11-5-2016 | deToledo Jaguars Stop Kushner Cobras, 54-48

11-5-2016 |

By: Cooper Invitational Staff

The second Tier 2 semi-final matchup featured the #1 deToledo Jaguars versus the #5 seed Kushner Cobras. Both teams pushed the ball and were aggressive from the start, but it was de Toledo who took the early lead. Led by Ezra Emmanuel, the Jaguars drove to the basket and drew fouls. They only had a slight lead over the Cobras, who played tight defense and didn’t fall too far behind. The quarter ended with the Jaguars up, 13-10.

In the second quarter, the Jaguars extended their lead. The Cobras didn’t give in, however, and fought back all quarter. Sam Bernstein hit threes and Zach Tuchman had some nice plays for the Cobras, and they finished the first half down by just six points. Ezra Emanuel was the leading scorer for the Jaguars with 11 points at the half, and Bernstein led the Cobras with 8 points.

In the third quarter, de Toledo were all over the Cobras on defense, which translated into fast break layups. They constantly looked for steals, and leaped up as the Cobras tried to get the ball around. Sam Raab was able to drive a few times and keep the Cobras from falling behind too much, but it wasn’t enough to get them where they needed to be. They Cobras trailed 43-35 when the quarter came to a close.

In the fourth quarter, the Cobras came out strong and ready to come back. After good ball movement and solid finishes, they were finally within reach. With five and a half minutes to go, they were only down two points and the tables were slowly turning. The Jaguars tried to pass the ball around and let the clock run out, but the Cobras were playing very tight defense. A layup from Dylan Bender with under a minute remaining put the Jaguars in a good position to close the game out. But right when they thought it was over, Shmuel Bernstein launched up a three from downtown keeping the Cobras in the game. With just eight seconds left, the Jaguars led by only three points. Luckily, Elion Ben Nissan hit a two and the game ended with the Jaguars winning, 54-48. Sam Bernstein was the leading scorer for the Cobras with 19 points, and Ben-Nissan and Emmanuel led the Jaguars with 14 points each. The Jaguars move into the Tier 2 Championship game to face cross town rival YULA, while the Cobras move into the Tier 2 consolation game against the Waterbury Wolfpack.