11-6-2014 | HAFTR Hawks puts Kohelet Kings in Check, 69-39

11-6-2014 | HAFTR Hawks puts Kohelet Kings in Check, 69-39

By: Shmuel Perl

In the final game of the day, the #6 HAFTR Hawks faced off against the #11 Kohelet Kings, making their first appearance in the Cooper Invitational. The Hawks, who started the season 4-0, looked to ride their hot start into Cooper Invitational success. They started off well by winning the tip and scoring first. The Hawks continued to overpower the Kings, forcing two turnovers, and going up 6-0. Kohelet got on the board when Erez Galfand hit a free throw, but HAFTR responded, going on a 5-0 run to jump out to a big lead. Both teams hit free throws, and Jesse Blumenthal hit a three to give Kohelet its first field goal of the game. HAFTR went on a 9-0 run led by the play of big men Abie Perlow and Max Rosner. Aaron Simmens from Kohelet hit a three as time ran down in the first, but HAFTR led 25-8.

Jesse Blumenthal hit a long jumper to open the second quarter, but Max Rosner responded with 4 points for HAFTR. With six minutes left in the half, Aviv Yarimi hit a free throw and Jesse Blumenthal made a layup to cut HAFTR’s lead to 15. The two teams battled back and forth for the next few minutes trading baskets multiple times. Then, HAFTR forced another turnover and Abie Perlow turned it into two points. Aaron Simmens hit a free throw, but once again the Kings could not stop Perlow down low, as he converted a second chance opportunity. Johnathan Greenberg scored to end the second as HAFTR led 42-20 at the half.

HAFTR started the third quarter on a 3-0 run highlighted by a great assist from Jonathan Greenberg to Max Rosner. Both teams traded scores, but HAFTR responded with a 4-0 run. Jesse Blumenthal ended the run with a big three, which Erez Galfand followed up with a nice jumper. HAFTR called a timeout, and then came out of it firing on all cylinders, extending their lead to double digits. Ben Kaplan hit a three for Kohelet to end the third quarter, but HAFTR still led 58-30.

Aaron Simmens scored the first bucket of the fourth, but HAFTR came back with a 5-0 run. Both teams scored again, but the next stretch was mostly defined by good defense and many turnovers. Both teams hit free throws, and an Ari Weiss layup cut HAFTR’s lead back to single digits. Bryan Nathan hit a breakaway layup in the final minute, and HAFTR won 69-39. The high scorer for HAFTR was Abie Perlow with 17 points, and the high scorer for Kohelet was Aaron Simmens with 11 points.