SARACHEK PANEL GAME PREDICTIONS: MONDAY
- MacsLive Staff
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
UPDATED STANDINGS
Akiva Poppers: 7-3
Yosef Silver: 19-8
Ari Schopf: 19-8
Marvin Azrak: 22-5
Zachary Sicklick: 21-6
Oren Glickman: 12-11
AP: As hard as Hillel works defensively, I think the talent gap might be a bit too much to overcome here in their first ever championship game appearance. HANC will go from winning the play-in to winning a Tier III Championship. HANC 54, Hillel 41.
YS: Hillel survived Beren by the skin of their teeth in a game that was competitive down the stretch while HANC took care of business against SCY High. HANC has really impressed me this tournament, and their core of juniors has shown potential. Give me the Hurricanes to become the second team to start as a play-in and end with a trophy. HANC 67 Hillel 41
AS: Hillel is a team that never backs down from any matchup. They bring relentless intensity, especially on the defensive end. In Sarachek, strong defense puts you in a great position to win, which is exactly what Hillel relies on. I expect them to shut down a talented HANC offense and capture the Tier 3 championship.
Hillel 44 HANC 40
MA: Hillel will fight. They’ll scrap, press, and fight for everything. Yet HANC will prove to have too much talent led by Davidowitz, value late possessions, and start getting to the line to help finish what they started. From play-in to a trophy, go get em Hurricanes!
Final: HANC 52 Hillel Pittsburgh 42
ZS: Hillel played a great game today and earned their spot in the Tier III ship against Beren. It was a back-and-forth game with hustle being the key to their victory. HANC had to work their way into this tournament, and they have a chance to finish what they started. Hillel is the underdog, and fans always root for the underdog (unless you had Florida making it to the Final 4), but I don’t think they can shut down Tilis and Davidovitz enough to emerge victorious. HANC 52 Hillel 44
OG: HANC can be proud of what they did these last few months- almost upsetting MDY in the first round of the playoffs, proving the skeptics wrong and making it into the full Sarachek field, and now they will be rewarded for their efforts with a Tier 3 title. Hillel have a few good pieces, but I expect Davidovits and Tilis to put the Hurricanes over the mark.
HANC 55 Hillel 38
AP: Both TABC and Ida Crown were hitting on all cylinders in their Sunday semifinal wins. I think this game will come down to which team can get consistent stops and keep their opponent under 50. I think I trust Ida Crown a bit more to do that. The Storm have proven me wrong twice, but third time’s the charm. Aces 52, TABC 47.
YS: Ida Crown was impressive in their Sunday win against Fuchs. Their press gave Fuchs problems and Judah Well was lights out. However, this TABC team has been great this tournament, hanging with Jewish Culture before taking care of SCY, outlasting YULA, and blowing out Berman. This is an extremely well-coached team with Coaches Oz and Stepner and I think they’re playing at their peak. The Storm have so many ways to beat you with all of their scoring options on the floor. Give me TABC in this one as the defending champions return home with some hardware. TABC 50 Ida Crown 45
AS: If TABC can beat Berman, there is no team they can’t beat. Borgen, Kahn, and Faber have been playing great ball and TABC will capture the Tier 2 championship.
TABC 53 Ida Crown 46
MA: Ida Crown is going to make this uncomfortable for 32 minutes. The 1-3-1 pressure is real, the energy is real, and Well will have just enough clutch moments, leading the Aces to regain their throne as kings of Tier 2. Final: Ida Crown 54 TABC 48
ZS: 2 really good teams square off here. Ida Crown lost to Flabush to be eliminated from Tier I; TABC kept pace with Jewish Culture, but ultimately also did not make it into Tier I. Ida Crown looked very good against a tough Fuchs team, and TABC blew out Berman. Both of these had difficult paths to make it here, but both are here. This is win or go home. Well vs Borgen. Chicago vs Teaneck. I have ridden with Ida Crown throughout this entire tournament, and I think they will bring home one more piece of hardware to cap off their phenomenal season. Ida Crown 57 TABC 49
OG: Cannot make a prediction. LGS
AP: Frisch got excellent games from some of their supporting castmembers en route to the mini-upset of Shalhevet, with Gervis and Suss really shining offensively. DRS, meanwhile, completely controlled their matchup against Jewish Culture. Frisch held the Shalhevet offense mostly in check mostly via Reinhart’s full front of Jacobson, but the Firehawks were still able to generate many good looks…they just struggled to convert. Meanwhile, Stepner was his usual excellent self scoring and passing off the bounce. I think in this big championship day environment, the Cougars will be forced to lean on Stepner even more so than usual—especially against DRS’ matchup zone. Stepner shooting off the bounce from behind the arc—especially on ball screen switches—is the key shooting metric to watch in this game. He can score from several feet behind the line, and DRS does not like to guard all the way out there, and usually goes under on those switches. Perhaps they adjust here? I think outside of Stepner-ball, Frisch’s offense will struggle against the matchup zone. Ultimately, he’s the best scorer on the floor, but DRS has such a loaded and balanced attack that I think they get the edge here. The Wildcats will cap off an incredible championship season with a Sarachek banner and capture the undisputed #1 in the Jewish Hoops America poll from Milken. DRS 56, Frisch 51.
