Yavneh defeated Temple Christian 58-43 Monday evening to improve the Bulldogs record to 12-6.
After having their previous game canceled by the opposition, it was more than alarming for the Bulldogs to arrive at Temple Christian to an empty gym with no opponent. However, there would be a game on this night, extending Yavneh’s winning streak to 7 games. Temple Christian’s coach was able to round up his team, find an official, and even got a trio of Yeshiva University basketball players to run the clock (two of which were former rivals that traditionally torched his team). The hour plus delay seemed to rattle Yavneh from the start. A 4-1 Temple Christian lead early concerned the Bulldogs as Noel Graciano and Darrin Guillary had career first halves. Guillary, a quick point guard who gave Yavneh fits in the earlier meeting, consistently drove through the heart of the Yavneh defense in the opening stanza. Junior Bradley Alhadef kept the Bulldogs in the game with 2 big first quarter three pointers. The Bulldogs led briefly at 9-8 on the strength of those shots but the quarter ended with a 8-0 Temple Christian run. 3 bad turnovers and breakdowns in the full court press accounted for the 16-9 deficit as the Bulldogs were simply out-hustled in the quarter. The lead swelled to as much as 9 in the second quarter behind Guillary’s 10 early points. Temple Christian had a much thinner and less athletic team but controlled the boards in that first half by a 23-12 margin, including 12 offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs were a step slow all half, shooting 30%. Guillary and stocky forward Noel Graciano each had 12 points in the first half as TC continued to hold the lead 28-23 at the half. Alhadef scored 13 first half points to lead the Bulldogs. Yavneh had to keep their pressure up if they were going to tire out the thin Blazer team at the outset of the second half. Yavneh’s now-familiar rotation of 5 players at a time started to pay dividends minutes into the third quarter. With David Naxon on the bench nursing his sore knee and Erez Krengel also struggling, the Bulldogs were in need of a spark. TC guard Darrin Guillary made the mistake of giving that spark to them with a bone-headed double technical foul that both ejected himself from the game and injected life into the sluggish Yavneh offense. Krengel nailed 3 of the 4 free throws and then hit a big three pointer to put Yavneh in front 32-28. However, Temple Christian tried to rally around their absent teammate with a quick 5-0 run. The burly Graciano continued to shine, finishing with 20 points. That would be it for Temple Christian. A series of three pointers and easy turnover-assisted baskets would bolster Yavneh into a 44-35 lead after three quarters. Krengel came alive, connecting on multiple three point shots and the active Bulldogs were finally home free. Yavneh built an early 14-point lead to start the fourth quarter and coasted to the finish. Although the Blazers were finished competing in the game, big man Corey Rhodes was not done entertaining. In addition to his 4 points and 7 assists, Rhodes also performed several cartwheels. At times, Rhodes even used the floor as a resting place when things got too tiring for him during the game. Krengel finished with 25 points while Alhadef added a solid 15 for Yavneh. Sophomore William Zalstein found Krengel all second half for many of his game-high 7 assists. Of gigantic note, specialist Sam Pulitzer and Freshman Josh Karnett took 2 charges apiece to fuel the big Yavneh run.
Yavneh (12-6) will host McKinney Christian Thursday night immediately following the ceremony in which Tuesday’s scorebook keeper Itzy Ribald and Akiva Wolk will have their Yavneh jerseys retired.
The Kennel Report is written by Zack Pollack