In the opener, the JV Falcons jumped out to an early double-digit lead they never relinquished, rolling to a 49-25 dominating victory in a rematch of last season’s MYHSAL JV Championship game. Holding the Wildcats to only 2 points the entire first quarter, it was evident from the tip that these Falcons were ready to pick up where they left off last year. Seamlessly incorporating the new freshmen to the group led by the returning sophomores, the Falcons offense looked in mid-season form and the high-octane pressure defense led by Kevin Haddad (4 steals on the night) stymied the home team all over the court, yielding a grand total of 7 points in the entire first half. Flatbush dominated the glass, with Abie Rosow, Jackie Mishaan and Yoel Goldberg gathering a combined 28 rebounds. As a result, the coaches were able to provide the reserves with extensive minutes, gaining significant game experience that will surely serve the team well as the season progresses.
The Varsity, playing its third game of the pre-season, had to work much harder to earn the victory in the nightcap. Like their younger counterparts, the Varsity Falcons jumped out to an early lead. Behind a continuing flow of half-court trapping pressure and solid interior defense, Flatbush maintained a 6-point cushion throughout the first half. But the offense could not establish a consistency and could not extend a bigger lead. Thankfully, tough defense coupled with a number of miscues inside by the Wildcat offense allowed Flatbush to maintain the lead into the fourth quarter.
But, a burst by the home team late in the game gave the Wildcats the lead for the first time at 33-31 with 5 minutes left to play. At this point, the Boys from Flatbush could have caved. But they did just the opposite. Albert Richter sank a huge 3-pointer to give the Falcons back the lead. Spurred on by his fiery oration and emphatic fist pumping that he would not fall to DRS again (a reference to the JV loss in last years championships), the team never relinquished it the rest of the way as they closed out a hard-fought 45-39 road win. Afterwards, Co-Captain Ray Braha reflected, “Al Richter was outstanding! After giving us back the lead, we weren’t going to let them score again. We were going to win this game!” Braha played a key role in anchoring the defense down the stretch to seal the victory.
Nest Notes:
The JV Boys were led by Jackie Mishaan and Abie Rosow, scoring 18 points and 14 point respectively. They both led the team in rebounds as well, with Rosow pulling down 11 and Mishaan 9. Yoel Goldberg added 8 rebounds as well.
For the Varsity Boys, Mayer Kamkhatchi recorded a double-double(11 points and 10 rebounds). Albert Richter recorded 9 points and 5 steals. Sam Siverman added 7 points on the night.