YS: DRS-Frisch. Two years ago, the Wildcats knocked the Cougars out of tournament contention in the inaugural play-in game. Last year, it was the Cougars returning the favor in upset fashion, knocking DRS down to Tier II. This year, the matchup is for all the marbles. The top two teams in the Yeshiva League face off for the ultimate prize, a Tier I Sarachek Trophy. The Cougars have looked really good this tournament as they’ve gotten past some really tough teams such as Fuchs, SAR, and Shalhevet. They’ve really impressed me in how they’ve improved their defense throughout the tournament and have figured out how to balance the offense so it's not just the Isaac Stepner show. That being said, it feels like DRS has been unbeatable this tournament. They’ve had so many answers both offensively and defensively as each member of their starting 5 has impressed throughout the tournament. They’ve been really stout defensively and have forced teams to play to their pace. I think this matchup is a true back and forth battle, but DRS are able to close it out down the stretch and become the first Yeshiva League and Sarachek champions since Frisch in 2017. DRS 59 Frisch 55
AS: DRS is on the brink of capping off a dominant season with a Sarachek championship. The Wildcats’ guard play has been outstanding all year, allowing them to control the tempo in every game they play.
That said, I have Frisch taking home the title. Coach Zach Tuchman and his staff have done an exceptional job putting this team in a position to succeed. Isaac Stepner may be the star, but he’s far from alone. Frisch has found the perfect balance between getting him the ball and creating opportunities for the other players to score. Frisch wins in a close one.
Frisch 52 DRS 49
MA: This is going to feel like a chess match before it feels like a track meet. Frisch is going to try to drag this into the mud — slow it down, make every possession matter, and let Isaac Stepner control the game with physicality and poise. And for stretches, it’s going to work. He’s going to get his. They’re going to make DRS uncomfortable. But DRS doesn’t stay uncomfortable.
At some point whether it's late second quarter or midway through the third, they’re going to flip the switch. The defense tightens, the pressure builds, and suddenly Frisch is playing faster than they want to without even realizing it.
And that’s where the separation comes. Gaby Spodek will control tempo when it matters most. Elisha Tsaidi will make the winning plays, not just scoring, but momentum plays. And the depth will show up in waves. Frisch will hang. They’ll make runs. Stepner will have moments where it feels like he’s taking over. But over 32 minutes, that constant pressure is too much. DRS pulls away late and finishes it.
Final: DRS 60, Frisch 50
ZS: The last game of Sarachek 2026. This is what every team dreamed of playing for (except for the 17-20 seeds), and for DRS and Frisch, that moment has arrived. This DRS isn’t as good as the undefeated year led by Gabriel Leifer, but they are looking to win the Yeshiva League + Sarachek tournament to cement their legacy with that team. Frisch is trying to take down the #1 team and ride the momentum from Neufeld’s shot last year (if you haven’t seen it, you should familiarize yourself with it before this game). This also plays into DRS’s favor: a lot of the seniors were on the team last year and had their hearts broken by the shot. Frisch has been an unstoppable force in this tournament. Isaac Stepner, the junior forward/guard, has shown why he is a top player in this tournament, and expect his dominance to carry over into this championship game. The Cougars aren’t just a one-headed monster. Gervis has come up big, Neufeld has hit shots, Suss can light it up, and Reinhart has been a defensive menace on the court. DRS has the same star-studded lineup. Spodek, who controls the game as well as anybody, Gabay and Tsaidi, who are serious 3pt threats. Solomon, who will get on the floor for every loose ball, and Bennett, who, when he has a touch in the post, it is safe to assume it will turn out good for DRS most of the time. If I could, I wouldn’t vote because it is such a good matchup, but since I can’t, I don’t see how I could pick against DRS. DRS 55 Frisch 54
OG: We are finally here- an all yeshiva league Sarachek final for the second year in a row. I actually had the opportunity to interview DRS after winning the MYHSAL and the team they were looking forward to facing the most was Frisch. While they haven’t met at all this year, their last Sarachek meeting was when Nathan Neufeld hit the buzzer beater heard round Washington Heights. I think it’s safe to say that DRS are totally locked in after their dominating win over Culture in the semifinals. Frisch again took care of business against Shalhevet and got key contributions from Gervis, Suss, and Grossman. Isaac Stepner is the best player in the tournament- hands down. Spodek, Bennett, and Solomon are the best Big 3 in recent history and they will cement their legacies with a Sarachek title to end their careers- being the first DRS team to capture the league and Sarachek in the same year since the Gabe Leifer Wildcats team.
DRS 50 Frisch 47