Both teams played a 2-3 zone. One found gaps in the zone and hit some threes, while the other kept throwing the ball away or getting the ball stolen. Also did not hit a three till late in fourth quarter when game was decided. First one was Rochelle Zelle, the other was Muslim Community Center (MCC) Crescents (Morton Grove).
Rochelle Zell ( Deerfield) 54 Muslim Community Center (MCC) (Morton Grove) 31: Orthodox Jews vs Muslim's in a playoff game. Each sat on their own side of the bleachers on the same side of the court. Both cheered their own teams and not against the other team. There wasn't much hollering at the officials. Game ended and Rochelle Zelle celebrated while MCC and their fans walked peacefully out of the gym. Best fan atmosphere I've seen all season. Good sportsmanship and examples of how differences in America can come together and have sporting events without getting out of hand from different religious beliefs. Onto the game. It stayed close though MCC kept turning the ball over and could not hit any threes. MCC went 3/17 from three missing their first 13 in the game. Rochelle Zell hit 7/19 from three for the game. They found some gaps in the zone and scored some layups inside to balance their attack. Rochelle Zell was behind 2-0, then went ahead 3-2 and did not give up the lead the rest of the game. Rochelle Zell led 10-3 after one quarter, 20-11 at half, then 32-20 after three quarters. With all the turnovers (they had more turnover than points through the third quarter, they were still in touch. Rochelle Zell went on a 10-2 run to make it 42-22 with about 5 minutes left in the game. MCC called a timeout but at that point it was in the refrigerator, game over. The hosts Rochelle Zell advances to IHSA Class 1A Sectional Semifinal against Christian (Aurora) with a 21-5 record. MCC Crescents ends only their second season as an IHSA program at 22-9 and has established themselves as a program going forward.
Top performances for Rochelle Zell:
Ophir Zetouni, 6'4" senior forward: Filled just about every part of the stat sheet. Scoring, hitting the glass, getting steals in the zone, and getting assists. Stat line: game high 20 points 6 rebounds 3 assists and 4 steals.
Jesse Shapira, 5'10" senior point guard: Stat line was 11 points 1 rebound 5 assists and 5 steals. Hands were very active on top of the zone.
Jake Miller, 6'1" senior combo guard: He was shooting threes from right behind the line out to 30 feet. Did hit a few 4 to be exact. He was moving in the zone to get open for his jump shots. Stat line: 14 points (4/11 from three) and 2 assists
Top performance for MCC Crescents:
Youssef Hassab, 6'6" senior forward: Did what he could to not have his career end. Stat line: 12 points 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
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