Hillel Yeshiva HEAT Defeat Northshore Hebrew Academy LIONS 63-49, Advance to Final Four

The final Tier 1 game of the day featured the #4 Hillel HEAT against the #12 North Shore Lions. The game started out with the two teams trading off baskets. Towards the end of the first quarter, Eli Braha hit a long range three pointer, his third of the game, the fourth three pointer for Hillel, giving them a 10 point lead at the 1 minute mark. In the last minute of the quarter, North Shore was able to rally together for a six point run. The score at the first quarter buzzer was 16-12 Hillel.

In an attempt to bring his team back, North Shore’s Andrew Kohanim hit back-to-back layups for 4 points. But after two Hillel 3 pointers, Hillel was back in control of the game. By the half, Hillel had only pushed their lead to 33 to 23. Hillel’s Eli Braha was the star player going into the half with 16 points so far in the game.

North Shore scored the first points of the half, but they were quickly answered by yet another Hillel three pointer. Halfway through the third quarter, North Shore went on a 7 point run, shrinking Hillel’s lead to only 6 points. However, North Shore’s streak ended there, and Hillel was able to use the rest of the third quarter to distance themselves from their opponents. The score at the end of the third was 48-36 Hillel.

Hillel opened the fourth quarter with an Eli Braha three pointer. By the time there were 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Hillel had added 6 more points to their lead. For the rest of the game it was all Hillel, who won with a score of 63-49. Hillel’s victory was largely due to a great effort by Eli Braha, who had 24 points and 6 rebounds on the game. Star players on North Shore included Eli Bokhour with 13 points and Phil Cohen with 12 points and 5 rebounds. With the win, The Heat advance to the Tier 1 Semifinals, while the North Shore Lions move into the Tier 1 consolation bracket.