The Wolfpack Weathers the Cyclone: Top-Seeded Valley Rolls Past Mekor Chaim 60–37

Cyclones are dangerous early. Wolves are patient. The #1 Valley BC Wolfpack weathered an early gust from #17 Mekor Chaim, then took the wind out of the Cyclones with a suffocating second quarter on the way to a 60–37 win in Thursday’s Tier I First Round on Court 2.

Mekor Chaim, playing its second game of the day after knocking out Rochelle Zell 43–35 in the morning play-in, came out swinging. Aaron Hoffman opened the scoring with a three and a quick basket made it 5–0. The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with five lead changes, before Gabriel Masud scored five points and Emanuel Boroukhim added a three and a basket to give Valley a 14–13 edge after one.

Then the pack closed in. Valley won the second quarter 12–2, holding the Cyclones to a single basket by Aron Frager. Dvir Assayag Raham scored twice and Boroukhim and Masud kept attacking as the Wolfpack took a 26–15 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was where the top seed showed its teeth. Valley scored the first five points of the half and outscored Mekor Chaim 18–6 in the period, with Ethan R’bibo and Eli Leibowitz each hitting a three, to lead 44–21 after three. The lead peaked at 28 in the fourth. Hoffman never stopped firing for the Cyclones, with two more threes in the final quarter, and the fourth quarter finished 16–16, but by then the storm had long since passed.

Boroukhim led a balanced Valley attack with 13 points, Leibowitz added 10 and Masud 9, and nine different Wolfpack players scored. Hoffman finished with a game-high 16 points and three threes for Mekor Chaim, whose run from the play-in to the First Round was one of Thursday’s best stories.

Up next: Valley advances to Friday’s Super 8 to face #8 TABC.

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