Van Alstyne Public High School defeated Yavneh 84-48 Saturday evening. The loss evens the Bulldogs record at 4-4.
It is extremely tough to let an opponent shoot over 73% from the field for an entire game and have any chance to win. Saturday night, Yavneh allowed just that against a bigger and tougher Van Alstyne High School. With two very talented, big post players, Van Alstyne executed all night against nearly every defense the Bulldogs threw at them. Scoring the first 14 points of the game during the opening 5 minutes provided the statement Van Alstyne needed to put a scare into the Bulldogs. Yavneh could generate no half-court offense in the opening minutes nor could they defend the starting Van Alstyne unit. Erez Krengel, the only Yavneh player all evening with any consistent offensive punch, finally put Yavneh on the board with a 3-point play. After a 21-5 first quarter, Yavneh knew that they were facing an uphill battle. 5 first quarter turnovers with only 10 attempted shots left the Bulldogs searching for answers. Yavneh would make a push in the second quarter behind Krengel. A combination of three point shots and drives to the basket, Krengel was able to score and get to the free throw line with regularity. The lead was just 30-18 with 5:13 left in the half but consistent stops of Van Alstyne’s offensive attack were difficult to get. The lead shrunk to 10 but a late run gave Van Alstyne a 40-23 halftime lead. Surely the 76% that Van Alstyne shot could not continue for 4 quarters. Krengel was scoring 17 points in the first half but he did shoot 1/8 from three point range and Yavneh turned the ball over 7 times. The Bulldogs came out with a renewed passion to start the second half. They were active in trying to force turnovers on one end of the floor and trying to attack the basket at the other end. However, they were an inch or two from causing several key turnovers and could not score when they needed to at the offensive end. Meanwhile, Van Alstyne was continuing to get high percentage lay-ups and open jump shots. They ended the third quarter with a 10-0 run and led 62-33 after three quarters. Yavneh would play well for stretches, either scoring or creating some turnovers. They could never package them together and create a consistent charge to what Van Alstyne was trying to do. Thomas Matthews, a very talented post, scored a team-high 17 points but got help from three other players who accrued double figures as well. Erez Krengel had a game-high 28 points but shot just 2-11 from three point range. William Zalstein added 8 points for the Bulldogs. The team must play smarter and more physically if they have any interest in competing with any of the remaining public schools on their schedule.
Yavneh (4-4) will play Lucas Christian on Monday night.
The Kennel Report is written by Zack Pollack