#11 Rochelle Zell upsets #3 Rambam RAVENS 49-46! Cinderella story cont.

The first game on Friday morning for Tier I featured the #11 Rochelle Zell against the #3 Rambam Ravens. Rochelle Zell battled into Tier I by beating the Flatbush Falcons on Thursday while the Ravens defeated the Katz Yeshiva Storm. The Ravens began the game with a layup from Dovid Lichter. The Tigers began working the ball inside for baskets against the Ravens. On the other side, Aaron Azose started to heat up for the Ravens s. Rochelle Zell took the lead with a beautiful 3-pointer from Lee Farkas. The Tigers finish the 1st quarter strong, with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer form Lee Farkas again, giving themselves a nice lead with the score at 16-9.

The Ravens started to up their defensive game in the 2nd quarter, to try and put a stop to the Tiger’s scoring and close the growing gap. In a struggle for the rebound, Aaron Azose made an impressive put back for the Ravens. But Farkas remained hot for the Tigers, and hit another 3-pointer before the 1st half ends. At halftime, the Tigers remained up by a score of 27-20, and were still on track to score another major upset of the tournament.

The Tigers brought a new energy to their defense in the second half, determined not to let the Ravens make a comeback. Lichter and Shafran tightened the score for the Ravens with two back to back steals for fast break points. But the Ravens were relentless on defense, and kept the pressure on to take back the lead on the Tigers. Azose and Silverstein matched each other, shot for shot. The Tigers managed to get back in the lead with clutch 3-pointers from Silverstein and Isaac Levitan to end the quarter, putting the Tigers back up by a score of 38-33.

Rambam began the 4th quarter by bringing in some subs. These starters had been playing all game up until now. The game was turning into a true battle between these two teams with lead going back forth and the pressure on the court rising. Azose put the Ravens in the lead by one point with 30 seconds left on the clock, but Vayngart turns right around with a layup for the Tigers in traffic with 8 seconds left, and the Tigers go back up by one point. Farkas the sealed the game for the Tigers with a pair of clutch free throws with 2 seconds left on the clock. The Tigers emerged victorious in this nail biter, 49-46. The cinderella run for the Tigers continues as they are the first team to punch a ticket into the Final Four.