Tier 1 Showdown: Yeshiva of Flatbush Falcons Prove Their Dominance Over Rochelle Zell Tigers

In the first Tier 1 matchup on Friday, the #4 seed Rochelle Zell Tigers faced off against the #5 seed Yeshiva of Flatbush Falcons with a spot in the final four on the line. Rochelle Zell won the tip and quickly got the ball moving and got some quick points. The Falcons weren’t dragging behind and kept up with the Tigers. Jake Miller of the Tigers showed the Falcons that he is not a player to mess with, with a shot from way behind the three point line which he hicely hit. The score was close throughout the whole first quarter, with both teams refusing to back down. Tiger’s Ophir Zetouni, played strong in the post and got quick, needed points for his team. The Falcon’s nerves could be sensed, but once they slowed their offense down, Ronnie Chaaya, was able to get a three to put them up 15-14 with one minute remaining in the first quarter. The Falcons pulled through and ended the quarter one point up 17-16. The question is could they increase their lead enough to win?

At the start of the second quarter, the Falcons picked up their game physically and skillfully. They tightened up their defense and brought the score up to 23-16 within the first 2 minutes. Both teams were playing physical and picking up fouls and free throws. The Tigers started getting nervous towards the middle of the second quarter with the Flacons up by 14 points. Albert Khaski of the Falcons had clever passing and took control of the court getting open passes for his teammates to score. The Falcons had a great run offensively in the second quarter causing the Tigers to get worried. The Tigers only scored 2 points the whole quarter. The Tigers had to pick it up offensively in the second half to have a shot in the game. The Falcons ended the quarter 36-18, doubling the Tiger’s score. 

The Falcons were not willing to give up their lead over the Tiger’s and kept playing  incredibly tight defense. The Tigers were struggling and couldn’t seem to close up the Falcons lead. The Falcons chemistry and ball movement was unstoppable at the start of the second half. With 2 minutes left in the third, the Tigere were down by 22, and things weren’t looking good for them. Beni Keda of the Falcons was stealing, passing, and scoring, and was a force to be reckoned with. In the last few seconds of the quarter, the Tigers started to pick up offensively. But the quarter ended with the Falcons up 56-34, and the Tigers would need something short of a miracle to win.

The fourth quarter started and the tension shot tension up. The Tigers did not back down and fought intensely. The Tigers still could not get the score up, but kept fighting for the ball. Balls were flying, players were on the ground, and the blocks were purposeful. With five minutes left, coach Tyler Pearson of the Tigers subbed out all his players for the bench. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they were down by 24 and four minutes wouldn’t be enough to catch up. The Falcon’s needed to warm up in the first quarter, but once they were warm, they dominated the game. The Tigers held strong in the beginning and fell through towards the end. Ophir Zetouni,  led the Tigers scoring 16 points. Zetouni and his team showed effort and determination throughout despite the score. On the other hand, the Falcons’ Issac Cooper led the team with the most points scoring 19. The Falcon’s showed potential to really work their way up to champions in this tournament.