On March 5 the third grade presented their annual production of Aesop's Fables. The dialogue was written by the students during this unit of study. The presentation was full of energy and greatly enjoyed by the audiences. This year also marked the debut of a Hebrew fable, performed by Batshi's Hebrew class. We look forward to this continuing to be a part of the annual show.

On Sunday, March 2, Rashi's boys' and girls' Middle School basketball teams participated in the first annual Jewish Day School League Tournament at the Gann Academy in Waltham. The JDSL is a newly formed basketball league consisting of teams from Boston area Jewish Day Schools.  Participating in the league are Cohen Hillel; Maimonides; Rashi; South Area Solomon Schechter; Solomon Schechter, Newton. An estimated 300 players, parents and fans packed into the Student Activity Center and were treated to some well-played and exciting basketball games. 

Rashi's girls' team opened the action against South Area Schechter.  For most of the first half it looked as if our girls were battling through the early Sunday morning start and feeling the effects of late night celebrating at B'nai Mitzvahs.  Losing by two at halftime, our girls woke up in the second half and really turned on the jets as they cruised to a convincing win and a berth in the semifinals. 

Our boys also opened their day with SASSDS.  This was the third game between the two teams this season with Rashi winning the previous two by a total of 4 points.  This game certainly lived up to hype.  Both teams played up-tempo, aggressive basketball.  The lead changed hands several times before Rashi pulled away late in the second half and held on to another close victory and a date with Schechter (Newton) in the semifinals.

Earning a spot in the semifinals was a great step for our teams but also meant they had to go up against the #1 seeds to reach the tournament finals.  Both our girls' game and our boys' game would be rematches against opponents who had convincing victories over Rashi earlier in the season. But this is tournament time.  Perhaps a little of that 'March Madness' would factor in and give the underdogs a fighting chance.

The girls would take to the floor first against Cohen Hillel. The first half was a defensive struggle.  Both teams came out very aggressively and made it hard for anyone to score.  Our girls were keeping it close until the end of the first half when Cohen Hillel went on a run to stretch their halftime lead to 16. Our beloved Raiders have earned the reputation as a second half team and this game was a perfect example. Their defense remained aggressive and led to a flurry of steals and lay-ups. They just kept chipping away at the lead until, with only 4 minutes to go, the lead was cut to 2.  Could our girls pull the upset of the year?  Down the stretch Cohen Hillel was able to put enough points on the board to hold off Rashi's valiant comeback attempt.  Even though our girls did not reach the finals this year, they should be very proud of their effort and improvements throughout the year.

Our boys faced a very impressive opponent in the JDSL #1 seed and undefeated boys' team from Solomon Schechter (Newton). Our boys knew that this was going to be a tough match-up and if they wanted to make a game of it they would have to play their best game of the year.  Schechter jumped out to an early lead but Rashi fought right back to keep the game close throughout the first half. Our boys played exceptional defense in the first half, forcing their opponent into low-percentage shots but had a difficult time securing the rebounds against a tall and athletic group.  On offense, our boys used their up-tempo attack to beat their opponent up the court and get easy looks at the basket. The game remained in doubt well into the second half until a couple of our defensive breakdowns and continued struggles on the boards helped Schechter pull away to victory and a berth in the finals. Our boys have come a long way during the season and should be very proud of the progress they have made in becoming a team to be reckoned with. 

I would like to give a couple of 'shout outs' to all the people who worked so hard to make this tournament a reality.  To all the players, coaches, parents, family and friends who spent a long Sunday playing and watching basketball.  To the Gann Academy who not only let us use their wonderful facilities but also were incredibly helpful in the planning of every detail.  To Adrienne Freedman who solved a last-minute problem and provided food for all our players.  To Manya Fine, Miriam Brody and Venus Corriveau whose technical savvy and artistic input produced a beautiful tournament program.