Heart of a Champion: Valley Torah’s Epic 17-Point Comeback Stuns Maimonides in Tier III Semifinal
- Marvin Azrak
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a championship program. In a stunning comeback, (17) Valley Torah erased a 17-point halftime deficit to defeat (20) Maimonides 67-66 in the Tier III semifinals, sealing the comeback with a game-saving block at the buzzer for a spot in the tier three championship game.
Maimonides entered as the tournament’s ultimate underdog. The 20th seed, fresh off a 91-51 to #12 HA Montreal just two days prior, found itself up against Valley Torah, a school that two years ago was atop the Jewish Basketball world, winning consecutive Tier I titles and trying to manage their fall from grace. Yet from the jump, it was the M-Cats who dictated the pace.
Freshman sensation and hockey, basketball, and football star Amiel Jotkowitz making his MSAC debut, wasted no time making an impact. He drilled an early three to get Maimo on the board, setting the tone for a first half where he was everywhere—scoring, facilitating, cutting to the rim, and winning 50-50 balls. Zach Gelb, son of head coach Ed Gelb, followed up with a bucket of his own, and before the Wolfpack could blink, they were in a 5-0 hole.
Valley Torah, sluggish and disorganized, struggled to find rhythm early. They had no answer for Jotkowitz, who continued his offensive onslaught, hitting multiple threes and helping Maimo push their advantage to 32-15 by the second quarter. The M-Cats dominated the glass, securing 14 points off second-chance opportunities.
The Valley Torah comeback against Maimonides in the Tier III semifinals was the definition it’s not how you start it’s how you finish (MacsLive)
Midway through the second stanza, Ben Mahgerefteh swiped the rock, took it coast to coast, and finished a tough layup to inject some life into VT. Ben Riss followed with a three, cutting the deficit to 39-25. Slowly, Valley Torah started to find its groove, battling inside and trading baskets down the stretch of the third quarter. A putback by Ethan R’bibo made it 50-35, but Maimo refused to let go of their double-digit cushion.
As the fourth quarter began, Valley Torah unleashed a full-court press, but to no avail. Jotkowitz wove through defenders for a layup, then scooped and scored, making it 58-41 with just 4:40 left. Maimo appeared to be coasting into the finals. Then, the Wolfpack reminded everyone why they’re never out of a tilt.
A furious 8-0 run cut the deficit to 58-49 with four minutes left. Mahgerefteh buried a three. Meir Dan, relentless on the glass all day, added another, slicing their deficit to five.
With 1:27 left, Aaron List banked in a trey to make it 62-58. Coach Lior Schwartzberg had his squad fired up, and the energy in the gym was electric. Jotkowitz—cool as ever despite being a rookie—sank two free throws, giving him 24 points on the afternoon and putting the M-Cats up 66-61 with 49.3 seconds remaining. A Wolfpack turnover seemed to seal their fate, but Jotkowitz was called for a questionable travel, giving Valley Torah another chance. Dan connected from deep, pulling VT within 66-64 with 37 seconds left. Maimo struggled to inbound, and the Wolfpack forced a jump ball, regaining possession with 33.8 seconds to go.
With 18 seconds, down two, Valley Torah needed a bucket. Instead of working the ball around, Dan took a rushed, contested three—but somehow, it dropped for a 67-66 Wolfpack lead.
The M-Cats had one last shot. With 5.6 seconds left, they put the ball in Jotkowitz’s hands. He dished to Gelb, who found a wide-open teammate at the rim for the game-winning layup—except Adam Bouzaglou, seeing his first seconds of action, came flying in from behind to block it at the buzzer, sealing the improbable Wolfpack comeback.
“One thing we were missing was heart, and we gave it in the second half.”, Dan said. He credited Zevi Samet for inspiring him over Shabbat: “He told me everything comes from Hashem. Whether I missed or made a shot, I was happy.”
As for Bouzaglou, the hero of the final play? “My hands still hurt from that block,” he said. “It was crazy.” Valley Torah must hope his hands heal in time for Monday when they go for a Tier III title against #18 Fuchs Mizrachi. Meanwhile, Jotkowitz nation and Maimonides will seek to not finish dead last in Sarachek in their season finale against the Farber Fire.
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