North Shore Holds Off Late Push from DRS; Lions Crowned Kings of Tier II
- Tzvi Motechin
- Apr 1
- 4 min read
The Tier II Championship matchup between DRS and North Shore Hebrew Academy was a hard-fought, high-intensity battle from the opening tip to the final buzzer. With both teams trading runs, big shots, and momentum throughout, the game stayed tight for all four quarters. Physical defense, timely scoring, and clutch moments defined a contest where every possession mattered and the outcome came down to the final play.
The tone was set early with intensity on both sides. NSHA won the opening tip, but Joe Aaron quickly stole the ball and hit a tough contested jumper to get DRS on the board. Charlie Sassoon answered almost immediately with a three, and it became clear he was going to be a problem. Aaron grabbed another steal and converted the easiest of layups—but once again, Sassoon hit right back with another deep three. Eli Bokhour, NSHA’s other standout, added a smooth shot over a defender, but Tzvi Tsaidi responded for DRS with a strong finish through contact and the and-one to keep the Wildcats in it. Yet just as DRS started gaining momentum, Bokhour drilled another deep three, continuing a pattern of North Shore answering every DRS punch with one of their own. NSHA led 13–11 after a tightly contested first.
The second quarter began with more of the same. Sassoon used a beautiful spin move to finish in traffic, pushing the Lions’ lead to four and prompting an early DRS timeout to regroup. That didn’t stop NSHA’s run. Sassoon and Bokhour combined for a steal and easy layup, extending the lead to nine and putting DRS on their heels. North Shore’s energy on defense and confidence from deep created real separation, and at the half, the Lions held a commanding 24–15 lead.
Any hopes of a reset for DRS at halftime were quickly erased as Bokhour opened the third with another three—his shooting was flat-out surgical all afternoon. Sassoon followed with one of his own, and then North Shore’s big man muscled his way inside for a tough finish to cap off a brutal 8–0 run to start the half. DRS finally found a spark when Tsaidi connected on a much-needed three, and though Sassoon responded with a smooth pull-up jumper, Tsaidi came back down and nailed a jumper of his own. The Wildcats began to show signs of life. A big block from Tsaidi on one end led to a transition finish by Aaron, trimming the deficit to 10. Aaron continued to will his team back, hitting a high-post jumper to close the quarter with DRS down 38–26.
The fourth quarter was a war. Opening with North Shore scoring, DRS answering, and then another NSHA bucket pushing the lead again. Michael Solomon responded with a strong finish through contact, converting the and-one to keep DRS within striking distance. Then, Joe Aaron took over. He buried a three to cut the lead back to 10, then followed it up with another triple on the next possession, slicing the deficit to seven with 4:30 remaining and forcing a North Shore timeout.
After the timeout, Eli Bokhour jumped a passing lane for a steal and was fouled in transition, going 1-of-2 at the line. On the next possession, he again attacked the basket and finished through contact for an and-one opportunity, though he missed the free throw. That pushed the lead back to 10, but Aaron immediately responded with a transition layup to bring it to eight.
After North Shore struggled again to break DRS’s press, the Wildcats forced a turnover and found Michael Solomon cutting to the rim. Solomon finished the play through contact and converted his second and one of the quarter, slicing the lead down to five with just under two minutes remaining.
DRS stayed aggressive. Aaron grabbed his own miss on the next possession and finished inside to make it a three-point game. Bokhour returned to the line and went 1-of-2, and Solomon, once again in rhythm, knocked down a midrange jumper to bring the deficit to just two.
With under a minute to go, North Shore turned the ball over, and Tzvi Tsaidi was fouled with a chance to tie the game. He missed both free throws. North Shore committed an offensive foul on the next inbound, with no time coming off the clock and giving DRS another chance. Joe Aaron was fouled and sent to the line. He missed the first but calmly hit the second, cutting the lead to one.
With the game hanging in the balance, Charlie Sassoon was fouled and went 1-of-2 at the line to give North Shore a 49–47 advantage. Aaron took the ball coast to coast and got a clean look at a floater—but it rolled off the rim at the buzzer, sealing North Shore’s 49–47 win and the 2025 Tier II Championship.
As the final buzzer sounded, North Shore stormed the court in celebration, officially crowned the 2025 Tier II Champions after a thrilling, hard-earned victory. Led by Eli Bokhour and Charlie Sassoon’s electric play, the Lions delivered clutch shot after clutch shot, silencing every DRS run with poise and precision. Their relentless effort on both ends of the floor and ability to answer in the biggest moments sealed a championship performance worthy of the spotlight. For DRS, Joe Aaron once again showed why he’s one of the tournament’s brightest stars, nearly willing his team to a miraculous comeback. Michael Solomon and Tzvi Tsaidi added key moments in a game that came down to a single bounce. But on this night, it was North Shore’s time—and they seized it in an unforgettable fashion.
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