Cooper Invitational

JEC Thunder Avoid Invitational Basement, Defeat Montreal Heat 54-53

In a Sunday morning game, the #7 JEC Thunder faced off against the #5 Montreal Heat in a battle to avoid the Cooper Invitational basement. The Heat got off to a great start, with Yoni Drazin scoring the first points of the game, and the Heat using their height advantage to silence the Thunder. Threes from Yishai Arnheim and Moshe Heller would give the Thunder a blast of momentum, earning them their first lead of the game in the last 2 minutes of the quarter. After Moshe Heller nailed another three, the quarter ended with the Thunder in control, up 12-6.

In the second quarter, both teams turned up the heat on defense, which resulted in no one scoring in the first three minutes. Finally, Eli Fish and Sam Benisti got some points on the board for the Heat, cutting the deficit down to two. This did not deter the Thunder, who responded with a three from Jackie Sutton. The Heat and Thunder went back and forth all quarter, as the game got closer and closer. A few free throws from Benisti at the end of the quarter would put the Heat in the lead, up 24-22 at the end of the half.

The third quarter began with a stronger effort from JEC, who took the lead under the leadership of Moshe Heller, who finished strong at the rim play after play. The Heat trailed close behind, finally tying the game in the last 2 minutes of the quarter. A three from Ricky Gooman would put the Thunder back in the lead. When the quarter closed, the Thunder led 40-37.

Yishai Arnehim and Jake Goldberg got things rolling for the Thunder, putting them on a 5-0 run to start the quarter. The Heat came right back, with Yoni Drazin eventually tying the game at 46. Both teams were neck and neck all quarter, but the Thunder had the slight edge. With 15 seconds left, the Heat trailed by two. The Thunder got the ball to Heller, who attacked the basket and put the Thunder up four. In the last 5 seconds, Drazin knocked down a three, and the Heat trailed by just one point! Unfortunately, The Heat couldn’t score as clock wound down, and the Thunder would take this one, winning in a nailbiter, 54-53. The Thunder were paced by Yoni Drazin with 15 points, while the Heat got 18 points from Moshe Heller.

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