Lively Road Crowd Powers Lady Roadrunners to Victory Over SSLI

Maya Wasserman ‘19

On Saturday December 12, 2015, the Roadrunners’ girls varsity basketball team traveled to Long Island’s Nassau County for the Inter­-Schechter double-header against Solomon Schechter Long Island with the main goal of winning. They planned on getting the bus soon after Havdallah, but left half an hour later than scheduled, due to traffic caused by a local Christmas tree lighting.

GOA fought hard in front of the many supporters in attendance, thanks to the sophomores who had just arrived from their Shabbaton. It was easily twice as loud as it would have been without them. The support was not in vain, as GOA came away with the victory.

Senior Leia Kessler provided much of the scoring punch for the Roadrunners, while junior Emily Binstein’s defense proved to be contagious.

Although it was an exhibition game and featured many familiar faces, SSLI was still rival territory and the physical gymnasium space reflected that. The Lions’ gym featured two levels: one with the court and bleachers and the other a balcony overlooking the court.

“[I felt] nervous,” said sophomore Maya Robins, “because the people on the top circle were watching us from above. This also made us excited because they were cheering very loudly.”

Despite playing for bragging rights, however, the experience meant more than winning to many of the players, including SSLI’s captain, Rachel Levy.

“I thought the game was really fun because we were playing people we knew from USY and camp,” Levy said. “It was a tough game since my team didn't play all that well, but overall it was a really cool experience.”

The Roadrunners acknowledged it was a great feeling to win, but it was a better feeling that the team traveled to Long Island to play with other Jewish teens. After all, GOA and SSLI share more than just a love of basketball; we share a love of community and Judaism.