I Health & Fitness SPORTS Taking Silver Maccabi basketball team gets it done short-handed. Detroit's U-14 basketball team included, from left, front: Jonah Kest, Max Sandberg, Johnny Narens, Dylan Deitch, Sam Orley; back row: Oliver Soble, Josh Bender, Max Weiss, Eric Weiss and coaches Steve Weiss and Danny Weiss. Steve Stein Special to the Jewish News I t isn't unusual for a hockey team to play shorthanded. A basketball team? Well, that's another story. Coach Barry Bershad's Detroit U16 boys basketball team needed to overcome that rare predicament twice during the JCC Maccabi Games in Denver, Colo., and somehow came home with silver medals. "I couldn't have been prouder of the kids:' Bershad said. "To play six games in 31/2 days under those circumstances and earn medals was unbelievable. I've been coaching basketball for 40 years. I've never coached a team with less than five players." Detroit brought just seven play- ers to Denver, so depth was a problem before the opening tipoff. To make matters worse, Detroit lost starters Seth Goldman (concussion) during round-robin play, and Jeremy Fishman (sprained thumb) in the first half of the semifinal game against a team from Denver. Goldman and Fishman sat out Detroit's 54-47 loss to San Antonio in the gold medal game, played at the University of Denver. Josh Stroster 86 September 2 • 2010 Detroit's volleyball team, from left, front: Ashley Silbert, Sammi Goldsmith, Rebecca Berman, Rheanna Henney, Megan Simmons; back row: Sydney Rosen, Erin Graub, Jessica Adler, Bradley Steel, Lilli Malach and Leslie Alter. fouled out early in the fourth quarter, Pool Haul leaving Detroit with just four players for Alex Dworman, Mason Horn, Andrew the rest of the game. Jacobs, Tim Kaplan and Brandon Detroit's shorthanded effort won over Sherbel won medals in swimming for the 100 or so fans in the gym. Detroit in Richmond. "Everyone was rooting for us:' Bershad Sherbel won gold medals in the boys said. age 15-16 200 and 400 medley relays. Jared Kohlenberg, Jessie Medina, Jacobs won a gold medal in the boys Omar Oppenheim and Yale Williams 15-16 400 medley relay. Dworman (boys finished the gold medal game for Detroit. 15-16 200 freestyle relay) and Horn Medina fouled out late in the third (boys 13-14 200 freestyle relay) also won quarter in the Denver game, leaving gold medals. Detroit with just four players. Detroit After a long summer of practice, led by seven points when Medina went Detroit dancers Brianna Dines and to the bench and ended up winning by Nicole Goodman won gold med- three points. als in tap solo, jazz solo and tap The Detroit U14 boys basketball team duo in Richmond. Their coach was advanced to the final eight in Richmond, Allie Ruben. Va., before losing in the playoffs to even- Detroit bowlers Stanley Wolf tual bronze medalist Orlando, Fla. and Shlomo Honig won medals in Gold medal winner Metro West beat Richmond. Wolf combined with Ezra Detroit in round-robin play, but the Freedlander of Richmond for second Motor City boys left an impression. place in high series handicap with 1323. "The Metro West coach told me he Honig had the high game for boys with wanted no part of playing our team 194. again in the playoffs:' said Detroit Coach Steve Weiss. Confidence Spike Josh Bender, Dylan Deitch, Jonah The Detroit volleyball team had a win- Kest, Johnny Narens, Sam Orley, Max ning record in Denver "and played above Sandberg, Oliver Soble, Eric Weiss and the kids' expectations:' said Coach Max Weiss made up the Detroit roster. Bradley Steel. "The girls were intense, but always smiling and supporting each other, even when things got tough." Jesse Adler, Leslie Alter, Rebecca Berman, Sammi Goldsmith, Erin Graub, Rheanna Henney, Lilli Malach, Sydney Rosen, Ashley Silbert and Megan Simmons were on the Detroit roster. Detroiters combined with players from Albuquerque and Winnipeg to form a boys U14 7-on-7 soccer team in Denver. The Mad Dawgs, as they called themselves, went 2-3, losing 4-3 to Springfield/Raleigh/Birmingham in the playoffs. They nearly scored an equilizier in the final five minutes despite playing with just six players because of a red card. In their opener, the Mad Dawgs defeat- ed Springfield 3-1. Zach Walter played well in goal for the winners. Matan Tzur had two goals and Oran Lieberman had the other goal. Lieberman and Tzur both scored in the final five minutes after Springfield knotted the game at 1-1. The Mad Dawgs lost 5-0 to Chicago, beat Houston 5-1 and lost 5-0 to Los Angeles before facing Springfield again. ❑ Please send sports news to sports@thejewishnews.com.