11-3-2016 | COOPER MACS CORRAL MESIVTA MUSTANGS

11-3-2016 | COOPER MACS CORRAL MESIVTA MUSTANGS

By: Akiva Finkelstein

The #5 seed and hometown Cooper Macs went up against the #12 seed Mesivta of Greater Philadelphia Mustangs. The stakes were high for the Macs, who haven’t been seeded this high in years, and the bleachers were packed with spectators who came out to support them. The Mustangs started off strong defensively, causing two turnovers in the first few minutes. It was Jeffrey Owen, however, who had the first points of the game, helping the Macs get off to a 6-0 start. The Macs expanded their lead, with Kampf’s strong offensive plays. Owen was key as well for the Macs, as they finished off the quarter up 16-3.

In the second quarter, the Macs continued to play well. Daniel Katz got the crowd riled up with some impressive plays of his own, keeping the Macs at a comfortable lead. The Mustangs struggled to keep up with the pace set by the Macs, and they turned over the ball and missed shots throughout. The ball movement of the Macs was phenomenal and they got everyone involved as they rallied on. Hochstadt put up a few points for the Mustangs, but it wasn’t enough to slow down Cooper as they ended the quarter leading 38-7.

In third quarter, the Macs kept up their strong performance. Ethan Morris, a first year varsity player, set the tone with a beautiful play, which gave Cooper a very comfortable lead. The Mustangs struggled play after play, and the Macs basically clinched the game. Chants of “Joel, Joel, Joel,” began as the young freshman came off the bench to play. The Macs never slowed down the pace, and continued to dominate, finishing the quarter up 56-13.

The fourth quarter was the icing on the cake for the Macs. The crowd was roaring as Elan Cooper got his first points off of a beautiful and-one play. Mogyoros Abraham gave the Mustangs a small boost with five and ten points respectively, but the game had ended long ago. The Macs brought pride to their school and community as they took this one, winning 65-26. Katz led Memphis with 17 points.