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| The Flatbush Falcons, Cooper Invitational Tournament Tier II Champions |
Following a formula that seems to have been put in place back on Friday, the Flatbush Falcons played their opponents to a near stand-off, taking a meager 2 point half-time lead into the locker room. After the break, they methodically extended that lead over the final 16 minutes to take home the Cooper Invitational Tournament Tier II Championship home to Brooklyn.
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| The Falcons get a pre-game pep-talk from Dr. Ed Weiner |
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| Mayer Khamkatchi battles under the boards |
After a pre-game pep talk from Dr. Ed Weiner (Ed, a native New Yorker, was a basketball All American at the University of Tennessee (UT) in 1955. He was a two-time All-Southeast Conference (SEC) selection and led the U.S. Maccabiah Team to a gold medal in the 1953 Israel Maccabiah Games. Dr. Weiner was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors with the 27th overall pick in the 1955 NBA draft.) the game was underway.
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| Joey Dayon flies to the basket against two RASG defenders |
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| Murray Mizrahi powers the ball to the basket |
True to form, the Falcons took an early lead on a smooth 3-point basket from Senior point guard Joey Dayon. But it was a lead the team could not hold on to as poor offensive decisions and uncharacteristically slow weakside defense let the Warriors from Rabbi Alexander S. Gross of Miami Beach, Florida launch a number of uncontested 3’s of their own, staking them to 12-9 lead over the Falcons at the first quarter mark.
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| Victor Silverman sets to knock down a key free throw |
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| Joey Dweck sets to drill a jumper |
In the second quarter, fouls would begin to play a big role in the outcome of the game, as the constant in-your-face defense employed by Flatbush began to frustrate the Warriors from Miami. They began to collect fouls at an alarming rate, forcing them to insert their reserves. Similarly, Flatbush suffered the foul bug as well, with team leader Dayon and Center Mayer Kamkhatchi picking up two fouls each early in the second quarter. Stepping up to fill the void were Victor Silverman and Joey Dweck, providing the perfect compliment to the near-dominant inside play of Power Forward Murray Mizrahi. Along with two key jumpers from Senior Guard Nathan Haddad, Silverman and Dweck each knocked down a jumper a piece in the quarter to stem the tide, ease the pressure and re-establish control for the Falcons.
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| Murray Mizrahi converts the basket while drawing the foul |
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| The Flatbush Falcons' pressure defense |
In what is now an established pattern, a rejuvenated Flatbush team took the court for the second half, and amped up the pressure. With the bigs boxing out and the guards turning over their counterparts, the Falcons extended the lead to a 7 point 3rd quarter lead. At that point, the duo of Nathan Haddad and Joey Dayon took over. With expert ball control, crisp passing and strong drives to the basket, the guards found their way to the foul line, shooting a solid 9 of 10 combined from the line down the stretch. With the clock winding down, Buddy Setton netted the final basket, closing out the scoring as the Falcons streamed on the court in celebration of their hard-earned 66-47 victory.
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| Buddy Setton elevates and hits for 2! |
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| Raymond Braha looks to pass in the low post |
It is now time to return to Brooklyn, internalize the great experience that has been The Cooper both on and off the court, and build on this success as the team prepares to enter the MYHSAL regular season.
NEST NOTES: Nathan Haddad had a team-high 6 steals on the day. Murray Mizrahi had a personal season high of 14 points; Joey Dayon led all scorers with 18 points on the day (15 in the second half). For his efforts over the course of the entire weekend, Dayon was named Most Outstanding Player for the Tier II Championship. Senior Guard Michael Haddad was labeled an all-star by The Cooper Tournament selection committee and was named to the All-Tournament team. Pictures of the Falcons at the Tournament can be found by clicking
here.
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Joey Dayon
Tier II Tournament Most Outstanding Player |
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Michael Haddad
Cooper Invitational Tournament All-Star |
