Sunset defeated Yavneh 65-50 Monday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 4-1.
Most holiday gift shopping doesn’t begin in earnest until Friday but the Bulldogs put a nice bow on one huge present for Sunset as they missed 18 free throws, turned the ball over 20 times, and allowed 17 offensive rebounds en route to their first loss of the year. For an almost unbelievable fifth straight game Yavneh began with a turnover on their opening offensive possession. Many things can be said about the lack of mental where-with-all that the Bulldogs showed on this night but it was apparent early that they were not intimidated by the athletes, size, and depth that Sunset brought into the SR Center. Sophomore Jake Greif met the first of Sunset’s 61 shots at the summit for one of his three blocked shots right off the bat. An early 5-1 Sunset lead was erased quickly by a Jordan Prescott three ball and a great feed from Elan Kogutt to Grief in the lane. Sunset packed the visiting fans’ section on this, and it was a good thing. Their team was busy committing 10 of their 25+ fouls in the first quarter. While the fans were quite skilled at booing the refs on each call and howling during opposing free throws, any one of them might have been needed had the game gone a fifth quarter. While the score was deadlocked at 16-16 after one period, the Bulldogs were sitting pretty in the double bonus for the rest of the half. They had already shot 13 free throws and had actually managed to hold their own on the boards early. 4 different Yavneh players scored four points each in that opening frame and no question the game was the Bulldogs to win. The second quarter turned into a Monday-nightmare. While Yavneh missed the majority of their freebies in the first quarter, they attempted just 2 free throws in the entire second period. With Sunset in that double bonus, the Bulldogs would have been shooting 2 shots on every common foul but both avoided the contact and settled for outside shots in that deciding 8 minute stretch. Additionally, protecting the offensive boards suddenly ceased and with it went the close game. Sunset grabbed a 29-21 halftime lead and the Bulldogs would need a rally. The lead reached double digits in the third period before Kogutt decided it was time to take it at them. He lead a critical
6-0 Yavneh run that put them right back into the fight. Once again the run was started by a Greif blocked shot combined with two nice passes that led to baskets followed by a Kogutt fast break lay-in. The lead was suddenly just 34-30 but the 7-2 Sunset run that followed was the beginning of the end to Yavneh’s undefeated season. The turnovers started to mount and the missed opportunities at the foul line had the result of more pseudo-turnovers. The Bulldogs showed their grit in fighting back in that third period but far too many times took 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. While the final period introduced the simultaneous appearance of Double Trouble in Greif and fellow Sophomore post Ben Romaner, it was not nearly enough to make up for the ever increasing mental errors of the Bulldogs as a whole. The two bigs played extremely efficiently together but the lead remained at 52-41 for Sunset before they delivered the knockout punch. Yavneh committing two turnovers back to back resulting in four quick Sunset points, a 15 point game-high lead, and a happy ride home for the big traveling group from North Oak Cliff. Yavneh would get as close as 9 points in the final minutes but couldn’t get out of their own way as the free throw misses continued along with an inability to grab a defensive rebound. One final three point play from game high scorer Andrew Garza (24 pts) sealed the deal with 2:08 to play. Yavneh cannot win games missing 18 of 32 free throws, turning the ball over 20 times, and allowing 17 offensive rebounds all in the same game. Kogutt and Prescott led Yavneh with 17 and 15 points respectively. Also of note, Senior hustler Josh Karnett drew 3 more charges. He is now averaging more than a charge taken per game which is one ultra-impressive feat that has no signs of slowing anytime soon. After four solid efforts, the Bulldogs simply shot themselves in the foot rather than truly having a team beat them. From despair, however, comes hope.
Yavneh (4-1) can get even with the Dallas Independent School District Tuesday night as they take on perennial DISD doormat Thomas Jefferson. Looking past them would be a mistake as TJ sped their way past the Bulldogs just a season ago as proof that the program may be on the upswing.
The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
LF 4-2