Every Tuesday morning Nachum Segal presents Elliot Weiselberg on JM in the AM to deliver the Yeshiva League Sports (YLS) Update. Tune in for the latest Yeshiva League hockey and basketball information, as well as, the occasional update on other sports happenings in the Jewish world. A transcript of this week's update is below.
Thanks Nachum!
Happy 2026 everyone! As the calendar turns over, we hit the point where playoff races tighten and brackets start getting filled. Straight ahead on the Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports update, Varsity Hockey sees HAFTR put a wrap on the East first-round byes, JV Hockey will head into winter break with several 3-way races, a thrilling Route-4 battle demolishes the West standings in JV Basketball and the Scott Satran Tournament throws an interesting wrinkle into a potential playoff battle in Varsity Basketball. All that and more, good morning, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.
We start out in JV Basketball, where a massive shakeup took place this last week at the top of the West after TABC upended Frisch in the second Route-4 battle 57-51. Frisch had already clinched a bye and had looked to wrap up the top seed, but the loss and Hillel’s 71-33 win over MTA tied Hillel with TABC and assured that Frisch would be knocked from the top spot making last night’s battle between the Heat and Storm a fight for the Western crown, one won by TABC 56-47 who win the tiebreak with the Cougars based on margin of victory. Hillel drops to 7-3, now in 3rd and will need to wait for Ramaz’s games with JEC tomorrow night and SAR next Wednesday, where two wins ties the Rams with the Heat, with the tiebreak going to Ramaz, meaning that Hillel could potentially have gone from the 1 seed down to the 4th in 10 days time.
A lighter week on the league calendar in Varsity Basketball as the Scott Satran Memorial Tournament took center court in HAFTR. The 12 team tournament featured 7 ranked teams, with 2 of them finding their way to Sunday’s championship battle. DRS currently holds a 5-win lead on North Shore in the Yeshiva League standings, but on Sunday, it was the Lions dominating the East top seed 54-43 behind 23 points from phenom Charlie Sassoon, doubling up on their win over DRS from the Cooper Memphis Tournament. The results make for an intriguing story should the two teams meet up again the next tournament, the Yeshiva League playoffs. Back in the Yeshiva League, the West playoffs can take shape this week as 5 teams are within a win of clinching a spot and wrapping up the teams that will join Frisch for the postseason race.
In Varsity Hockey, an important week in the East as HAFTR follows DRS in locking up a first-round bye. The Hawks began the week with a 2-1 overtime win over HANC and wrapped up with a 2-1 regulation win over YDE last night. The losses throw the Hurricanes and Thunder into limbo as both are now fighting to take first round home games with Magen David right behind them. HANC is now at 6-5-0-2 following a 5-3 loss to TABC and YDE is at 7-4, both only 2 points ahead of the Warriors with two games against winless Solomon Schechter on the horizon for Magen David. Out West, a 3-way race for the last 2 playoff spots, as Ohr Yisroel, MTA and Kushner are within 2 points of each other. Ohr Yisroel is at 9 points taking their second win in a row, downing Rambam 3-1, MTA finished off the home and home with JEC defeating the Thunder 5-2 to jump to 7 points and Kushner right there in the mix with both. At the top of the West, TABC and Ramaz squared off in a battle where both teams have aspirations of hosting a first round home game, but it was the Storm who moved a step closer, breezing past the Rams with a 6-1 win.
Finally, In JV hockey, three contests on the week, but all three with important results. MTA could not capitalize on their upset win over Frisch, taking two shutout losses on the week to Flatbush, 1-0 and DRS, 4-0. Combined with HAFTR’s 7-1 win over YDE last night, MTA, Flatbush and YDE are now all within 2 points of Ramaz for the last JV Playoff spot. On the other end, HAFTR has now jumped into a tie with Frisch, with only MTA left on their calendar and Frisch still having to face DRS, with all 3 still in a race with SAR for the last first-round bye. The league will need to wait until after winter break as the next games on the docket wont be until the 26th.
And that was your Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.