Yavneh defeated Yeshiva Atlanta 46-35 Saturday night to win 5th place in the 4th Annual David Yaffee Memorial Tournament in Houston. The win completes the Bulldogs record at 11-11.
Senior Captain William Zalstein finished his career with the best 3 minutes he had ever played, and Yavneh finally broke through in Houston with a convincing victory. Energy was not the problem early as Yavneh came out active just like they had ended the previous game. Falling behind 7-1, the Bulldogs were resilient this time and Freshman Jordan Prescott shot them right back in the game with 10 first quarter points. His brother, Junior Ethan Prescott, also led the early charge with a huge forced turnover leading to Yavneh capturing the lead at 11-9. The 10-2 run was thanks to a pressurized full court defensive attack that forced 10 early Atlanta turnovers. The Bulldogs collected only a single rebound to Atlanta’s 9 but were obtaining the ball in so many other ways that they still held a 2 point lead. Yavneh’s 2 point advantage held up at halftime with each team being limited to 7 points in the second period. The carnage of that second 8 minutes left both teams shooting in the 30’s% with the slight difference clearly being the double-digit Atlanta turnovers. The Bulldog pressure really took over in the third period. A quick 7-0 run had Atlanta searching for answers and their players were frustrated. It was as if there were 7 referees on the court, 5 of them angrily barking out calls that were not respected. With the 9 point lead, Yavneh frustrated them even more by slowing the game down with a play designed to isolate Zalstein (an excellent dribbler) in open space. The play took valuable time off the clock and resulted in Yavneh free throws. It was so upsetting to some in the crowd that they resorted to crying, albeit a pair of infants. 3 of Zalstein’s 4 rebounds were actually offensive boards during a critical second half stretch. The lead would be trimmed as low as 6 points but the game got no closer in the third. Freshman Jake Greif’s helicopter block kept the game in Yavneh’s control in the third period’s final minute. The closing speed he exhibited on that play was very similar to a football defender running down a kick returner from tens of yards away. The biggest Atlanta threat came with 6:08 to play as the lead dwindled to 35-31. Sophomore scorer Elan Kogutt easily had his best half of the tournament but it was scoring from an unlikely source that saved the game. With 368 seconds left in his career, Zalstein nailed a lane jumper for a six point advantage, and then sealed the deal with a bank shot and a pair of free throws. Suddenly, the lead was 46-33 and it was time to coast home to Cinco de Febrero, otherwise known as fifth place. Elan Kogutt led all scorers with 17 points and Jordan Prescott behind his big first quarter chipped in 11 to pace the Bulldogs. Kogutt broke through in the final half of his second season with a gritty effort.
Yavneh (11-11) had an up-and-down season to say the least. It was nice to avoid a losing record and send Zalstein out a winner, especially with the way he played to close out his final game. Being the only Senior on a rebuilding team and playing with less established talent than he had been accustomed to could have frustrated Zalstein but instead allowed the guard to play an integral role in the development of the young Bulldogs. As it is, Yavneh returns the rest of their team. Developing defensive stud Josh Karnett and fellow captain Miles Pulitzer lead a strong Senior class that will ask a lot out of a pair of underclassmen expected to be superstars yesterday. Junior Elan Kogutt and Sophomore Jordan Prescott need to have strong summers to be the impact players it will take to compete at the Sarachek Tournament in New York next March. Ethan Prescott, Shimi Wolk and MW Steinbrecher need to improve their contributions to solidify the team’s depth at post. Fellow Sophomores to be Reid Cohen, Jake Greif, and Ben Romaner headline the deepest, most talented class in years to move through the Yavneh ranks. Kevin Sulski and Brian Benaim will also be integral parts of Bulldog teams to come. Is Elan Kogutt ready to step to the next level and become the big time scorer Yavneh needs? Will the Bulldogs rebound from a season limited by youth and inexperience? Can Yavneh step back into the national scene and compete in New York on the biggest of stages?
Only time will tell.
The Kennel Report, now in its fifth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M