On Motzei Shabbat, the YCQ boys varsity basketball team pulled off a stunning upset against rival Har Torah in front of a packed house at YCQ by a score of 74-70. The game started with both teams going back and forth. YCQ held a slim 12-11 lead after the first quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the floodgates opened. Yoni Itzhakov caught fire, drilling three straight 3-pointers, and poured in 11 of his 15 points during the frame. Ephraim Avramov added 15 of his game high 25 points in the 2nd quarter as well. As a team, YCQ scored a season high 33 points in the 2nd quarter en route to a commanding 45-23 lead at halftime. Har Torah was not going to go quietly, and made a fierce run to cut the deficit to single digits late but the Wildcats held on. It was truly a team effort, both offensively and defensively, as the team’s relentless pressure forced turnovers and led to easy baskets. To round out the scoring, Ethan Vaysman contributed with 14 points, Jake Daniel and Eitan Ashvil each had 6 points, Simcha Matatov had 4, and Noah Kandchorov and Jo Natanov added 2 each. “I was so proud of the energy and effort the boys brought tonight,” said Coach Evan Daniel, adding that “The team really fed off the energy of the crowd.”