On Thursday afternoon, the #6 seed Frisch Cougars take on the #11 seed Yavneh Academy Bulldogs of Dallas in a Tier I qualifying game at the Max Stern Athletic Center. It’s been a season of runs for the Cougars, as they started the season off with six consecutive wins but then lost five of their next six games. They then won four straight games, including victories in the first two rounds of the Yeshiva League playoffs, before falling to the eventual champion, the Ramaz Rams, in the semi-finals. They finished with an 11-6 overall record.
They’ll look to get back to their winning ways, but in order to do so, they’ll have to get past a very strong Yavneh squad. Led by Senior Noah Ohayon, the Bulldogs have had a great season, finishing 24-4 and winning 13 straight games before coming up just short in the TAPPS 3A State Title game against Hill Country Christian. This will be Yavneh’s first appearance at Sarachek since 2014 and they’ll be looking to pull off an early upset at this year’s tournament.
Firstly, after disappointing ends to their respective seasons, both teams will be looking to bounce back and try to get themselves into Tier I. This game will be determined by which team is more hungry for the win and is more willing to put their bodies on the line to come out on top. Secondly, Sarachek games are played with a shot clock, so the two teams will need to create open looks much faster than they did during the regular season when they played without one. It will be a faster paced game than what they are used to, so both teams will need to adjust quickly.
This Tier I qualifier will take place in the Max Stern Athletic Center and tip off will be at 1:00 PM. The game will be broadcast by MacsLive; you can watch the game live.
The winner of this game will face off against the winner of the Frisch vs. Yavneh game in a Tier I quarterfinal matchup on Friday at 8AM at the Max Stern Athletic Center, while the loser will take on (22) SCY High on Friday at 9:30AM at the TABC Gym.
Be sure to follow MacsLive.com, as well as MacsLive on Twitter and Instagram, for all Sarachek 2022 coverage.