Yavneh defeated Kushner 43-39 in overtime Thursday morning in the first preliminary round game of The 3rd Annual David A. Yaffee Memorial Basketball Tournament. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 19-5.
It is hard to imagine Yavneh playing any worse than they did in their opening round contest with Kushner from New Jersey Thursday to kick off what will surely be a tough tournament in Houston, Texas. The Bulldogs needed every drop of Senior David Naxon’s 29 points and 16 rebounds to diffuse a struggling Kushner team. They also needed a little luck, dodging multiple bullets in the final minute of regulation including a Kushner last second tip-in just inches from creeping over the rim. Yavneh struggled from the beginning, falling behind 9-7 after one quarter. They shot just 33% as they did for the entire game but Kushner’s 7 early turnovers kept the game close. For the second straight game, the game was played very tight throughout with defenses controlling the pace of the game. The Bulldogs did grab the lead at the half by a single point, feasting on the 12 first half turnovers by the opposition. The most disturbing developments were how easily the smaller Kushner team got right to the basket while Yavneh settled for jumpers at their end. As foul problems mounted for Kushner in the second half, Yavneh fell behind 28-23 with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter. Naxon ended the quarter, though, with a 6-0 run to grab the lead. There was never any kind of comfort level for the Bulldogs at either end, and Kushner led by 2 at 37-35 with just over a minute left. On Yavneh’s first of seven chances to tie the game, Naxon elected to make a more difficult dunk rather than a layup. While the play resulted in a foul call, he would miss the two free throws. With alternate scorer and Senior Erez Krengel mired in his worst game of the season, Naxon would try to force the issue again a possession later. He would miss five short range shots in a row sandwiched between two critical misses by Kushner at front ends of 1-and-1 free throw chances. A third struggling Senior Brad Alhadef committed one of four critical turnovers to seemingly lose the game once and for all. However, with all that, Naxon was able to get himself to the free throw line for a perfect trip to tie the game at 37-37 with 33 seconds left. When a struggling team has a chance to win, Kushner can attest to the fact that strange things happen. As Robby Tepper missed an off balance fade away jumper with 3 seconds left, an uncovered Kenny Safer needed only to tap the ball through the hoop for the win. To the elation of the Bulldogs, that tap came up an inch or two short. Another major reason for overtime was Freshman Elan Kogutt snatching two mammoth rebounds to capture possessions late in the game. With new life, the Bulldogs dominated overtime. A Naxon short range jumper followed by an Alhadef to Naxon alleyoop layup sealed the deal. Shaq Alhadef added one out of four free throws to put the game away once and for all. Nobody from either team was too efficient on the offensive end with matching 33% shooting but Naxon did lead all scorers with the 29 points. It has been said that every tournament winner has to survive a bad game but this one was ridiculous. If Yavneh plays that way against JV Elite ranked #1 HANC, CHAT (whom they may play tomorrow), or even host school Beren Academy tonight, they will not continue to advance. The question is whether it was “lesson learned” and “cobwebs shed” or “developing pattern”. While tonight’s second preliminary game may not answer all of those questions, a solid win vs. Beren might provide the needed confidence to carry the Bulldogs through the semifinals and set up a potential #1 vs. #2 match up. The scene is set but it is up to the Seniors to set the example for excellence and prove their worth on a national scale.
The Kennel Report is written by Zack Pollack