With seven seconds on the clock, junior and captain Tali Loeffler is faced with pressure as her team is down one point after coming back from a nine point deficit at the end of the third quarter. After multiple of her teammates missed possible game winning shots, she shoots the ball with a second left for one last shot at a win. The referee’s whistle blows, and the Lions student-section goes crazy when a foul is called on the shot. Loeffler missed both free throws, and the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars took the win.
The CESJDS Lions girls varsity basketball team played the Cougars at home on Dec. 10, and lost 36-35 in a close game. This was one of the Lions’ first games of the season, and one of their most competitive games so far, as it was against their rival. Students and parents from both schools packed the gym and brought energy for the entirety of the game through cheers where each fan section aimed to be louder than the other.
“I was really nervous before the game,” sophomore Yarden Wilkenfeld said. “There’s a lot more pressure than the other games because there’s more fans, we’re playing against another Jewish school, and so I was really stressed out the whole day.”
Before the game started, everyone joined together to sing both the Israeli and American national anthems, with the goal of bringing a sense of unity before the competition. There was also a hype-up video produced by the Athletic Booster Club, featuring some highlights from the season so far to get everyone excited.
The Lions won the tip off and Wilkenfeld got first possession of the ball. Soon after, junior Ella Longman scored the first shot of the game. Berman scored most of their points for the quarter in the paint, with three layups and one foul shot.
At the beginning of the game, the Lions got most of the offensive rebounds, which led to multiple put-backs. Wilkenfeld scored two shots in a row off of offensive rebounds. The first quarter ended with the Lions up 11-7.
“I felt really energized,” Wilkenfeld. “I got out of my head which allowed me to play better and I was hoping that would give me the right momentum for the rest of the game.”
The Cougars started to catch up to the Lions at the beginning of the second quarter with two layups and one foul shot. JDS took many shots but missed many, making it hard for them to keep up with the Cougars.
The score soon tied up 14-14, and the Cougars continued to advance their lead with two layups in a row by the same player, junior Nitzahn Epstein. According to Director of Athletics and head coach Becky Silberman, the Lions often have the tendency to get stressed in tight situations, which results in quick turnovers on offense and fouls on defense. The second quarter ended with Berman up 18-14.
“I think we panic and we put ourselves in situations we don’t need to be in,” Silberman said. “We make it easier for the other team to play defense and we run into them instead of sitting back and seeing what’s open.”
At the very beginning of the third quarter, Loeffler made a layup, followed by multiple consecutive points from the Cougars including a three-point shot, a foul shot and a layup. Sophomore Jordana Dauber tightened the score with a jump shot and a three-pointer. The third quarter ended with Berman up 32-23.
The fourth quarter was packed with action. It started with Dauber hitting a three-point shot and senior Josie Silverberg with a jump shot. Despite this, the Cougars were able to maintain their lead through foul shots after Wilkenfeld and senior Shalvah Lazarus fouled the Cougars multiple times.
“I think a lot of people on the team have things that they wish could have gone better,” Lazarus said. “It was a team loss and we all have things to work on.”
In the last few minutes, Wilkenfeld and Dauber both scored, putting the Lions only two points behind the Cougars. The Lions had various chances to come out on top, including fouls on Silverberg and senior Gigi Gordon. Gordon made one foul shot, resulting in a one-point game.
While the Lions fought down to the last second of the game with Loeffler’s free throws, the Cougars came out victorious. This puts the Lions current record in the PVAC at 3-2. JDS will have another chance to play Berman on Jan. 11, but for now, they will have plenty of time to grow and improve according to Silberman.
“I’m looking forward to playing Berman again, and playing Sandy Spring [our other loss] again,” Silberman said. “You want to lose these games early on to learn from the losses early in the season and then play them again.”
