Memphis Yeshiva Invitational

11-5-2016 | Heschel HEAT Knock Off Cooper MACS, 51-47, Advance to Championship

11-5-2016 | Heschel HEAT Knock Off Cooper MACS, 51-47, Advance to Championship

By: Cooper Invitational Staff

The first Tier 1 semi-final featured the #5 hometown Cooper MACS against the #9 Heschel HEAT. The stands were packed as the game began in what was anticipated to be a great showdown between two schools that had shown great heart up until now.

The first quarter saw the Macs open up a quick lead courtesy of Macs superstar guard Jeffrey Owen. The Heat quickly came back though, on the scoring of Ilan Orgel. It was a fast paced game back and forth, and the quarter ended with the Macs holding onto a slim lead, 12 – 10.

The second quarter was very similar to the first quarter. The score was close and went back and forth with several lead changes. Both teams were playing with a lot of intensity and excellent defense. The Heat showed why they got to the semi-finals with excellent shooting by Jeremy Spiera. The Heat outscored the Macs 10 – 7 in the quarter, and they ended the half up by one point, 20 – 19.

The Macs started strong at the start of the third quarter and, once again, the lead continued to change back and forth with intense play on both sides. The Macs seem to find their rhythm a little more and took a one point lead by the end of the quarter.

The Heat came out strong in the fourth quarter, and quickly went up by 4 points on the great shooting of Spiera. The Macs seemed to have trouble holding on to the ball and capitalizing on second chance opportunities. The Heat took advantage of every open look and knocked down their shots. They opened it up to 7 point lead with 4:53 to go. The Macs fought back and cut the lead, but they were not able to do enough as the Heat defense was impenetrable. In the end the Heschel Heat continued their cinderella run, knocking off the #4 seed Cooper Macs, 51 – 48. The Heat were led by Ilan Orgel with 15 points, while the Macs were led by Caleb Milobsky with 18 points.

The Heat ended the Macs hopes of bringing a championship back to Memphis. The #9 seed Heschel Heat will play for the Cooper Invitational Championship on Sunday, while the #4 Cooper Macs will try for third place.

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