After being humbled by fourth-seeded Frisch in Thursday’s battle of the Cougars, thirteenth-seeded Berman approached Friday’s tilt against the 20th-seeded Kohelet Kings, who were searching for an upset, as an opportunity for redemption.
At the outset, Berman flexed their muscles from beyond the arc, taking a commanding 22-5 lead into the second quarter before withstanding the Kings' pushback for a 33-23 advantage at the break. Kohelet would continue to show their resilience as they quickly sliced their deficit to 39-33, led by the offensive heroics of Eli Wallace, who finished with 30 points.
Yet it wouldn’t be enough as Berman proved to be the more lively bunch and responded with a 17-5 run for a 56-38 hold, one they would never relinquish en route to a 71-59 win.
Leading the way for the Cougars was Alex August, who poured in 26 points, including six three-pointers, while Itai Rozmaryn added 21, and Asher Falk had 20. The victory sees the Cougars advance to the Tier II bracket, where they’ll meet the twelfth-seeded Mekor Chaim Cyclones at 10:30 PM on Saturday at TABC,
As for the Knights, they’ll look to resurrect themselves in Tier III. Awaiting them will be the Or Chaim Knights on Saturday night at Ma’ayanot, with tip-off slated for 10:30 PM.
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