11-6-2015 | YULA Advances to Final Four, Pounce on Flatbush Falcons, 49-32

11-6-2015 | YULA Advances to Final Four, Pounce on Flatbush Falcons, 49-32

By: Shmuel Perl

One of the most highly anticipated games of the day was the Tier I showdown between the #2 YULA Panthers and the #7 Flatbush Falcons. YULA came out hot, forcing a contested jumper and cashing in on a three by David Sassoon on the other end. Flatbush responded quickly with a layup by Abie Rosow and a jumper by Louis Zarif to give them the early lead. Both teams scored again, and Yair Isaacs had a killer crossover that set up a great drive by Daniel Hami to put the Panthers back on top. The first quarter continued to be a wild back and forth ride with neither defense able to have much success. A beautiful assist from Abie Rosow led to a score followed by a great steal from Kevin Haddad, with a nice finish on the other end put Flatbush up 12-9. But YULA had none of it, answering with two quick baskets by Hami and Alan Gindi giving the lead back to the Panthers. Both teams traded baskets to end the first, and score was 15-14 YULA after one quarter of play.

The Panthers missed a couple of threes to start the second, but they finally got one to fall when Adam Muller hit a transition jumper. Jackie Mishaan responded for Flatbush with a ridiculous fadeaway jumper from the baseline. A free throw from Jake Shalom tied the game at 17 a piece, but a 4-0 run by YULA gave them back the lead halfway through the second quarter. The next few minutes were marked by great defense from both sides, as neither team could really find their way on offense. A transition bucket from YULA broke the silence, and a nice baseline drive from Adam Muller gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the day with under a minute to play in the half. Flatbush, who scored only three points in the entire second quarter, turned the ball over again and YULA converted it into a Yair Isaacs basket. At the end of the first half, YULA led 27-17 in a game that was much closer than it appeared.

Neither team could really get going offensively at the start of the second half, but a strong rebound and an excellent putback by Abie Rosow opened up the scoring with two minutes gone by. Rosow scored again, and after a long possession by YULA that garnered no points, Albert Richter tapped in a rebound for Flatbush to cut the Panthers’ lead to four. YULA finally scored its first points in the second half with only three minutes left in the third quarter, and extended its lead on a putback by Gindi. YULA continued to showcase its offensive firepower, going on a 5-0 run to close out the quarter. At the end of three quarters, the score was 36-23, with YULA on top.

Flatbush ended its cold streak with an Elliot Beyda jumper to start off the fourth quarter, but two free throws from Yair Isaacs killed the Falcons momentum. YULA got another easy basket in transition, and two free throws from Gindi made it a 17 point game. Flatbush did not give up though, and went on a 5-0 run led by Kevin Haddad to keep their hopes of reaching the semis alive. Gindi hit another free throw, and Flatbush made a careless pass on what looked like an easy transition bucket, to keep it a thirteen point contest with 2:36 left. Another basket from Gindi and a great job by Daniel Hami to beat the Flatbush press sealed the game with a minute left. The final score was 49-32 YULA, with Alan Gindi leading the way for the Panthers with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Flatbush was led by Kevin Haddad with 11 points in a losing effort. YULA moves into the Final Four, while the Falcons move into the Tier Consolation Bracket.