Hornets Survive the Thunder: Wiederkehr’s 29 Lifts #1 Heichal Past JEC 54–51

The top seed needed every point. #1 Heichal HaTorah beat #4 JEC, 54–51, in Saturday night’s Tier II Semifinal on Court 2, a game that was tied five times and swung back and forth until the final seconds.

Aharon Rozehzadeh scored nine points in the first quarter, including a three, and JEC led 12–9 after one. Eli Wiederkehr took over in the second. He scored back-to-back baskets to give Heichal the lead and added two more, and the Hornets held JEC to five points in the quarter to lead 21–17 at the half.

Wiederkehr and Akiva Jacoby kept scoring in the third, and Heichal led by eight at 31–23. The Thunder came back. Eli Walzman scored and made a free throw and Aaron Feuerberg scored inside to cut it to 32–31, and Heichal led 38–33 after three.

Rozehzadeh opened the fourth with a three and a basket to tie it at 38, and then gave JEC a 42–40 lead. Wiederkehr answered with a basket and a three, and after Yoni Dubrow‘s three tied it at 45, Wiederkehr scored again and made a free throw. Jacoby’s basket made it 50–45, but Feuerberg scored twice to cut it to one. Wiederkehr scored with 2:09 left, Rozehzadeh answered to make it 52–51, and Arron Edell made two free throws with 15 seconds left to seal it.

Wiederkehr led everyone with 29 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter. Jacoby added 14 and Edell 7. Rozehzadeh led JEC with 20 points, Aharon Erez had 12 and Dubrow 9.

Up next: Heichal plays NSHA for the Tier II Championship on Sunday at 11:45 AM on Court 2. JEC plays Katz for third place at 10:30 AM on Court 2.

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