AJA Jaguars Win MAAC Title

The Atlanta Jewish Academy Middle School boys won the Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference Division 2 basketball championship with a 42-27 win over the Museum School on Thursday, Jan. 25, to complete a 13-1 season.

Playing in front of a packed home crowd, the Jaguars had a sluggish start and were tied at 12 at halftime.

But a scoring barrage from Noah Kalnitz, Elliot Sokol and Jonah Gordan gave the Jaguars a lead they held throughout the second half.

“The boys never gave up. We were never the tallest or strongest, but we played hard every second and worked as a team. They always believed they could and would win,” Coach Neil Kalnitz said.

Coach Ethan Bagen added, “The guys worked hard and bought into the system, and it paid off.”

In addition to Jonah, Noah and Elliot, the team included Manny Goldin, Josh Asherian, Yered Wittenberg, Ben Goldberg, Ezra Feen, Ian Maman, Lieb Roth and Noah Meltzer.

Photos by Eli Gray