Oakridge defeated Yavneh 66-44 Tuesday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 15-8.
Yavneh can chalk another loss up directly to their two problem areas: turnovers and an inability to protect the defensive glass. As has been the case on nearly all of their 8 season losses, 16 costly turnovers and 11 second chance opportunities gave an Oakridge team featuring the best player the Bulldogs had seen all year too many extra possessions.
Yavneh knew they had to play well early and dictate the tempo but they were just unable to do it. A 9-0 Oakridge start right out of the gate featured a handful of turnovers but it was two missed shots from right at the rim that indicated that this would not be a Bulldog night. The home team stabilized the game at 11-6 minutes later on a pair of triples by sizzling superstar Jordan Prescott and sharpshooting Sophomore Josh “H” Lynn but the contest would never be that close again. The first half was discouraging as Oakridge grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, scoring on virtually all of those second chance opportunities. 9 turnovers complemented the rebounding to create a crater that was just too big to recover from. A key sequence towards the end of the opening half included an un-athletic wanderer from Oakridge (Beck) grabbing his own rebound which led to a basket followed by a half-court Oakridge steal for a layup. The Bulldog miscues should take nothing away from Oakridge star James Pegues, who scored 24 points in the opening 16 minutes. He scored inside, outside, and falling away from three point land as the half expired for a 39-21 advantage. In fact, by himself Pegues outscored Yavneh 24-21 by halftime.
For the second straight home game, Yavneh chipped into a big lead with a solid start to the second half. Oakridge was held without a point for nearly 4 minutes at the outset and the lead had been trimmed to 14 points. Prescott was carrying the load offensively once again and got scant if any help throughout the game. A key sequence in which Junior Jake Greif sneakily created a charging turnover followed by a statement pump fake that sent Pegues airborne seemed to change the momentum. Greif nearly drilled a hole in the floor on the landing but still managed to connect on a free throw. In all, the Bulldogs 11-4 run brought them to within a basket of single digits but the turnover parade that followed proved the comeback effort to be a no-go. While Yavneh did 190% better allowing only one offensive rebound in the second half, a string of four offensive trips with turnovers ignited a 7-0 Oakridge run the other way. There would be no dramatic push to the finish on this night and there was little mystery as to why that was the case.
Prescott once again led Yavneh with 22 points and achieved a double-double with his 10 rebounds. Senior Elan Kogutt struggled mightily from the field but was perfect from the free throw line to account for most of his 10 points. Pegues led everybody with his 30 points and 10 rebounds. Yavneh (15-8) will look to get healthy Thursday night against Dallas Academy. Although DA has never beaten the Bulldogs in any sport, their size against a team that is severely struggling to protect the defensive glass could be a recipe for trouble.
The Kennel Report, now in its seventh season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
MWJR? 3-9