It was another Shalhevet statement. Instead of the shootout some might’ve expected, it became a defensive clinic as the #2 Firehawks rolled past #7 Flatbush 44–30 to move into the Tier I semifinals. From the jump, you could see the tone Shalhevet wanted to impose. They made life miserable for Aaron Romano, whose offensive rhythm was disrupted and nearly taken away completely by a defense that was disciplined and relentless. Flatbush wasn’t disorganized, but their offense beca

Friday picks: #3 Frisch vs #6 SAR Yosef Silver: Give me the Sting in this one, as SAR ends Frisch’s season twice in upset fashion. SAR 62 Frisch 58 Ari Schopf: Frisch will avenge their Yeshiva League semifinal loss to SAR and Stepner will put up 25+ points in the win. Frisch 60 SAR 54 Marvin Azrak: Stepner takes over. And that’s the difference as the Cougars avenge their Yeshiva League semifinal loss. Final: Frisch 68, SAR 60 Zachary Sicklick: These are both 2 great teams. Fr

This one played out exactly how it was drawn up until one performance ruled the roost and bent the entire game to its will. #7 Flatbush takes it 51–44 over #10 Ida Crown, advancing to the Tier I Elite Eight, but don’t let the score fool you — this was a mercurial battle of pace vs. control, a game that kept shifting its shape before finally settling into one clear reality. Early on, you could almost see the vista Ida Crown envisioned. Slow it down. Stay disciplined. Turn this

This is one of those matchups that feels a little dangerous, but sometimes a little danger is what makes a great game. Leading the #10 Ida Crown Aces from Chicago, Illinois is Coach Jonathan Rich. While the Ida Crown lost many of their players from last year, they have a good blend of returning players and JV guys who have moved up. The team is made up of disciplined and capable players. Judah Well will impact the game in many ways: on the glass, defensively, and by stabiliz

Note: Akiva Poppers has resigned from the panel as he is now an assistant coach at Ramaz. In his place is MacsLive Associate Producer, Zachary Sicklick. Wednesday picks: HANC vs. JEC Yosef Silver: These two teams played earlier in the year, but both coaches would tell you that they aren’t putting too much stock into the JEC blowout victory. JEC is a talented team with a few nice pieces. In their playoff game, HANC showed us they can hang with some of the best. I think this g