VARSITY BOYS BALL HOLD OFF HILLEL HEAT, LOSE IN A HEARTBREAKER TO JEC, AND ARE UPSET BY NSHA

On December 2nd, the Boys Varsity basketball team took on the Hillel Heat. SAR had been coming off a blowout win against Kushner, and looked to continue their groove against the Heat. Right from the tip, SAR captain Ariel Smith went on a role. At the end of the half, the Sting led 33-19, with 16 of those 33 points coming from Smith alone. However, the Heat were not done. With the crowd on their side, Hillel formulated a huge comeback. By the end of the 3rd, SAR only led by 7. Although the Heat were hoping for a huge comeback, the Sting stood strong. When the final buzzer sounded, SAR had won 67-61. The Sting were led by Smith's 25 and Marcus' 13. Next up, JEC!

3 days later, the Sting travelled to Elizabeth, NJ to play the JEC Thunder. SAR hoped to avenge their previous game against JEC, where they lost by only 4. The game was neck and neck. Nobody could really open up a lead. However, through three quarters, the Sting were up by 7. Yet, little did the Sting know, a comeback was in the making. The Thunder were eventually able to tie up the game late in the 4th, but Ariel Smith hit a clutch three, giving SAR some breathing room. Next possession, Raanan Kimmel was fouled. He then went to the line where he split his free-throws. However, the Thunder remained calm, and with a great move to the basket by guard Shemaryahu Shulman, they tied the game up again at 33. Panicking, SAR threw an ill-advised pass, forcing a turnover. JEC had all the momentum, As time was winding down, Shulman chucked up a three, which luckily for the Sting, missed. However, after a miscommunication on the court, forward Jacob Feiler ended up with the ball, and with 1.1 seconds left, hit a put back to take a two point lead. The Sting lost by a score of 35-33. Guard Eli Friedman led the Sting in scoring. 

After a heartbreaking loss against JEC, SAR looked to build off their defeat against the NSHA Stars. However, the Sting never got into what they wanted, and at the end of the half, SAR was down 15-12. The 2nd half was where the action began. Though NSHA built a 10 point, SAR continued to fight. With great defensive plays from guards Eli Friedman and Daniel Wisotsky, the Sting were able to cut the lead down to 6. Then, with about 15 seconds left, forward Dovie Marcus hit an and-1 three, and the lead was now only 2 points. After fouling NSHA's PG, a free-throw was hit, and SAR was now down 3. Following, the Sting drew up a play for a game tying 3, but came up short after Marcus missed the final attempt.  NSHA went on to beat the Sting 33-30. The Sting now look to end their losing streak against division rival Frisch on Thursday night.