The host Shalhevet Firehawks won both the boys and girls titles Saturday night/Sunday morning at the 8th annual Steve Glouberman Z’L Basketball Tournament in Los Angeles.
The girls team, which trailed only twice in the entire tournament in winning all five of its games, defended its title with a 60-55 win over a valiant Frisch (5-1) squad that rallied from a 20-point 3rd quarter deficit.
The boys rallied from five points down in the final half minute and beat Valley Torah 64-63 when Aiden Bitran hit three free throws with :09 left. It was the fourth straight championship game appearance for the Firehawks but their first title since 2018.
Yalee Schwartz and Arielle Grossman each scored 18 points and were named the Co-MVPs of the girls tournament. Samantha Pruzansky, the winner of the Steve Glouberman Award for sportsmanship, led the Cougars with 14 points and Paige Ratner scored 12.
Avi Halpert was the MVP of the boys tournament. He scored 12 points in the championship game and averaged XX for the tournament.
After the game was tied at the half, Shalhevet led most of the second half, including by 52-42 with under six minutes to play. The Wolfpack then went on a 21-6 run, highlighted by an Ethan List 4-point play that broke a 55-55 tie. Shalhevet was down 63-58 but Bitran hit a corner trey with :20 left to bring them to within two. List then missed two free throws and Bitran coolly hit his three after he was fouled on another shot from the corner. Valley Torah missed a final shot from the top of the key.
Natan Sellam led Shalhevet with 20 points and Bitran had 15. Noam Mayouhas scored 21 points for Valley Torah, Gabriel R’Bibo added 14 and List had 10.
The boys All Tournament Team was Ben Farkas of H.A. Miami, Alex Zakheim of Frisch, Mayouhas, Bitran and Sellam. Shalhevet’s Elijah Stern won the boys’ Steve Glouberman Award.
Named to the girls All Tournament Team were: Kira Heumann of YULA, Eliana Wolfson of H.A. Miami, Jenny Kagan of Berman H.A., Galil Neuer of Frisch and Talia Tibi of Shalhevet.
BOYS SEMIFINALS
Shalhevet 60 Frisch 51
Avi Halpert scored 20 points, Aiden Bitran added 16 and Natan Sellam had 12 as the Firehawks (4-0) held off a Cougar rally. Shalhevet led by 16 midway through the third but Frisch whittled the deficit down to one, 46-45, with five minutes left in the game but could never take the lead.
Valley Torah 62 SAR 53
Noam Mayouhas’ 19 points led four players in double figures for the Wolfpack (3-1). Gabriel R’Bibo added 14, Johny Dan had 12 and Ethan List scored 11. The Sting (6-2) led by one at the half but gave up the lead early in the 3rd quarter and never got it back. They were led by Itai Berkowitz’s 16 points and 13 from Andrew Helft.
BOYS CONSOLATION
TABC 59 H.A. Miami 58
Yonah Luber’s 3-pointer at the buzzer won it for the Storm (1-3), who rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit. Luber finished with 9 points and Tzvi Schreiber led TABC with 15. Ben Farkas led the Warriors (1-3) with 13 points, David Saka added 12 and Owen Ebner scored 10.
YULA 64 Berman H.A. 61
Alex Gabbay scored 28 points and Yishai Rosenblatt added 18 as the Panthers (3-2) beat the Cougars for second time in the tournament. Asher Falk led Berman (0-4) with 24 points.
Maimonides 58 Ramaz 39
Raanan Gewurz scored 11 points and Nathan Weinstock, Eitan Bessler and Avi Schwartz each added 10 to lead the M-Cats (2-2). Nathan Haber led the Rams (3-5) with 17 points.
GIRLS CONSOLATION
Berman H.A. YULA
Ramaz 63 Maimonides 53
Lindsey Feit led the Rams (1-3) with 22 points, Chloe Gad added 13 and Molly Hiltzik had 12. For the M-Cats (0-4) Natalie Neusner scored 20 points and Leah Kaplan added 11.
SAR 44 H.A. Miami 41
Megan Horowitz scored 18 points and the Sting (2-2) rallied from an early 4th quarter deficit. Eliana Wolfson and Elizabeth Ebner each had 15 points for the Warriors (0-4).