CESJDS’ rivalry with the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars is most evident during their annual basketball games, and the Boys Varsity basketball team’s game on Dec. 18 was no exception. However, instead of trash talking the Cougars prior to the game’s start, the Lions stand in a circle with their arms around their competition and sing “Acheinu,” a song about brotherhood, in honor of the unifying war in Israel.
The beginning of the game did not start off well for the Lions, as senior and captain Itai Topolosky was unable to win the tipoff. After just three minutes, the score was already 0-8. The Cougars seemed to be making every shot they took, while the Lions were not making any.
“They executed their game plan better than we did,” Head Coach Ryan Eskow said.
Despite the unfortunate start, the Lions were able to maintain a two-to-three point lag for a majority of the first half. Sophomore Cyrus Blumenthal scored JDS’ first point with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter and went on to make a three-pointer shortly after.
“We really kept rallying and fighting back, rallying and fighting back,” Eskow said. “I thought Cyrus was awesome early in the game to keep us close.”
Seniors and captains Ari Blumenthal and Todd Lazoff also showed their skills in the first quarter. Ari shined with his rebounds, getting several important rebounds in the first 5 minutes. Lazoff, on the other hand, helped bring the score closer through many big shots. By the end of the game, Lazoff had scored 19 points total.
“Todd played an incredible game,” Eskow said. “His job is to do all the little things, and he does it and more every single time he takes the ball, so that makes me proud.”
At halftime, the score was 22-28. In the first minute of the third quarter, Ari got fouled but made both of his free throws, bringing the score up to 24-28. However, the score did not remain this close for long. Going into the fourth quarter, the Cougars led 35-44, increasing the intensity in the room. Topolosky fouled out in the fourth quarter, leaving room for sophomore Micah Goldrich to make his mark.
“I knew if I got [put] in, I would be nervous,” Goldrich said. “But in the moment I guess I just got an adrenaline rush … I couldn’t really stop and feel anything; I just had to play.”
Unfortunately, despite efforts made by Goldrich and the rest of the team, the Lions lost to the Cougars 48-61. Luckily, JDS will get the opportunity for a rematch against Berman at home on Jan. 11.
“We just have to keep growing as a team,” Eskow said. “I think we have to keep growing together and to keep trusting and make sure that we put ourselves in a position where [all of us are] moving in the same direction.”
