The championship game between RYNJ’s Lady Jaguars and HALB on Tuesday was a tough matchup between two talented teams. HALB came out strong, really wanting this game, but the Lady Jaguars fought hard for their undefeated season. They crashed the boards, drove when they had fast breaks and played strong on both ends of the court.

The HALB team was plagued by foul trouble, and lost two players by late in the fourth quarter, but RYNJ had learned from an earlier contest between the teams and managed to keep their fouls to a minimum.

The Lady Jaguars started the game full court pressing but then fell back. Adina Pearlman and Aliza Yager had amazing fast breaks and made most of their layups. Pearlman finished the game with 15 points, while Yager was a key player throughout. Eighth grader Gabriella Bak had a great layup in the final quarter with 25 seconds left, which led to a HALB player fouling out. Bak got called for the and-one, and totaled six points in the game. Starting center Arielle Mandel also totaled six points in the contest. In the final quarter, HALB put in its “big man,” who Mandel did her best to box out and keep from the boards. Co-captain Tehilla Hyman played some amazing defense and her aggressiveness was a key factor in the game.

Coach Shaina Stiefel said of her team, “I am very proud of the whole team, and the effort on and off the court they have given this season to be undefeated champions. This sets high standards for future years, but I am grateful to have had this opportunity to work with all 14 of these amazing and talented girls. Also, RYNJ ordered a fan bus which was filled and we even had the RYNJ Jaguar make an appearance. We really appreciate the fan support, as well as the mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends who made the trek out to Magen David in Brooklyn to support the team.”