Cooper “RAMS” through for first time; defeats Hyman Brand 51-39

In the first game of Championship Sunday, The Cooper Macs and the Hyman Brand Rams played for 15th and 16th place of the tournament. It was an old-school, low-scoring, defensive game. Both teams came out playing with intensity and energy. In the 1st quarter it was the Macs who were struggling, as they allowed the Rams to get off to an early 7-1 run with Addison Brand leading the charge. With minutes left in the first quarter, Joel Weinstein started to get their offense rolling, scoring five consecutive points including an and-one layup. The Macs trailed by 10 at the end of the first quarter, as Judah Schuster and company were able to match the Macs on the other end of the floor every time.

The Macs came out the huddle firing on all cylinders. Sophomore Benjamin Siegel led the offense, hitting a big three, as the Macs cut the lead down to two. With five minutes left in the half, the Macs’ David Mashinsky tied up the game at 18. However, the Rams would not give in, as they responded with a three from Miller Brown. The Macs, though trailing, stayed in the game throughout the majority of the second quarter. Then, with 20 seconds left in the half, Benjamin Mendelson hit a contested layup and gave the Macs a two point lead, their first of the game. They led 23-21 going into the break.

In the third quarter, the Macs’ defense stepped up. They held Hyman Brand to just one point until halfway through the third quarter. All they needed was a spark of offense to pull ahead for good. Finally, freshman, Dovid Reuven Wogan, found his rhythm and caught fire. He fueled his team to a 14-1 scoring run, scoring seven of those points. He carried his team to a 14 point lead and gave the fans glimpses of the bright future for the Cooper Macs. In the third quarter, the Macs not only got it rolling on the offensive end, but they took their defense to another level as well. They held the Rams to just two third quarter points and felt good going into the final quarter of the game.

Down by 14 in the fourth, The Rams were not going to give up that easily. Max Blinn knocked down consecutive three-pointers and, all of a sudden, gave this Rams team hope. The Macs were in a rare situation in the fourth quarter where the clock was on their side. They took advantage of that, holding the ball and extending plays. The Macs continued to extend their lead. With 2 minutes left in the game, Hershel Peiser scored his first points of the tournament, extending the lead to 15 and finishing off the Rams. The final score was 51-39. The high scorer for the Macs was Joel Weinstein with 15 points. The high scorer for the Rams was Max Blinn with 15 as well. The Macs got their first win of the tournament and finished in 15th place.

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