Beren Wins, Headed to State Final After Schedule Kerfuffle

Beren beats Dallas Covenant 58-46

Beren Academy, whose boys basketball team was nearly forced to forfeit their semifinal appearance in the playoffs earlier this week, is now headed to the state finals for the first time in school history.

The Orthodox Jewish Day School's basketball team beat Dallas Covenant 58-46 Friday afternoon at Fort Worth Nolan High School's Hartnett Arena in a game that almost wasn't.

TAPPS, The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, originally scheduled the Class 2A semifinal game for 9 p.m. Friday, which is well into the Jewish Sabbath.

Being orthodox and the game being scheduled during the Sabbath, the boys team either had to reschedule the game or forfeit.

Beren twice asked for the game to be rescheduled outside of the Sabbath and twice they were unanimously denied by the same TAPPS board who had approved rescheduling games for the team in recent weeks.

Upset parents filed a lawsuit and only then did TAPPS reconsider their schedule and bring the imbroglio to an end.

"We are thankful to the TAPPS for ultimately making the right decision. The school administration and board was not involved in any legal action, and we regret that it took a lawsuit filed [by] parents to bring about this decision," Beren said in a news release Thursday.

TAPPS said Thursday that if Beren (24-5) advanced to the final they would move the state final game from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night -- after the Sabbath has concluded.

With the win, Beren can rest easy over the Sabbath in preparation for Saturday night's 8 p.m. state final.  The game will be played at Nolan High School and they will face the winner of the Logos Prep - Abilene Christian match up scheduled for Friday evening.

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