JV BOYS DOMINATE HESCHEL BUT VARSITY SUFFERS ANOTHER TOUGH LOSS

The SAR JV Boys Basketball team beat the Heschel Heat 74-43, raising its record to 8-1 and clinching a first round bye. SAR pulled away in the 2nd quarter and dominated Heschel in the second half, switching to a press and scoring 22 points in the 3rd and 22 in the 4th. Scoring was evenly distributed with Noah Gurin 12, Eitan Karsch 10, Jake Schwalbe 10, Oshi Bloom 10, Nat Waxman 9, and David Lewis 8. Gurin and Waxman each drained 3 three-pointers. The Sting will finish off their season with a tough away game against Tabc Tuesday night.

Unlike JV, Sar's Varsity suffered a tough loss against Heschel, losing 38-22. Both teams struggled to get into some type of offensive groove as the 1st half closed with Heschel up only 11-8. However, the 2nd half proved to be significantly different. The Sting opened up the half with 6 straight turnover's which were all converted into points. The Heat's stifling defense really did prove to be the x- factor as they managed to go up 30-8 at the end of 3. While the Sting did have a 14 point 4th quarter, their comeback fell way short. Although SAR picked up their 7th loss of the season, they hope to bounce back in their final game against Tabc Tuesday night.

JV AND VARSITY STING SWEEP RAMAZ IN SEASON SERIES AND BOTH LOCK UP SPOTS IN THE PLAYOFFS

The Sting headed out to Manhattan to face the Ramaz Rams. Much was on the line for the JV team, as a win would provide them a spot in the playoffs. However, a loss would force them to play against an undefeated Frisch team. Once again, the Sting stroke first with a goal from Johnny Haims on their first shift. The energy level was low, and the game was moving slowly until late in the third period. The Rams poured on the pressure, and a scramble in front of the net resulted in a game tying goal. The Sting were back on their heels but with less than three minutes to go, a wraparound goal from Henri Kolb gave the sting a late lead to put them up 2-1. Immediately, they dropped back into a defensive style of play and held off the Rams until the final buzzer. The sting had locked themselves up a spot in the playoffs. 

Later on, the Varsity Sting clinched the 2nd seed in the Western Conference after beating Ramaz 5-1. Joey Mogilner, Gordie Kolb, and Eli Best all scored in the 1st period to give Sar a 3-1 lead and later on, Jason Burian and Jonah Halper added goals. The Varsity Sting will face either DRS or Flatbush in Riverdale in the playoffs.

Henri Kolb/ Joseph Mogilner

JV AND VARSITY BOTH PICK UP IMPORTANT WINS AGAINST RAMAZ

On Thursday night Januaray 7th, SAR and Ramaz played in a game to benefit the Alan T. Brown Foundation to help victims of paralysis. The Sting entered the game with a two game point-streak. Looking to add to the streak, the Sting shot out of the cannon and scored twice early to give the sting an early lead. The squad kept piling on the goals until later in the game. At 5-0, the Ramaz Rams got on the board. The Rams, looking to push for a late-game surge, were held off by the Sting and were shut down for the remainder of the game. Later, the Sting added another goal to seal the deal at 6-1 and extend their point streak to 2. The JV hockey team has suffered deeply this season, but this late season push may just squeeze them into the playoffs.

The Varsity Sting also hosted Ramaz Thursday night. In the nightcap, Gordie Kolb, making his varsity debut, scored 3 times, and SAR bested Ramaz 5-2. Captain Azi Lavi and Josh Rosenberg also scored for the Sting. 

To donate to the Alan T Brown foundation, go to http://www.atbf.org/

Henri Kolb/ Joseph Mogilner

VARSITY BASKETBALL LOSE AT HOMECOMING BUT BOUNCE BACK WITH BIG WIN AGAINST TABC

On December 17th, the SAR Varsity Sting faced the Frisch Cougars at their homecoming game in the Bronx. Before the game, both teams had won once against one another, so some pregame tension was clearly there. The game had begun. It was clear that right off the tip, their would be plenty of nerves. That being said, both teams missed shots early, yet SAR managed to come out with a 12-9 lead at the end of the 1st. Thankfully, the nerves subsided, and the game was now moving at a much more reasonable pace. After Ariel Smith hit a layup with 30 seconds left in the half, Scott Levine knocked down a momentum crushing 3 to cut SAR's lead down to only 1 point. The 3rd quarter proved to be the downfall for the Sting. Although Marcus and Friedman hit 2 three's early in the quarter, it seemed as though Frisch's Scott Levine answered every bucket with a 3 of his own. Frisch finished the quarter off strong leading SAR 36-30. At the beginning of the 4th, Marcus missed a 3, and Frisch turned the opportunity into a made basket, extending their lead to 8. From there, the Cougars controlled the rest of the game. While SAR managed to cut the lead back to 6, Frisch never grew worried, as they went on to beat the Sting 53-44. The Sting would look to bounce back against the TABC Storm. 

