Sunset Public High School defeated Yavneh 54-48 Monday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 2-2.
The question coming into Monday’s game was whether or not this young, inexperienced group of toddlers could stay on the court with a Dallas public school. The good news is that we found out indeed they could. The bad news, of course, is that the Bulldogs let a golden opportunity slip away on early jitters and critical mistakes in the game’s final minutes. Sunset’s 6-0 start saw them get to the hoop at will, something that would be all too common throughout the game. On the first three Yavneh offensive possessions, however, the Bulldogs did everything but score. Three great looks would not fall but immediately it was clear that this would be a game. In order to compete, of course, Yavneh would have to score. Quickly inserted Freshman Reid Cohen did just that, slipping to the hoop all the way from halfcourt through traffic to get his team on the board. An ugly first quarter saw Yavneh yield five huge offensive rebounds to aid Sunset. Senior Captain William Zalstein provided a late opening quarter spark cataloged in the “Where has that been” section. Zalstein found Freshman Jake Greif for a great hookup but followed that up with an aggressive drive to the cup not seen yet this season. It was a 12-10 first stanza in favor of Sunset, who was lead by a quick 8 points from team-high scorer Donald Donaldson. Zalstein continued to shine with one of his four steals and a layup to tie the game at 12-12. For the first of two times, however, Sunset responded to the tie game with a big run. Their 11-0 run included a flurry of mid-range jump shots and of course more offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs just hurt themselves so badly with 24 costly turnovers, many igniting breakouts the other way. They trailed 27-17 at the half, with rebounding and turnovers the biggest culprits. A run was sure to come with the quality of shots Yavneh was getting but they had to find a way to limit the mistakes. It got worse before it got better as the Bulldogs gave the ball away in their first two second half possessions. It was an out of bounds play three pointer by Freshman Jordan Prescott off a call and pass from Sophomore Elan Kogutt that fueled the comeback. From 12 points back Yavneh came behind their scoring leader Kogutt, who had been held in check during the first half. Junior Captain Miles Pulitzer made two great plays during the run to create 4 more quick points and trim the deficit even further. The key play in the run was Freshman Jake Greif missing a free throw yet keeping the ball alive long enough himself for Kogutt to gather the ball, head fake a defender, and score. The run was capped with the game-tying steal and coast to coast finish by Junior Josh Karnett. That tied the score at 33-33 with 2:26 still to play in the third quarter. Kogutt was fully involved now and the Bulldogs had it working at home. Sunset again, though, responded with a 7-0 burst. It was a buzzer beating jumper off another offensive rebound that sent the game to the fourth quarter giving Sunset holding the momentum. Greif started that final quarter with a thunderous block that kept the Sunset lead at 6 points. A Karnett floater once again cut the lead to 4 but that is as close as the game would get. Greif did all he could in his first year, taking two fourth quarter charges. It was not enough. The Bulldogs self-destructed down the stretch, which included three turnovers when they could have cut the lead to a single possession in the closing minutes. From disappointment, though, comes hope. Freshman Jake Greif played great with 5 points, 6 rebounds, and took the two charges. Classmate Jordan Prescott showed he can shoot but only took 3 shots. Zalstein and Pulitzer showed what aggressiveness can do for this offense. Karnett continued to be the heart of the team with his tenacity. Elan Kogutt once again led all scorers with 24 points and 14 rebounds, and clearly is in an offensive groove.
Yavneh (2-2) will play Mc Kinney Christian again on Tuesday night.
The Kennel Report, now in its fifth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M