NSHA Stars Pull Off First Upset, Defeat Posnack Rams at buzzer, 44-42

In its inaugural game at the Cooper Invitational, The #8 Posnack Rams faced the #9 North Shore Hebrew Academy Stars. The Rams started the game with a clean fade from behind the arc, immediately showing what they are here to do. North Shore returned fire with a three-pointer and they took the lead. North Shore continued to shut down Posnack’s offense, while their offense kept attacking the paint running up the score. The 1^st quarter ended with North Shore up 8-3.

Posnack looked to get back in the game with two steals and a three-pointer as the 2^nd quarter began. But their attempt did not do too much, as North Shore’s relentless attack on the basket gave way to a double digit lead, midway through the quarter. The Rams did not give up, and Posnack used their quicker guards to beat North Shore’s defense and they put up 4 points on fast breaks alone. Joel Brandwein added to the comeback with a clutch three, taking the Stars lead down to only 6. Steven Moshel of the Stars fought back with a three of his own, pushing the lead back up to 9. As the half ended, Seth Wasserstorm added to the three trend, cutting the Stars lead back down to 6 with score 19-13 at halftime.

As the second half started, North Shore set out to stretch the lead with Tsor putting up 4 more points, bringing his scoring total to 12 points. However, Schultz proved Posnack had not given up yet with a three pointer and free throw to complete the 4-point play. Tsor and Wasserstorm took turns boosting the Rams, but Harry Tawil countered for the Stars with a strong and-1. The press by Posnack got them a steal and a stop just as North Shore was starting to heart up. Posnack finally started to get into a rhythm, with another steal and Wasserstorm lighting up the arc. However, the Stars regained their balance, with a solid put up in the paint as the 3^rd quarter ended with the Stars up 34-30.

North Shore scored again off a rebound, and put an end to Posnack’s hot streak. Meanwhile, Posnack huddled up and tried to regain the momentum they lost. However, North Shore’s defense started to take a toll on the Rams’ offense and not letting them score for the first four minutes of the 4^th quarter. As the game winds down, Posnack was still up by 5 and both teams went into the bonus. The Rams scrambled to cut into the lead they had been chasing all game. With just 1:16 left, Posnack scored a crucial free throw. As the game ticked down to just under a minute, an and-1 by Daub made it a one point game. The air was electric, as another foul send Daub to the line where he tied the game for the Rams. A missed layup gave Tawil a shot to win the game, and his last second tip won the game for the Stars 44-42. North Shore completes the upset of the Rams and moves into Tier 1, while the Rams move into Tier 2 for the remainder of the tournament. The Stars were led by Michael Tsor with 19 points, while the Rams got 16 points from Joey Levy in a heartbreaking loss.