The WOLFPACK tame the TIGERS. Valley Torah downs Rochelle Zell 53-41

In the Tier II consolation game, the Rochelle Zell Tigers played the Valley Torah Wolfpack in a hard fought battle. They played for third place of Tier II. Rochelle Zells’ Jake Silvers made an early impact on the game, as he finished tough plays in the paint and collected tough rebounds. He had 6 points within the first four minutes of the game. Benji Dan and David Paz kept Valley Torah in the game. They combined for 14 of their team’s 15 points in the first quarter, and had a five point lead going into the second quarter.

Jake Silvers continued to dominate into the second quarter. To open it up, he scored five straight and cut the Wolfpack’s lead down to 1. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they couldn’t find a way to stop Benji Dan, whether he beat them inside or out. Valley Torah were the underdogs coming into this game, but they sure didn’t look like it by halftime. There were only three players on the Wolfpack who scored in the first half. Thanks to Benji Dan and David Paz combined 25 points, they were looking at a 29-20 halftime lead.

Both defenses stepped up in the second half, but if Rochelle Zell wanted to get back into the game, they were going to need to step up their offense as well. They looked for sparks from Ari Rosen, and he delivered. Unfortunately, turnovers, missed defensive rebounds, and missed layups cost the Tigers big time. Valley Torah went on another scoring run with David Paz leading the charge and, at one point, extending the lead to 14. Rochelle Zell was able to chip into the lead a little and cut it down to ten going into the final quarter. They hoped to carry over their momentum and start a comeback.

Valley Torah didn’t allow the Tigers to gain any edge over them. They held the ball for the first three minutes of the quarter, as both teams went scoreless during that time. Then, with 4 and a half minutes left in the game, Jake Silvers came up big. He hit a top of the key jumper, cut the lead down to 8, and gave his team hope. There wasn’t enough time left, however, and David Paz iced the game with two clutch free throws. Even with 40 seconds left in the game, while the Tigers were down by 8, they never gave up until the final buzzer. The Wolfpack won the game 53-41. The high scorer for the Wolfpack was Benji Dan with 21 points. The high scorer for the Tigers was Jake Silvers with 23. The Tigers take home the fourth place title of Tier II, and the Wolfpack take home the third.

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