The Heschel boys and girls varsity basketball teams competed at the Weiner Family Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland. Both teams displayed resilience and grit over the five-day event, competing against other Jewish teenagers from the tri-state area, Maryland, Canada and Israel.
The girls team finished in fifth place with a 2-4 record. Although their final result fell short of their aspirations, the team put on a strong campaign and greatly improved from last year.
After the tournament, head coach Megan McKenna said, “Even though we have a lot of newcomers, the seniors have embraced it. I can see the support amongst the team during games rooting for each other to succeed. We have a fun-filled roster and I am looking forward to the impact the trip will hold for the rest of the season.”
After a huge bounce-back win at homecoming, the boys team continued their success at the tournament going 6-1. The boys team finished their group games with a spectacular 5-0 record. The team faced Boyar in the semi-final game, a team which the Heat had already beaten in pool play.
After beating Boyar, the team set its eyes on the trophy, which would be the school’s first in the tournament since 2014. The team would face off against The Community Hebrew academy of Toronto in the championship game on Saturday night. After falling behind early in the first half, the team never really found their footing and lost 34-18.
After the tournament, sophomore Noah Margolis said, “We succeeded in the tournament because we worked together and supported each other. We played with confidence and brought the best level of play that we could.”