VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL UPSET DEFENDING LEAGUE CHAMPION HAFTR IN 2ND ROUND OF MDY TOURNAMENT

Last night, the SAR Varsity Boys Basketball team traveled all the way to Brooklyn, NY to take on the HAFTR Hawks in the 2^nd round of the MDY tournament. Going into the game, nothing but determination and heart were in the eyes of the Sting, as they were hoping to upset the defending league champs. The opponent, being the defending powerhouse they were, assumed the game would be nothing but a joke, however, the Sting had another idea in mind. Right off the tip- off, SAR turned over the ball. Although, they made a quick mistake, the Sting shook it off and prepared for one of the toughest defensive matchups they would face all year. Abie Perlow. Perlow is coming off a spectacular year for the Hawks, winning the league championship along with being named a 1^st team All American. While Perlow was expected to be quite the problem for the Sting, spectacular defense by starting Forward Eitan Hain and Center Rafi Kubersky helped minimize his production. While SAR had a commanding lead for the 1^st three quarters, the Hawks displayed a final effort in order to form a comeback during the 4^th quarter. After shooting some desperation three’s, and receiving an and-1, the Hawks cut SAR’s lead down to only 5 points. Luckily, moments later, Hawks PG Brian Nathan received a costly foul, allowing the Sting to extend their lead to 7. However, the Hawks did not give in, as they cut the lead back to 5. To the shock of the crowd, seconds later, Perlow received a technical foul, which allowed SAR to go back up 7. From there, the Sting controlled the pace for the rest of the game, and upset the HAFTR Hawks 54-43. Led by Smith’s 18 and Hain’s 16, the Sting will now look to take on YDE in the semi- final of the MDY tournament.