10-31-2013 | Hometown Cooper Macs fall to HAFTR Hawks, 61-46

10-31-2013 | Hometown Cooper Macs fall to HAFTR Hawks, 61-46

By: Shua Friedman

In the Cooper Macs first game without Eli Osdoba, they were looking to surprise many with the big man prowess and athleticism of Bryan Itkowitz, and the star guard abilities of Gabe Goldstein. To start the scoring off against HAFTR, Bryan Itkowitz was fouled on a drive to the basket, and made one free throw. HAFTR, looking to show why they were the #6 seed, countered with a swished three pointer from Mark Spivak. Both teams were looking to get the ball inside quickly, and HAFTR started off with 9-5 lead. HAFTR started to easily make use of the Macs sloppy beginning, running out to a 19-7 point lead at the end of the quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, Bentzi Kampf looked to drive the ball on the first possession, getting fouled and making one free throw. HAFTR decided to try that trick themselves, but made both free throws instead. The next possession, HAFTR came back again and made a driving layup to make the score 23-8. The next few possessions were an aggressive battle down low, with the next 7 points coming from free throw shots. With 2:15 left in the half, David Silbermann of the MACS made the first FG in more than 4 minutes of play for either team, making the score 30-15. A monster chase-down block from Gabe Goldstein at the end of the half was the highlight for the Macs, bringing some energy into the locker room going into half time.

HAFTR came out after halftime driving to the basket, but were mostly being shut down by the Macs big men. The Macs on the other hand, came out shooting, and quickly. Bryan Itkowitz knocked down the first three, and two possessions later, Isaac Graber got one of his own to make the game 35-26. Although the scoreboard said the Macs were the away team, they were obviously the home team once the Memphis crowd got into it. After every shot and bad call, their presence was heard. But their noise couldn’t contain the HAFTR shooting, as they matched every shot the MACS made. At the end of the quarter, HAFTR was leading 47-32.

HAFTR came out with a quick fast-break steal, but the MACS matched it with a wide open 3 from Bentzi Kampf. The next two possessions for HAFTR worked to perfection, as they got two layups to make the score 55-35. Midway through the 4th quarter, the Macs were struggling to find a way back into this game, as they weren’t getting any good shot opportunities. HAFTR was just moving the ball around, trying to run down the clock and seal the win. Final score was 61-46, in favor of the Hawks. HAFTR was led by Mark Spivak and Ari Beratz with 14 points each, while the Macs were led by Bentzi Kampf and his 16 points.