Yavneh defeated Sunset High School of the Dallas Independent School District 86-54 Tuesday night. The win strengthens the Bulldogs record to 7-2.
Jonah Eber scored a career-high 25 points, Ofek Reef added 19 points, and Mason Schwaber tallied his first career double-double as Yavneh steamrolled past another DISD institution Tuesday. Schwaber had an early tip follow and Reef stormed in for a steal layup to give the Bulldogs an early lead. Another steal for the Senior who continues to put up video game numbers every single game led to an AND-ONE finish and a 7-4 edge. Schwaber fed Eber for a post to post connection, and the two hooked up moments later for a game of volleyball around the rim with Schwaber finally putting a ball in the actual basket for 13-6. Just 24 hours earlier Thomas Jefferson did to Yavneh what they were now doing to their rivals Sunset. Reef and Schwaber were pounding the glass and finishing off any miss. Tyler C Winton collected three early steals, finding Eber twice and Reef once in transition for six quick points and a 21-9 advantage. Winton finished his own transition opportunity off a nice Reef save-steal from over the sideline. For the second straight night Winton was a passing machine and that set the tone for the best passing night of the season for this team. Reef, Eber, and Winton were all dishing and some of them were even swishing. Eber’s career night was aided by his own four-point possession late in the opening stanza that staked the Bulldogs to a 29-14. The rebounding was the biggest change from a night earlier as Yavneh was matching the physicality of their opponent this time around. Reef fed Simcha Malina for a layup he missed…no he didn’t finish to notch 30 Yavneh points in just 9 minutes of game action. A 6-0 Sunset spurt was courtesy of careless turnovers by the Bulldogs and suddenly a 17 point lead was trimmed to 11 points. Schwaber broke the run with an easy post basket and a pullup ThrEber from the wing boosted the lead back up to 16 points at 36-20. Sophomore Tom Oster helped to push the lead over the 20-point threshold with a pair of assists and a huge charge take. One of those helpers saw Schwaber admiring his midrange baseline splash like it was a painting in a museum. Zach Bernstein got into the passing groove as well with two assists including a nice lob to Eber with position. 44-25 was the halftime lead with rebounding, turnovers, and free throws all helping the home team out. Eber, Reef, and Schwaber combined for 40 of the 44 points scored and Winton’s five steals led the forced turnover charge.
Eber and Reef continued to dominate in the third quarter in transition. They each had a pair of early baskets off steals and energy. While Reef broke his dunking streak, he barely missed a shot, had 6 crafty assists, and did more than enough to make this game a laugher. Eber used a personal 8-2 run to break the game open at 63-35. Schwaber finished off a great sweep pass from Winton and Sunset had no answers for the interior domination of the Red-and-Black. Reef was attacking, Eber was swarming into the paint for easy finishes, Schwaber was punishing the defense with easy scores right at the hoop, and Winton was facilitating with Bernstein to provide the unstoppable formula on this night. Malina set up Senior Nachi Zucker to bury a midrange jumper that was in from the moment it left his hands. Zander Feinstein took a break from bullying opponents to notch a steal and make a successful fly pattern pass to Malina for his patented leaning while stumbling finish right below the rim. That connection beat the third period buzzer by mere milliseconds to secure a 67-37 edge heading to the final period of play. There was no energy drop-off in the final 8 minutes of this game as the Bulldogs showed off their depth. Winton continued his exquisite passing with a number of assists down the stretch. One found Oster for a wing triple that looked like perfection and sounded like a sweet ocean breeze as it scorched through the net. Another found a rolling Malina to the rim and even one of his turnovers looked majestic as he quintuple-clutched through the night sky before losing the basketball. Feinstein stole another basketball and found Winton for a less acrobatic double clutch finish. Ben Rael assisted Mr Fourth Quarter Reece Parker for a basket and Rael’s classmate Noah Ohayon grabbed two tough rebounds and scored on two free throws late. Elisha Klein got in on the action with yet another Bulldog assist and a great slicing finish off a pass from Eber. The Bulldogs carved up the Sunset defense for 32 assists and really made a statement at times in this game. Jonah Eber scored 25 points, collected 6 rebounds, and dished 4 assists in this career game. Ofek Reef’s 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals marked another solid game in which the Senior missed only a single shot from the field. Mason Schwaber’s 18 point/10 rebound double-double rounded out a scoring trio that Sunset had zero chance to combat. Tyler Winton’s 8 steal/9 assist game was electrifying as the former 3 and little D player continues to find new ways to impact the game.
Yavneh (7-2) will now take this act in progress on the road to Baltimore for a chance to Three-Peat at the Weiner Tournament next Wednesday. The Bulldogs are well equipped with their high percentage attack in the painted area but will be challenged to shoot from the outside before the tournament has been decided. Can anyone stop Yavneh from living in the paint? Will teams continue to turn the ball over at an exacerbating rate to fuel the fire? Can the Bulldogs make enough shots to survive a group of teams that will be able to game plan once this tournament enters its final stages? Can this group continue a 14-game winning streak in the Charm City and dispatch a pair of international teams, a pair of inner city Yeshiva League teams from Nassau County that are hungry to prove that NC > DFW basketball, and a host team led by THE Harris Gartenhaus who so eagerly believes this is his time to finally defeat his nemesis and take ownership of a tournament that should belong to him?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 15th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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