With 25 seconds left in the game, senior and captain Ella Longman swishes a three-pointer to make the score 39-36. The bleachers explode with cheers and renewed enthusiasm as the ball goes in. However, the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars held on, swishing free throws to clinch their win. The girls varsity basketball team lost to the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars on Dec. 9, with a final score of 40-36.
The first quarter ended with the Lions in the lead. JDS defense was aggressive and pressuring, holding Berman to four points in the entire quarter. Despite the opposing team playing a half-court press, the Lions made quick shots and cut to the basket.
“I think in general, we were strongest on defense,” junior Yarden Wilkenfeld said. “We played good defense, we were good at communicating.”
Junior Caroline Salz scored her personal highest this season with eight points, because she consistently got open under the basket and looked for her shot. Longman’s defense was also powerful and effective during the entire game according to head coach Becky Silberman.
The second quarter saw aggressive boxing out on rebounds from both teams, leading to many jump balls and flipped possessions. Towards the end of the quarter, Berman scored, tying the game 10-10, and the Lions struggled to pull away with the lead until Salz received an inside pass from senior and captain Tali Loeffler next to the basket and made a shot. After that, due to their aggressive rebounding, the Lions were able to end the half with a score of 18-14.
Even though the Lions were making quick cuts to the basket and putting up shots, they were struggling to make the points. According to Salz, their offense negatively affected their defense.
“If you don’t do well on offense, it’s hard to get back on defense and try your hardest, because our shots aren’t falling,” Salz said.
In the second half of the game, Berman came out and played with a renewed sense of determination, making it tough for JDS to make their shots. Wilkenfeld stole the ball for a fast break, and after crossing up multiple defenders, tipped the ball into the basket for a layup. However, Berman continued to cut to the basket and make shots, ending the third quarter with a tied score of 23-23.
The Lions tried to run many cuts in this quarter, but they were ineffective which led to the ball being stolen multiple times. This partially contributed to Berman taking the lead.
“Offensively, people were not looking at the basket,” Silberman said. “Nobody wanted to score. People were being very passive.”
The final quarter began with a lot of back and forth ball possession, but Berman continued to drive to the basket and score. While the Lions kept up their aggressive rebounding in this quarter it wasn’t enough to bring the score closer.
Throughout the entire game, there was enthusiastic cheering from both sides of the court. As this game is long-awaited at both schools, the spirit did not disappoint. Before the game, there was a tailgate with food, music and face painting in order to bring the ruach in preparation.
Both sides maintained respectful cheering when their respective teams made baskets, and there were lively back-and-forth chants during timeouts.
“We’re gonna be hungry, and I told them, instead of ‘I shoulda coulda woulda’ think about the ‘I will’, and next time I will,” Silberman said.
In the last quarter of the game, the Lions had fouled the Cougars over five times in the quarter, so whenever they fouled the Cougars, a Berman player got to go to the line for free throws, even if the foul wasn’t shooting. This led to two points, resulting in the Lions’ eventual loss of 40-36.
“We’re going to take our mistakes and our weaknesses and we’re going to work on that for the next month, until we play them again,” Wilkenfeld said.