On Monday night December 21st, the SAR Varsity boys basketball team played against the TABC Storm. SAR was looking to bounce back from their loss against Frisch only a few nights before. The Sting started out strong, allowing them to go up 10-5 at the end of the first. The Sting tallied on another 7 points, and at the half, the score was 17-14. At the end of the 3rd, SAR had its largest lead, 31-23. The 4th quarter is where the action began. TABC put together a fantastic comeback. PG Tai Gerszberg was phenomenal in the 4th. As a result, TABC was almost able to tie the game. However, the Sting were able to pull out the win, with a final score of 45-42. The Sting were lead by Marcus' 19 and Smith's 11. 

3 GAME SUMMARY FOR VARSITY HOCKEY: REVENGE AGAINST FRISCH, A STEAL IN WOODMERE, BUT A CRUCIAL LOSS IN THE WEATHER CENTER

In the Bronx, Solomon Freilich had 2 power play goals in his return from injury, and SAR survived a frantic Frisch rally to move the varsity squad to 6-2. Jonah Halper scored his 1st goal of the season to give SAR a 2-1 1st period lead that they would not relinquish. SAR jumped out to a 6-3 3rd period lead with 3 minutes, but Frisch scored 2 goals in the next to cut it to 6-5. However, throughout the game, Jonah Amron made a few key saves to keep the game in SAR's grasp. Although he faltered late, SAR did not let the Cougars get a shot on goal after the lead was cut to 1. SAR won the game on special teams, scoring 3 power play goals to Frisch's none, with SAR penalty killers Josh Rosenberg, Joey Mogilner and Freilich holding the vaunted Frisch power play in check for over 7 minutes of power play time. The Sting will face undefeated TABC on Sunday in Teaneck.

In Woodmere, Solomon Freilich scored 2 goals, and Josh Rosenberg chipped in 1, and the Varsity Sting improved to 7-2, beating Drs 3-0. The game was scoreless toward the end of the second period, but a power play goal by Freilich gave the sting a 1-0 lead heading into the third. In the 3rd period, things got dicey for the Sting, as Drs had a 4-2 power play with 8 minutes remaining. But, Jason Burian and Azi Lavi did a fantastic job killing off the penalty, with the help of goaltender Jonah Amron. Amron stood on his head all night, and Rosenberg's 4th goal of the year gave SAR a 2-0 lead. Freilich added an empty net goal late, and SAR escaped the wildcats den with a win.

In Teaneck, Calev Minsky scored a power play goal with 5 minutes left to give TABC a 3-2 lead , and the storm avoided an upset at the hands of a red hot Sting team. SAR came out firing early, with Jason Burian scoring a power play goal to give the Sting a 1-0 lead. However, a failed line change led to TABC tying the game at 1 late in the first period, and they tacked on another one to give them a 2-1 lead. Late in the second period, the Sting were awarded a power play, to the dismay of the massive crowd on hand. The Sting would convert on the power play, and tie the game at 2. The game was tied until Minsky's late goal. Following the goal, the Sting were not able to convert a 4-2 power play. TABC's defense held, and the Sting fell to 7-3, losing a crucial game to the undefeated Storm.

By Joseph Mogilner

JV STING TOPS HAFTR IN OPENER OF RUBENSTEIN TOURNEY

Tuesday night, the SAR JV boys beat HAFTR 47-44 in the first game of the annual Rubenstein Memorial Basketball Tournament.The game was a thriller and the Sting came back from down 8 to start the fourth and outscored the Hawks 16-5 in the final quarter. Judah Oppenheimer led all Sting players with 14 points, including 10 in the fourth and the game winning bucket with under a minute to play.

SAR JV BOYS BALL FINISH OFF STRONG AGAINST JEC

SAR JV Boys Basketball beat JEC Dec. 5th, 62-39, to raise its record to 5-0. Led by Jake Schwalbe’s 16 points and Judah Oppenheimer’s 13, including three 3-pointers, SAR was in a close game in the first two and a half quarters before pulling away midway through the third. After being up 5 at the half, Schwalbe took over with 8 points in the third and the team played stifling defense, notably on JEC’s star player Rieser. Nat Waxman hit three 3-pointers off the bench. Noah Gurin had 9 and Sammy Sokol 8.