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Preview: #14 YOC Vs. # 19 Akiva (11:30 A.M. Eastern) MacsLive Staff Published on: 03/09/2010 The Yeshiva Or Chaim Knights (Toronto, ON) will begin their Tier-II title defense when they take on the Akiva Pioneers (Southfield, MI) Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m. Central) at the Max Stern Athletic Center. The game, which is a Tier-II qualifier, can be heard live on MacsLive.com. The 19th-seeded Pioneers, not traditionally among Sarachek’s top contenders, will try to make a push in Tier II this season. They hope to turn around a trend in which they have found themselves on the wrong side of close games this year. Akiva has lost six games by two points or less. The Pioneers are led by guard/forward Armi Kohn, who at six-feet is one of the Pioneers’ big men. Akiva’s fortunes may hang on Kohn’s ability to drive to the basket and convert from the free-throw line, particularly late in close games.
The Pioneers employ a 3-2 press to force turnovers, often leading to easy baskets. The transition game is particularly important because of Akiva’s difficulty in shooting from the outside.
Guard Tzvi Klein, forward/center Dovi Snider, and center Noah Spalter lead the defensive effort and will try to win the rebounding battle for Akiva. Forward Ben Green comes off the bench to help create turnovers, and may look to drive to the basket as well.
The Or Chaim Knights return to the Max Stern Athletic Center this year for the 15th time. The Knights were seeded 14th last year as well, going 4-0 at Sarachek to come in first place in Tier-II.
The Knights had hoped for a higher seeding and a shot at Tier-I. They are led in scoring by Akiva Maresky and Yishai Kurtz, who average 18.5 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Kurtz also leads the team with 10.5 rebounds per game.
The 2010 Knights appear to measure up well against last year’s squad. Last year, Or Chaim lost to the top team in their league, Mother Theresa, by 40-plus points; this year, they narrowed the margin down to 12. The 2010 Knights also defeated Cardinal Newman twice, including a 20-point victory in the playoffs; last year, they were beaten by Cardinal Newman.
The winner of this game will play on Friday at TABC in a second Tier-II qualifier. The loser will have a bye tomorrow, and will play in the Tier-IV semifinals on Saturday night at the Max Stern Athletic Center. No comments yet, add your own below! You will need to activate your comment via a link sent to your email address. You must provide a valid email address.
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