SPORTS
Trying
Harder
David Zu ross
Akiva Day School's
second sports team is
building in the
shadow of its first
Goalie David Rosenberg stops Hershel Goulson.
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Sports Writer
RAI
oishe Rose is trying to do
it again. The Akiva Day
School teacher began
the school's basketball
program from scratch
three years ago, building it to the
point where the roundball squad, now
coached by Gary Yashinsky and
Richard Stober, gets solid support
from the school and plays a Class D
schedule. Rose hopes to do the same
with a floor hockey team.
Akiva student Raffle Zuross, now
a 10th-grader, gave the team an em-
bryonic start last year by simply en-
couraging some schoolmates to join
him for occasional games. Rose, who
coached the basketball team last
season, entered the picture this year.
"When we first started (the
basketball team) it was just like this,"
says Rose, "it was a joke. Nobody took
it seriously."
The basketball team gained
respectability, he explains, after a trip
to Skokie, Illinois, late in its first
season. He believes a trip to
Rochester, New York, will be a similar
catalyst in the hockey team's
development.
"We had to pay our own way," to
Skokie recalls Rose. "We rented a van,
we got somebody to drive us. No one
took it seriously. Hopefully the trip to
Rochester will do for these guys what
the trip to Skokie did for the basket-
ball team. There's a lot of parallels.
These guys are working hard. These
guys, I think, are working harder
than the basketball team when we
first started?'
The team will play three games in
Rochester, March 11-13, against the
Talmudic Institute of Upper New
York.
The team practices once a week.
They have played two games, losing
to a group of Akiva alumni, then pull-
ing out a 13-13 tie against a
Southfield-Lathrup squad Monday.
All of the Lathrup players, except one,
play ice hockey at the school.
"I'm really proud of my guys,"
said an exuberant Rose after the
game. "The last period was up-and-
down and up-and-down and back-and-
forth . . . unbelievable. Everybody on
our side really played well, the goalie
right down to the last-string
defenseman."
Akiva tied the game with eight
seconds remaining. Zuross broke in on
the left wing side and sent a screen
shot by the Lathrup goalie, to the
stick side. Zuross totalled five goals on
the night while 11th-grader Hershel
Goulson netted eight. Despite the
high score, says Rose, "A lot of credit
goes to our goalie, David Rosenberg
. . . he really made some good stops?'
The team is trying to schedule
more games, calling groups who may
wish to form a team, even for just one
game. "Whatever we can find" says
Zuross. They will likely face off
against Lathrup again this month.
Zuross, who still plays ice hockey
once a week, is the captain. Of his
teammates, he says, "We have prac-
tice every Monday. Everybody's get-
ting better."
ROUND UP
Laker's Senior
Will Return
West Bloomfield senior
Matt Caplan is expected to
return to the Laker's basket-
ball lineup this month.
Caplan, a 6-foOt-5 senior for-
ward, started for West Bloom-
field until a recent injury
when he tore a ligament in
his ankle. Caplan was averag-
ing eight points and eight re-
bounds per game.
"He's a good rebounder,"
said Laker's coach Tim
Domke. "He's an aggressive
player. A pretty good shooter
from 15 fe•et in. He's a smart
player, he plays very bright
and he is a smart person. He's
just had a tough break here
his senior year."
Caplan, who lettered as a
48 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1988
junior, is a national honor roll
student.
David Rothstein scored 27
points and added 16 assists
and eight steals to help
Rochester Adams post wins
over Royal Oak Dondero
(56-53) and Birmingham
Groves (76-67) last week.
Rothstein hit the , winning
free throw with seven seconds
remaining on Jan. 26 as the
Highlanders nipped
Southfield-Lathrup, 55-54.
Adams entered this week at
12-1 overall, 10-0 in the Metro
Suburban Activities
Association.
Matt Hoffman scored 19
points as North Farmington
edged Livonia Stevenson Feb.
2, 62-61. Hoffman had 22
points and four assists as the
Raiders came from behind to
down Farmington, 53-52, Jan.
29. Hoffman hit a pair of
three-point shots in the final
minute to help erase a seven-
point deficit.
North Farmington was 5-8
overall, 3-4 in the Western
Lakes League coming into
this week.
Unbeaten Bulls
Win iWice
The Bulls remained on top
with two wins in Honey Ber-
ris League basketball action
at the Maple/Drake Jewish
Community Center last
week.
The Bulls beat the Lakers
(2 2) 61-51 on Feb. 3. Dave
Baxter scored 32 points for
the winners, while Harry
Glanz tallied 10 for the
Lakers. In the other contest
-
that night, the Celtics (3 2)
beat the Knicks 54-40. Jerry
Flowers led the Celts with 21
points. Tony Sanders scored
11 for the Knicks.
Last Sunday, the Bulls (5-0)
downed the Knicks (1 3)
54-40. Baxter led all scorers
with 23 points. Brothers Ed
and Ibny Sanders had 14
points apiece for the Knicks.
The 76'ers (2-2) pulled in front
in the final 30 seconds to edge
the Mavericks (0-3) Sunday
48-46. Richard Travis tallied
14 for the 76'ers and Charles
Ballantine had 13 for the
Mays.
-
-
JWV League
Seeks Bowlers
The Jewish War Veterans
are looking for bowlers to join
their Wednesday night
league. The 18-team league
bowls at Strike and Spare
Lanes, 4065 West Maple in
Birmingham. Only JWV
members are eligible. For
more information, contact
Mort Margolis at 353-3040.
Ohioan Takes
Tennis Event
Doug Bloom of Cleveland
won the boys 14-and-under ti-
tle at the Franklin Racquet
Club's annual mid-winter
tournament, Jan. 30-31.
Bloom beat fellow Ohioan
Marty Storm in the final, 6-4,
4-6, 7-5.
Among the local com-
petitors, Jared Miller placed
second in the boys 12-and-
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