The first-ever play-in game in Sarachek history saw the DRS Wildcats defeat the Frisch Cougars 52-41, ending the Cougars’ season.
DRS took a 8-7 lead in a low-scoring and turnover-filled first quarter, before Frisch tied the game at 15 with 2:50 left in the half. About a minute later, James Dyckman was fouled from downtown and hit all three free throws to give Frisch the lead. After that, Frisch found their groove offensively and took a 22-17 lead going into halftime.
The DRS Wildcats used a 22-6 second half surge to defeat the Frisch Cougars 52-41 in the maiden play-in game in the history of the Red Sarachek tournament. (Photo Credit: Eidan Horn/MacsLive)
In the second half, DRS came out of the locker room flying, scoring 6 straight points and taking advantage of Frisch in the paint. With 5:30 left in the third, they pulled ahead. As the lead changed hands, Roni Heumann took a technical foul - his fifth overall - with 2:14 left, giving Joe Aaron a chance to take the lead for DRS once again. His shots sparked an 11-0 run to give DRS a 39-28 lead going into the final frame, outscoring Frisch by 22-6 in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, DRS continued to dominate in the paint while suffocating the Cougars with their zone defense. They jumped out to a 14-point lead, but a couple of Dyckman threes for Frisch cut the deficit to 10 with 3:59 left in the game. Frisch’s comeback effort briefly stalled, as Aaron blocked Jared Reich with 2:37 to go, but fired up again as a couple of three-pointers by Max Schachter and Dyckman cut the deficit to 7 with 1:18 to play. Winding down the game, Aaron and Tzvi Tsaidi each hit layups to ice a 52-41 win for the Wildcats.
Joe Aaron and Aiden Buchbinder led the scoring for the Wildcats with 24 and 16 points, respectively. James Dyckman led the Cougars with 15 points, going 4-9 from downtown.
The Wildcats move on to play #4 Shalhevet on Thursday at 2:30 PM at the Max Stern Athletic Center. That game can also be streamed right here on MacsLive.