABC by 11 after holding them to 12 total second-half points.
The Wolfpack rode hot 3-point shooting to a 14 point lead with 11 minutes to go in the contest, but like in the Yeshiva League championship last week, that’s when things got interesting. The Wildcats went on a 15-0 run to lead 43-42. Gabriel Rbibo gave the Wolfpack the lead again at 44-43 and on the ensuing Valley Torah possession, a strip by DRS star Ari Ivry appeared destined for a fast-break lay-in, but Wolfpack leader and tournament MVP Johny Dan made the play of the weekend coming in from behind and swatting away the opportunity. A David Paz 3-pointer on the other end of the floor, and Valley Torah was on their way home with the 2022 Tournament trophy, ultimately finishing with a 55-45 victory. Also taking home trophies, Ramaz rebounded to take home the Tier 2 championship defeating Ida Crown, and fellow Yeshiva League participants MTA and HAFTR met in the Tier 3 final, with the host Lions walking away victorious.
With that, we wrap up the Winter portion of the Yeshiva League and turn our attention to Spring. Starting next week, we will bring you all off the soccer, boys volleyball and girls hockey action and get you geared up for the diamond sports as the month of April rolls on.
And that was your Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.
