Cooper Invitational

11-7-2014 | CJHS Tigers Fend Off Atlanta Jaguars, 52-51

11-7-2014 | CJHS Tigers Fend Off Atlanta Jaguars, 52-51

By: Tani Finkelstein

The Chicagoland Jewish HS Tigers took on the Atlanta Jewish Academy Jaguars in a Tier II matchup on Friday afternoon. In the first quarter, Chicagoland had a rough start until a Newlander 3-pointer and-1 gave them some much needed momentum. With aggressive defense and hustle, the Tigers began to force a lot of Jaguars turnovers. Zev Frankel kept the game in control for Atlanta, with the score at the end of the first quarter, 13-12, in favor of the Jaguars.

In the second quarter, Newlander continued his dominance, scoring an impressive 16 points in the half. His Tigers were making their shots, continuing their aggressive defense, and seemed to be pulling away. Samuel Kalnitz, the big man for the Jaguars, had other plans in mind. Kalnitz was a force down low in the second for Atlanta, scoring 12 points in the half and keeping Atlanta within striking range. The score at the end of the half was 28-21, Chicagoland in the lead.

The third quarter was a three-point shootout, with a total of seven threes made. Jaguars’ wings Dustin Dayani and Zev Frankel both pitched in two triples, while Newlander drained two three pointers for the Tigers. The Tigers were able to give themselves their first double-digit lead, but Atlanta managed to cut it down to six,and the score at the end of the third quarter was 45-39 in favor of Chicagoland.

Atlanta owned the fourth quarter. With the dominance of forward Zev Frankel, they cut the deficit to two. Newlander continued to score, however, and with thirty seconds left to play, the Tigers were up three points. Atlanta called a timeout, and drew up a play. The ball swung around the top of the key and went to Frankel, who was double-teamed. Frankel passed it out to his sharpshooting-teammate Dustin Dayani, who nailed the clutch three to tie the game at 51 points apiece. Newlander was fouled on the ensuing possession, and went to the line for two shots. Newlander missed the first, but the second one found the bottom of the basket, giving Chicagoland a 1-point lead with five seconds left to play. Atlanta, without any timeouts remaining, ran down the court. Dayani’s potential game-winning three-point attempt found nothing but air, and the buzzer sounded, giving the Tigers a 52-51 win. Samuel Kalnitz finished with 20 points for the Jaguars, while Newlander led the Tigers with 29 points.

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