sports » A Family Tradition Since 1964 Pisgah-Zeiger, the B’nai B’rith basketball league champions Champs, Finally! Steve Stein | Contributing Writer T he fifth time was a charm for the Pisgah-Zeiger basketball team. On its fifth consecutive try, Pisgah-Zeiger won the B’nai B’rith league championship. Downtown Fox beat Pisgah-Zeiger in the playoff championship game four straight years en route to six straight league titles, but it was Pisgah-Zeiger’s time to shine in 2016. Pisgah-Zeiger finished 8-2 in the regu- lar season and earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs in the five-team league. After a 57-28 win over Brotherhood in the playoff semifinals, Pisgah-Zeiger awaited the winner of the other semifinal game. Surely it would be Downtown Fox, right? Downtown Fox owned the No. 2 playoff seed thanks to a 7-3 regular- season record. It played No. 3 seed Great Lakes Region in the semifinals. In an upset that rivaled Michigan State’s loss to Middle Tennessee State in the NCAA tournament, Great Lakes Region stunned Downtown Fox 67-63 in an intense battle. “What a surprise that was. We were absolutely certain we’d play Downtown Fox for the league championship,” said Pisgah-Zeiger player-coach Rick Sherline. The B’nai B’rith playoff schedule forces the winner of the semifinal between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds to play the cham- pionship game after only a short break. The winner of the semifinal between the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds gets to rest while the other semifinal is being played. Pisgah-Zeiger took full advantage of the opportunity. “You could tell they (Great Lakes Region) were exhausted and physically drained after they beat Downtown Fox,” Sherline said. “They didn’t have much left after they expended all that energy.” Pisgah-Zeiger beat Great Lakes Region 95-41 in the playoff champion- ship game. Dan Serlin scored 22 points for the winners. Russ Young and Scott Kapeller also scored in double figures with 16 and 14 points. All 10 Pisgah- Zeiger players who were there got into the game and scored. Great Lakes Region was tired, cer- tainly. And it was missing one of its key players because of an Easter commit- ment (non-Jews are welcome to play in the league). But Pisgah-Zeiger was on a mission, not just in the playoff championship game but all season long. “We were focused and determined,” Sherline said. “Was finishing second four straight years a big reason for our determination? Yes, it was part of it.” Earning the No. 1 seed for the play- offs was a major goal, Sherline said, so Pisgah-Zeiger could avoid playing back- to-back games. “We know what Great Lakes Region experienced. We were on that side of the bracket four straight years,” he said. Great team chemistry also was a big part of Pisgah-Zeiger’s success, Sherline said, as well as its large roster, the big- gest in the league. There were 12 players on the team and 10 usually played each week at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. Besides Sherline, Serlin, Young and Kapeller, the other Pisgah-Zeiger players were Ryan Markowitz, Jay James, Janard Long, Bryant Gaston, Mike Feld, Jason Veider, Keith Johnson and Mitch Cohen. Sherline has been playing in the league since it was founded in 1976. COLLEGE STANDOUTS Kudos to two Jewish collegiate athletes who had great days recently: • Indiana University senior golfer Max Kollin from North Farmington High School shot 1-under-par 71 in cold, miserable conditions at the Hoosier Collegiate tournament at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind. That was his team’s low score for the second round of the weather-shortened two- round tournament. Combined with a 75 in the first round, Kollin’s tie for 13th place individually was his best tourna- ment showing for Indiana at an event not played at the IU Golf Course. • Kalamazoo College junior outfielder Ian Kobernick from Berkley High School went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in the Hornets’ 14-2 win over Trine University (Angola, Ind.). * Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com. Come and See What MamaRita is Cooking Special this Mother's Day! Serving fresh, authentic, Italian cuisine for 50 years. 2220 N. Canton Ctr. Rd. Canton, MI 734-981-9800 26356 Ford Rd. Dearborn Heights, MI 313-278-6000 9924 Dix Ave. Dearborn, MI 313-842-2100 37646 W. 12 Mile Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 248-994-4000 AntoniosRestaurants.com 1979930 CHINESE PEOPLE EAT HERE MIDTOWN 4710 Cass Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48201 UPTOWN 6407 Orchard Lake Road (15 Mile & Orchard Lake) 313.974.7669 248.626.8585 DAILY DIM SUM &SUSHI DAILY DIM SUM uptownshangri-la.com 2067460 April 28 • 2016 67