Tal Pearlman

The Lions won the PVAC championship for the second time in three years.

With the CESJDS Lions closely behind the Melvin J Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars for the first few minutes of the first quarter, captain and 2025 PVAC MVP Tali Loeffler makes a shot, putting the Lions up for the rest of the game. Despite losing to the Cougars in their past two games this season, the Lions managed to achieve a 45-32 win, resulting in their 2025 PVAC championship victory.

The most important skills the team worked on this season were defense and setting screens, according to head coach Becky Silberman. Junior Ella Longman had been out for part of the season due to a shoulder injury, but being able to watch the team helped her make improvements to her own gameplay. 

“In the beginning of the season, we weren’t passing the ball,” Longman said. “We were playing for ourselves, we weren’t playing for each other, we weren’t playing our best basketball. Once we started playing for each other, the plays started happening. Everybody plays better when we’re not playing selfishly.”

The Lions were down for the majority of the first quarter, but after a time out to work on their plays, they ended it off with a score of 14-10. Contributing to their comeback, junior Gila Safra made a three-pointer and free-throw, helping secure their leading spot for what would be the remainder of the game.

In the second quarter, the Lions specifically focused on their defensive strategies. Sophomores Jordana Dauber and Yarden Wilkenfeld grabbed rebounds and fought for steals, preventing the Cougars from scoring more points, resulting in an 18-15 lead for the Lions before halftime. 

“It was just getting the right people in there,” Silberman said. “Everyone [was] working really hard, and it was really hot in here. The bench energy was huge for us, I think just getting the momentum up and keeping it up. Otherwise, I didn’t do anything, they did it all.” 

During the third quarter, senior Shalvah Lazarus, Wilkenfeld and Dauber grabbed their own rebounds and proceeded to put the ball back up, resulting in six more points. The Lions ended the quarter up 28-21.

In the last quarter, the Lions kept up their passes and their defense. Senior captain Josie Silverberg added to the scoreboard by making five points. Despite not playing for most of the game, Silverberg said that she could not have been happier for the team. 

“I didn’t care about how I played. I didn’t care even if I played. This was really just something I wanted for this team,” Silverberg said. “I feel like we worked so hard and we worked so hard together. I’m just so happy that we were able to achieve this together.”