Houston Orthodox school makes hoops semi-finals

The game was originally scheduled for Friday night; the finals are set for Shabbat

NEW YORK (JTA) — A Modern Orthodox school in Houston has made it to the semi-finals of the state-wide AA boys basketball tournament for private and parochial schools.

The Robert M. Beren Academy advanced Friday afternoon with a 27-point win over Our Lady of the Hills Catholic High School of Kerrville, Texas. The school is competing in the tournament for schools with enrollments between 55-120 students.

Shortly after the win, Beren head coach Chris Cole credited Our Lady of the Hills for agreeing to play in the early afternoon. The game had originally been scheduled for Friday night, after the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Without the accommodation, Beren would have been forced to forfeit.

“They were very accommodating,” Cole said of the Catholic school. He added that it was unclear if the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools — which runs the tournament — will be willing to reschedule the semi-final and final games, both of which are currently slated to take place during Shabbat on March 3 and March 4.

Both games will be played in Mansfield, Texas, about 45 minutes from Dallas.

Cole said that the Beren student athletes are “very excited.”

“It’s beyond their wildest dreams,” he said. “The community is very supportive. More and more people are coming to the games, and people have been nothing but supportive.”