Lutheran defeated Yavneh 67-50 Tuesday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 12-7.
Mistake after mistake propelled Lutheran to victory Tuesday in a game that was more lost by Yavneh than won by Lutheran. 17 costly turnovers, 11 missed free throws, an unbelievable 53 total rebounds allowed (21 offensive), and disgusting shooting percentages did the Bulldogs in. Those errors wasted a career offensive game (16 points) by Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer and a charge taking display by expert Josh Karnett and apprentices Jake Greif and Jordan Prescott. Right from the start, Lutheran owned Yavneh’s defensive glass compiling 6 of the offensive rebounds in the opening period. Unlike the previous games where the Bulldogs designed a parade to the free throw line, Lutheran was the early aggressor on this night. They forced the home team well out on the perimeter with a pack zone defense and Yavneh obliged to the tune of 14 attempted three pointers (only 4 went in). An early Lutheran 10-5 lead was challenged by a gorgeous blocked shot by Pulitzer and a Prescott to Greif pass and score. As it was though, the Bulldogs trailed 15-10 after the first quarter. Greif started the charge taking frenzy early in the second with 2 in the first 4 possessions. A long Prescott pass to scoring sensation Elan Kogutt started a three-point play for the lead at 16-15. It was the Bulldogs one and only lead of the game. Turnovers on 3 of the next 4 trips coupled with multiple offensive rebounds at the other end bred a 17-4 Lutheran run to seize control. Yavneh chiseled the lead down to 7 at halftime but they were in deep trouble. The Bulldogs shot just 40% in the opening half, with many of the misses coming from Kogutt (6/16). The Pulitzer explosion of 8 first half points (3/4) picked up some of the slack, and although he did not score, Senior Joe Lerer hustled his way to the best half of basketball he has played all year to keep Yavneh in the game. The Bulldogs had their chances in the early minutes of the second half but did not have luck on their side. After rimming out good shots on their first 4 possessions, Lutheran finally capitalized their way to a 13-point edge. Not seeing the ball go in the basket pulled Yavneh right back into the lethargic offensive patterns that they had exhibited for much of the game. Karnett did everything in his power to slow the opposition but at times it seemed as if he was the only one playing at top level, sacrificing his body on nearly every defensive trip to draw the turnovers. A late third quarter 5 point Bulldog run unveiled signs of life but nothing ever really materialized. In the final chapter, Yavneh finally got to the free throw line with the aggressive play that has been a staple of recent games but most of those shots could not find the bottom of the net either. On at least two occasions the lead was cut to 12 only to be answered by a Lutheran three point basket. The horrors of a 50+ opponent rebounding day were the main culprit but turnovers, missed free throws, and missed shots did not help. The scoring duo of Kogutt and Prescott combined to shoot 11/40 from the field and 6/13 from the free throw line. Kogutt still led all scorers with 23 points and Pulitzer’s career-high 16 points came on 6/8 shooting. The 6 charges taken (Karnett 2, Greif 3, Prescott 1) were great but Lutheran got multiple cracks at the basket on nearly every other possession. The hustle and tenacity that Karnett and Lerer exhibited, two Seniors that come off the bench, were the lone bright spots in a poor defensive game. Lerer filled in nicely for an injured Reid Cohen (shoulder).
Yavneh (12-7) will have to right the ship against another tough team in THESA Thursday night. Once again, an inability to control the defensive glass and take care of the ball could bite the Bulldogs in a hurry. While the 2 game slide comes at the worst time for a team headed to Houston and Baltimore for important tournaments in the coming weeks, a win could do wonders for their confidence and propel Yavneh to a late-season run. Only time will tell.
The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
LF 7-5