The Ramaz Girls & Boys Varsity basketball teams took part in the 7th annual Steve Glouberman Basketball Tournament, hosted by Shalhevet in LA. The tournament featured 10 teams on the boys' side and 8 teams on the girls' side. The anticipation and excitement were palpable as both teams looked to begin their seasons.
Both teams flew out west early Wednesday morning with an abundance of Ramaz spirit and pride as seen by the new Ramaz Basketball sweatshirts. The teams had a very tall and daunting task ahead as they were set to play YULA, a local west coast Yeshiva. The boys' game was first and at the half, they found themselves down by 3 points. Coach Scott Ferguson had the team ready to begin the 3rd quarter and take control of the game, highlighted by an 18-3 run to turn the game in Ramaz's favor. The Rams were led by the sensational shooting of Julius Rubinstein with 22 points and timely buckets from Caleb "The weekend in review" Rosenfeld, with 16, as well as a big-time 3 pointer from Joe Kaplan. The final score was Ramaz 58 and Yula 52.
The girls took the courts next and looked to carry the momentum and sweep both games from the YULA Panthers. The game was close the entire game and featured some aggressive and impressive play by Rae Kaplan and Leila Sakhai, as well as great defense by Molly Hiltzik. In the end, the long day of travel and time change caught up with us and YULA was able to squeak out a 42-37 victory.
Thursday saw both teams back in action and this time with a little rest at their disposal. The boys took on the Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars from Maryland and were able to control the game, led by a scintillating performance by point guard, "Jmill," Jeremy Miller and big-time buckets by Cy Aminzadeh. The Rams prevailed by a score of 46 to 38.
The girls came out strong against the Ida Crown Aces from Chicago and showed some nice effort on their way to an early lead. They put in a complete team effort and were primed for the victory, but ultimately, the Aces were able to battle back and snatch the victory from the Rams.
The preliminary rounds of the tournament were now complete, and the seeding and playoffs were set. Although the boys finished 2-0, they received a tough draw and would face the Haftr Hawks in the quarterfinals. The girls had a much more difficult path, as they would face the host and tourney favorite, Shalhevet Fire Hawks.
The girls got an early start and were set to play in the loud environment of the Shalhevet gym. No one gave our girls much of a chance to pull off the monumental upset in front of the home crowd. Once the ball was tipped, the girls from Manhattan had other ideas. Rae Kaplan came out on fire and kept the girls in the game as she traded buckets with the high-powered stars of Shalhevet. At halftime, the Rams were leading the Fire Hawks and the team was starting to believe that a victory was possible. The 2nd half was when Shalhevet started to make a statement and if not for the stellar play of Chloe "it's my bday" Gad and Lila Ellman, the game could have been over. The girls gave a valiant and emotional effort and, in the end, came up a few baskets short.
The Boys were ready to take on the Haftr Hawks, with the winner advancing to the Semi Finals on Saturday night. The Rams came out strong and had their attention focused on the Hawks' star player. Morris Dabah was given the defensive assignment and he used all his will and determination to shut him down. The offense was paced by a balanced attack of Rubinstein, Aminzadeh, and Miller, and the awakening of Caleb Rosenfeld in the 2ndhalf. The Rams were victorious by a score of 51-38 and were set to battle the hometown favorite Shalhevet Fire Hawks on Saturday night.
The scene was set, prime-time matchup, hostile environment, a trip to the finals on the line. The Ramaz Rams were ready for it all and came out raining 3's and took an early lead. The game plan Coach Scott Ferguson put into place was working to perfection and the Rams were riding high. Rubinstein had a quick 11 points and Dabah was hitting big shots, and everything was going the Rams way. Unfortunately, the Rams got into serious foul trouble and had some very questionable calls go against them. They did all they could, but with a combination of foul trouble and battling things out of their control, they ultimately came up a bit short.
Our teams played their hearts out and the tournament was an incredible experience that will help them as they embark on their upcoming Yeshiva League season. Julius Rubinstein was named to the all-tournament team and all the players came away with memories that will last a lifetime!
Looking forward to a great athletic season and don't forget to come to our home games and cheer on your Rams!
