Jazz win Millburn 4th Grade Champhionship

The Millburn Recreation 4th Grade Championships came down to the Millburn Jazz against the Deerfield Nationals at Millburn Middle School. The season has been a strange one with no fans allowed. Parents have watched via their iPads and phones. Nevertheless, the boys have loved every minute of the season.

The two teams have been aiming for the Championship all season. The Nationals, led by Evan Hammer, Will Ruddy, and Ryden Rubovitz, lost only one game all season (to the Jazz). The Jazz have gone undefeated. The game began with Jazz point guard, Aiden Treue, driving inside amongst the Nationals’ big men to score the first five points of the game for the Jazz. But the Nationals were intent on matching bucket for bucket as their guards, Evan Hammer and Will Ruddy, both drove the length of the floor to score and keep it close at 5-4. Jazz sharpshooter Ariel Schirmann-Kestenband chipped in a smooth jumper to help the Jazz take a 9-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Jazz Center, Aarin Patkar, began the second quarter with one of his patented moves down low to increase the lead to 11-4. The Jazz & the Nationals matched buckets to end the first half at 16-10. However, the game was closer than it appeared. The Jazz had the lead, but their leading scorer, Alex Skouras, was in foul trouble with three fouls at the end of the half.

With his team down, Evan Hammer refused to let the Nationals fall further behind and scored a quick two on a nice assist from Ryden Rubovitz. 16-12 Jazz lead. Jazz point guard, Aiden Treue, backed his man down on the other end and scored two to make it 18-12 for the Jazz. Crafty Nationals forward, Ryden Rubovitz, who doesn’t miss from the foul line, took the ball down low against Jazz marksman Skouras and killed two birds with one stone. His drive created the fourth foul on Skouras and sent Rubovitz to the charity stripe. With Jazz leading scorer Skouras now out of the game with four fouls, the tide was beginning to turn for the Nationals. Rubovitz nailed his two free throws to narrow the gap to 18-14. The teams matched baskets up to 23-18 in the middle of the third quarter. It was at this point that the Jazz re-inserted Skouras and their defense began to tighten the vice. Jazz forward, Spencer Rosenstein, master of the lost art of the bank shot, began to find his range. With a free throw, Rosenstein added four more banks off the glass to expand the Jazz lead. Bodhi Mandel, Jazz forward and the team’s Swiss Army knife, contributed with his usual combination of points, rebounds and steals. Late in the fourth, Mandel split to the defense to add two more points to the Jazz lead.

Hammer led the way for the Nationals chipping in 8 of their 18, but it was not enough as Jazz guard, Aiden Treue, led the way for the Jazz with 13 points for the game. The Jazz tightened their grip on the lead in the fourth quarter and won 38-18 to take the title as Millburn 4th Grade Champions.

NOTE: Game can be viewed at