JCC chalks up first GPIBL win of season against Urban Pathways

JCC chalks up first GPIBL win of season against Urban Pathways

The Jewish Community Center picked up its first Greater Pittsburgh Independent Basketball League win of the season, Thursday, Dec. 6, in a solid performance at home against Urban Pathways.

Gaining the lead midway through the first quarter, the JCC never looked back, winning 49-34.

Leading the way for the blue and white were junior Adam Hoffman and freshman Sam Greenberg. Hoffman ended with 13 points, hitting three of four attempts from three-point land. Greenberg finished with 12 points.

Senior Jonah Baron also played a nice game, tallying 11 points and a few assists in the win.

“[Baron and Greenberg] had the performance we hope to see on a regular basis,” said head coach Hal Shapera. “If we can get that type of balanced scoring from our lineup every game, I think we can be very successful in our league.”

Urban Pathways kept within six points for much of the game, even cutting the lead to three with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But a three-point play by Greenberg with four minutes to go turned the momentum in the JCC’s favor, and a Hoffman three-pointer with 2:18 left sealed the victory.

Despite a few missed opportunities under the basket, Shapera’s spread offense prevailed in the end.

“We didn’t play our best game, but we pulled through in the end,” said Baron. “Our team is starting to come together, and we just need to keep moving forward.”

The JCC took on the Partnership2Gether team from Karmiel/ Misgav this past Sunday, Dec. 9 and Wednesday, Dec. 12. They also faced Project Destiny on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Coming up on its schedule, the JCC will host Urban Impact, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 8:30 p.m. in the Robinson Gym.

(Jesse Irwin can be reached at Jirwin18@gmail.com.)

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