Liberty Christian School of Argyle, Texas defeated Yavneh 42-31 Tuesday night.
Sometimes basketball is a make-or-miss game. On Tuesday night, Yavneh over-indexed on the miss side to the tune of a frigid 9/36 shooting performance. Despite holding a 4-point lead at halftime, the Bulldogs connected on just a pair of field goals in the final 16 minutes as they simply could not put the ball into the basket. Liberty Christian had size….Liberty Christian had strength….Liberty Christian played fundamental defense YES to all but at the end of the day double-digit missed layups (in a low possession game no less) at the rim are going to pose a major issue. For the second time in three games, Yavneh was the beneficiary of two free throws before the game due to an opponent contacting the rim in pre-game warmups. Sophomore Noah Ohayon tallied a point on one of the two awarded free throws but the Warriors would begin the timed game with four straight points to take control early. A bit jittery from the outset, the Bulldogs got an early wake up call from Junior transfer Jason Prager. A confident wing triple with swagger knotted the game at 4-4 and energized the near-capacity crowd. Ben Rael, who has been other-worldly defensively through the first 2+ games, forced a key early travel that for all intents and purposes was yet another charge taken. Senior Mason Schwaber gobbled up a rebound for a strong tip-follow moments later to regain the lead at 6-4 for Yavneh. The game would seesaw for the better part of the opening stanza, with several exquisite plays taking front and center despite a slow, deliberate, and very defensive pace. Schwaber found Jonah Eber for a hanging baseline jumper in which he seemed to glide through the air for an eternity. After a breakaway dunk by Bradley Land that brought back memories of Ofek Reef, Ohayon connected on two more freebies to tie the score 10-10 at the end of the first period. Neither team shot 40% but this was a tight and very even game in nearly every statistical category. Yavneh seemed to seize control, albeit very deliberately, as the second period developed. Both defenses were very sharp but the Bulldogs were able to get out in transition on three straight occasions to achieve some separation. Eber rifled a pass to Prager for a rhythm trifecta in the corner and then connected on a windmill bank shot in traffic. The Eber to Prager three train was not done yet as screen and roll action got Prager another score x 3 for a 20-16 lead. The exclamation point on a first-half ending 10-6 explosion, (40% of the first half scoring), was another Eber Top 10 Nominee as he triple-pumped at the basket for a finish with contact. 22-18 was the halftime advantage for the Bulldogs. Overall, this was still a very even contest with both teams struggling from the field (37% combined), three point range (4/16 combined), and of course there was Yavneh and their free throw issues. Prager’s trio of triples were the difference in the game but scoring the basketball was about to become a major sticking point.
The funny thing is that the second half began with a momentum play that seemed to be vintage Yavneh attacking an opponent to begin the second half. Jonah Eber swiped a basketball and trucked all the way to pay-dirt for an easy finish and 24-18 lead. Now holding a lead the size of a third of all points the Warriors had scored to date, this game was firmly in the hands of the home team…until it wasn’t. Schwaber would record a block/rebound on the second Liberty possession of the half but after that the game came to a screeching halt for the Bulldogs. The Warriors would score the next seven straight points to grab their first lead since the first quarter at 25-24. This was not a run out of cannon but a brisk walk in which Yavneh missed easy inside opportunities, a commonality throughout the game with or without success in the scoreboard margin, and frustration began to breed impatience. Similar to playing Virginia in Division 1 college basketball, every ill-advised shot that was missed led to another long defensive possession, of which the breakdowns were becoming more frequent in and out of transition. The few times Yavneh was able to get out and run resulted in misses as well, adding to the frustration. The Liberty run would reach 13-0 by the end of the third period and leave the score at a 31-24 deficit heading to the final period. Quick shots, rushing easier opportunities, and poor decision making completely turned this game around in addition to the fundamental defense Liberty was imposing. The two third-period points were obviously a season low and even when the Bulldogs got to the free throw line the Warriors were increasing their lead. On one possession, Liberty actually fouled on an Eber shot and ended up netting two points on the exchange of missed free throws, frustration technical foul, and made free throws. This was a microcosm of what was going on all the second half. In the final period, the Bulldogs would scratch and claw their way to the free throw line to produce some semblance of offense but even a good amount of those did not connect. Liberty was not burning the nets either but anything they did just padded and sustained a seemingly insurmountable 9-11 point lead throughout the final eight minutes. Finally, after 12 minutes of game action, a second Yavneh field goal lit up the scoreboard as Rael leaped for a steal on pressure defense and found Eber for a layup that went in for a pleasant changeup. Jonah Eber led the way with 10 points and 9 rebounds, while both Mason Schwaber (7 rebounds) and Jason Prager added 9 points each. In the end, 25% shooting, 7 missed free throws, and a cold spell for all-time wasted a decent turnover, rebounding, and defensive effort for the Bulldogs in a game that was more than winnable.
Yavneh (2-1) needs to do little soul searching or evaluating the meaning of life after this second half dud. They missed easy shots, lost discipline and composure a bit, and downward-spiraled into a one-game abyss but none of these issues seem to be long-term. The great news for Bulldog Nation is that they are only halfway through one of their busiest weeks of the year. Thursday night will provide an opportunity to bounce back against a hungry Shelton team at their place. This game figures to be higher scoring….OBVIOUSLY and will be a anticipated rematch of an electric offensive game played at the First Baptist Tournament in 2017 in which the Red-and-Black prevailed by 11 points.
The Kennel Report, now in its 16th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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