Micah U-12 Boys Hustle but Fall Short in Semifinals 

By Aaron Shapiro

Every game they got better but the opposing team was harder. The U-12 boys team won their first game but lost their second, ending its run in the semifinals of the Micah 3v3 Basketball Tournament. 

But what was so interesting about this team? “(We) stay strong,” said timber forward Brandon Moldof. That was backed up by the team’s coach, Chuma Nnodim-Amadi. When asked what stood out about the team’s performance, he said “Hustle. Everyone wanted to win.” 

Though the team didn’t advance to the finals, they cleary stayed together on the court with their goal to win. Chuma said Micah’s offense was “good to start, even if we got tired and stagnated later on.” On areas of improvement, Chuma said switching defense was something he plans to work on with the team later on. 

Chuma added that timber forward Jonah Weinberg was a standout in the team’s two games. Chuma said he “threw himself out there and used maximum energy.” Despite the team’s loss, the entire team believed their play was fabulous and truly embodied the Micah philosophy.

U-15 Girls Taken Down by Furious Comeback from Forest Acres

By Ben Lawrence

In a dramatic semifinal game against Forest Acres in the U-15 Girls semifinals, Micah lost on the last shot. The girls led 10-8, but Forest Acres his two three point shots to upset Micah 12-10. 

After good low post play and aggressive defense from both teams early, the game stayed close. Micah played very aggressive defense by forcing many tie ups, led by the vocal defense of summit forward Skylar Tuch. Forcing turnovers by staying in the passing lanes was also big in keeping the game competitive.

But late in the game, Forest Acres continued to move the ball well, butting and hitting outside shots. FA kept relying on the outside shot with an occasional pick and roll. Second chance points were also key for FA in its win over Micah.

After a very hard played game, it came down to those two clutch shots made by a Forest Acres player. Down by two with Micah closing in on a victory, the visiting player shot confidently and stepped up to the line and tied the game. After an empty possession from Micah, the same played stepped up and hit the game winner to propel Forest Acres to the championship game.

After the game, coach Lexi Tuch said the result was “Frustrating. The team got in their heads about missed shots. Overall, I’m proud. They put in a lot of effort.”

Micah’s U-12 Girls Fall After Some Unlucky Bounces

By David Adler

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as Micah attacked the basket, but unfortunately after all the hard work at scoring the ball the U-12 girls fell short in the first round of the 3v3 Tournament.

This may have been one of the most hard fought games of this year’s tournament because the players were absolutely relentless throughout the course of the game. They would make sure everyone got shots up and passed well. 

“I’ve noticed that these girls are very physical,” said boys head counselor Josh Seidman. 

Micah Brings Home the U15 Boys Championship

By Jack Glassman

The crowd expected something big when Ethan Levin, a lower summit guard, was subbed in at the end of the first game of the tournament to hit a game winning three pointer. After hitting the shot, Levin said with confidence, “We’re going all the way now.”

Micah then won its second game behind another buzzer beater by B15 forward Zach Solem and clinched the championship with a less tightly contested victory over Wigwam. 

The Micah B team fought hard and played their hearts out, but they sadly lost in the semifinals. 

Solem carries the A team by scoring a total of 27 points in the tournament despite having a hurt finger. B15 center Benny Schuchat offensively didn’t put up big numbers, but his defensive gameplay caught the eyes of all fans. Zach Tubman was relentless with his three point shooting while hitting 5 three pointers throughout the tournament for the B team. 

Overall, both teams played well and the A team came out on top. When asked how the team was able to dominate, Solem said “Just going hard after every rebound and every missed shot.”