Yavneh defeated Shelton 43-26 Tuesday evening in the season opener of the 2008-2009 season.
As the new look Bulldogs emerged from the locker room slowed by effects of the the smoke courtesy of their new pre-game fog machine, it was that very “fog” that the opposition seemed to stay in for the ensuing 32 minutes. Yavneh used a stifling defense and the introduction of likely its next budding superstar to control Shelton for most of the game. Sophomore Elan Kogutt splashed 28 points and recorded a double-double in a performance that may have given fans a taste of a very promising second season. Kogutt received three excellent passes from Junior Miles Pulitzer in the opening three minutes to triplicate the opening scoring play of the season and surge the Bulldogs to an early 6-2 lead. Kogutt scored nine points in less than three minutes to kick start things for Yavneh. The premier passing display that the Bulldogs put on in the opening stanza was not limited to Pulitzer. Lone Senior William Zalstein joined Pulitzer with three assists apiece for a 15-11 lead after a quarter. At times, the Bulldogs truly were putting on a passing clinic with 15 assists out of the 18 made game field goals. The nine turnovers were a Yavneh-low dating back at least to 2005-2006. Shelton had trouble shooting all evening. Their 20% first half shooting actually sank even further by game’s end. While Kogutt’s 13 first quarter points were dominant, it was apparent that he was tentative to take the ball to the basket. His only struggles of the night set in during the second quarter as Yavneh failed to score for 6+ minutes. The game-high 28 points that Kogutt recorded could easily have been 40 or even more if he had been aggressive against the foul-prone Shelton front line. Yavneh got to the foul line at will against a Shelton team that had nearly all its players with three or four fouls the entire night. However, the game stayed tight as the Bulldogs missed six of their nine first half free throws on their way to a 5/16 free throw night. Freshman Jordan Prescott tallied three of his seven points on a buzzer-beating triple off a Pulitzer pass to end the first half. Shelton weakened in the second half as a 9-point halftime lead ballooned to 14 as pressure and foul trouble left the squad defenseless. Junior Josh Karnett re-claimed his role as a feisty defensive player for the Bulldogs, taking a huge charge in the second half. The two freshmen posts, Ben Romaner and Jake Greif, were also rather impressive. Grief gobbled up five big rebounds and Romaner made several clever defensive maneuvers in frustrating Shelton big man Nick La Masha. A decisive fourth quarter run cemented the game by running the score to 41-21. As Yavneh coasted to the finish, the team celebrated a solid opening night victory. The team appears to have a nice nucleus of young talent coupled with some good veteran leadership. Time will tell how good Kogutt has become and whether he can bang down low with much bigger front lines than Shelton had to offer. Also, the plethora of Freshmen talent will surely be challenged in close, nail-biting games to come. A good start but much work left to do for the Bulldogs this season.
Yavneh (1-0) will play at Cambridge Tuesday evening. In the renewal of a rivalry that dates back to when Cambridge was part of Logos Academy, the Bulldogs look to continue their recent success against the school.
The Kennel Report, now in its fifth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M