Memphis Yeshiva Invitational

11-5-2016 | YULA Panthers Take Howl out of Waterbury Wolfpack, 57-43

11-5-2016 | YULA Panthers Take Howl out of Waterbury Wolfpack, 57-43

By: Akiva Finkelstein

The first Tier 2 semi-final matchup of the night featured the #3 seed YULA Panthers and the #2 seed Yeshiva of Waterbury Wolfpack. The Wolfpack started off strong, with Eli David and Abie Resnick getting them an early lead and giving them control of the game. The Panthers struggled to stop the Wolfpack getting good looks and getting to the line. On offense, they could not keep up with the Wolfpack who were already hot. As the first quarter ended, the Panthers found themselves in a deep hole, trailing 21-11.

In the second quarter, the Panthers tried to use star Alan Gindi to get inside and get them back in the game. Gindi, though, had trouble finishing at the rim. The Wolfpack stayed ahead for the majority of the half, but in the last minute the Panthers found their touch and started to score. They finished the half with some momentum, and were only down 4 ponts 29-25, at halftime. Eli David was the leading scorer for the Wolfpack with 9 points at the half.

In the third quarter, the Panthers were determined to come back. They got their first lead of the game and were right where they wanted to be. Led by Evan Teichman and some clutch 3 point shooting, the Panthers slowly took control of the game. They raced down the court and dished the ball out to find the open man. The 3rd quarter ended with the Panthers in the lead, 36-35.

In the fourth quarter, the Panthers started to grow their lead. Gindi came up big for YULA, scoring inside and knocking down free throws with ease. Now it was the Wolfpack who needed a boost, as they struggled to keep up. They pushed the ball on offense, but couldn’t cut the lead as time began to run out. The Wolfpack were forced to foul the Panthers in the final minute, making the game out of reach. The buzzer sounded with the Panthers taking this one, 57-43. The Panthers were led by Evan Teichman with 15 points, while the Wolfpack were led by Zevi Gralla with 12 points. YULA advances to the Tier 2 championship, while the Wolfpack move into the Tier 2 consolation game.

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