DRS CHAMPS:Wildcats down Flatbush

A combination of motivation and teamwork led the Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) Wildcats to their first junior varsity basketball title in the Woodmere school’s history, as they defeated the Flatbush Falcons by a score of 43-25 to win the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League championship, at Yeshiva University in Manhattan on March 9.

“The key to our victory was motivation,” Wildcats guard Eytan Aryeh said. “We were all motivated to get to our goal of the championship and didn’t let anything get in our way.”

Both teams entered the game undefeated, each touting 13-0 records, including three playoff games. DRS beat the Frisch Cougars of Paramus by a score of 57-46 in a semifinal game on March 3 to clinch a spot in the championship, while Flatbush downed the SAR Sting of Riverdale 50-39 in a March 5 semifinal game to secure their berth.

While Flatbush held the lead early on, the tables turned at the end of the first quarter, courtesy of a three-pointer by Wildcats point guard Yoav Deutsch, the game’s MVP, and a layup by forward and team captain Akiva Ackerman, giving DRS a 10-7 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Wildcats’ momentum continued in the second period, and Deutsch scored on a three-point buzzer-beater to put his team ahead 26-13 at the break. Deutsch scored 16 points in the game, including four three-pointers, propelling DRS’s offense.

“It was a team effort,” Deutsch said humbly about the championship victory.

Center Abie Perlow and power forward Gabriel Leifer made grabbed key rebounds in the second half, sealing the victory for the Wildcats.

Ackerman said everybody made a contribution to the victory. “It was definitely a total team effort,” he said. “Every individual contributed to our championship-winning season.”

DRS Athletic Director Rabbi Michael Finkelstein said that The Wildcats’ execution was perfect on both sides of the ball. “We played a flawless game, both offensively and defensively,” he said.

Yitzchak Carroll is a student at DRS