Yavneh defeated Emery Weiner of Houston 50-31 this morning in the opening game of the Yavneh Tip-Off tournament.
The game marked a calm start to the 2005-2006 season. The teams shared early jitters in the first 4 minutes before Josh Abrams hit a go-ahead three-pointer to calm the capacity crowd in the first game at the brand new Schultz Rosenberg Athletic Center. That was before Abrams turned into a freezer that would even keep all the drinks at the Ribalds garage ice cold. The game remained nip and tuck for much of the first quarter until David Naxon took over with a series of 3-point field goals. Yavneh seemed to find their groove late in the first quarter, possibly sparked by a scoring controversy. When Yavneh took a 9-6 lead, veteran ref Reginald Osborne halted the game indicating the score may be 11-6. The Emery coach approached Reg in a less than calm manner. Coach Baruch quickly became involved as he thought the hostility was directed at his student volunteer book and clock-keepers. After about 8 minutes, everything was straightened out but the tension continued for the remainder of the first half. The score was properly corrected back to 9-6 and, with the exception of some later clarifying conversation, nothing else was made of the situation. However, after the delay, Yavneh never looked back. David Naxon led all scorers with 19, with Abrams and Krengel each pouring in 9. Erez Krengel just missed a double-double with a missed free throw in the fourth quarter, finishing with 9 pts, 11 rebounds. All players played in the game.
Yavneh will play for the Tipoff Tournament championship Saturday evening vs. the Beren Houston-RMA Denver winner later Friday.