When the Valley Torah Wolfpack landed in New York last Wednesday, they had one goal in mind, which was to win the 2022 Sarachek Tournament, which consists of the best Yeshivah basketball teams in North America, for the first time in school history.
On Monday afternoon at Yeshivah University, that came to fruition for the Wolfpack(36-4) punctuated a staggering season with a decisive rally in the championship for a 55-45 win over the DRS Wildcats.
Valley Torah entered the tournament with high aspirations, especially with Maccabees star and NBA draft prospect Ryan Turell accompanying his alma-mater. As the two seed, they toyed with MTA Lions and overcame an early deficit for a 48-39 victory. In the elite eight, they fought back down 14 points and pulled away with free throws for a thrilling 58-51 win over the Magen David Warriors, who would eventually finish the tournament in fifth place. On Sunday, the three seeded TABC Storm out of Bergen County spotted the Wolfpack a 13 point lead before Valley scintillated from beyond the arc and had turned the tables by halftime en route to a 45-34 win that pitted them against four seeded DRS on Monday.
The Wildcats(15-4), meanwhile, paced the MYSHAL Eastern conference for much of the regular season in the Yeshivah league but, after receiving a first-round bye, were upended by Frisch 56-55 in a devastating defeat. Seeing this as a second opportunity, they breezed past YULA 67-41, then downed the two-time reigning Sarachek champions in the Shalhevet Firehawks out of California 57-42, and ousted the top-seeded SAR Sting(17-4) 45-44 in an instant classic to book their spot in Monday's fateful encounter.
With a captivated house present at the Max Stern athletic center in New York, Valley leading scorer and superstar Jonny Dan got things started with a triple before a putback solidified the premature 16-10 Wolfpack advantage. Ezra Dubin would help keep it tight for DRS, with his mid-range jumper pulling his team to within 19-12, but Valley would wrestle momentum and held a commanding 31-22 lead into intermission. The Wolfpack stifled Ari Ivry and the Wildcats' offense with their demolition on the boards down low while outmuscling them on the offensive end. The lead ballooned to 42-28 with just minutes remaining in the frame and DRS looking somewhat complacent. However, as if digging into the origins of their team name and birthing it into existence, the Wildcats ignited their faithful with a bewildering 15-0 run, capped when Isaac Thurm drove the lane to seize the 43-42 hold with 3:30 left in regulation. But the Wolfpack roared back with a couple of free throws before a robust sequence sent them on their way towards glory. Looking to steady the tide, Valley became a bit too lackadaisical, and a turnover led to what appeared to be an Ivry open layup. Still, Johny Dan chased him down for the rejection, and David Paz connected with a corner trey to extend the Valley Torah lead before another forced error by Dan, preluding a layup that increased the grip to 49-43 with 2:19 left.
Moments later, Paz repeated the feat to regain the seven-point Wolfpack advantage. DRS was repulsed offensively by the defensive pressure to conjure an adequate response, thus allowing Valley Torah to clinch the contest on free throws and take the championship trophy as the Jewish nation's best high school basketball team home with them to Los Angeles.
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