Yavneh defeated The Abraham Joshua Heschel School 56-39 in The Joseph and Florence Weiner Memorial Tournament FINALS in Baltimore, Maryland Saturday night. The win improves the Bulldogs season record to an immaculate 14-0 and the team has now won 28 of their 30 games in calendar 2017 as a basketball program.
It took more than two decades for Yavneh to win a tournament with more than 4 teams in the field. Now, the Bulldogs simply cannot lose one with their third straight including the back to back, belly to belly Baltimore tournament victories. Yavneh has become the 6th team to win consecutive Weiner Tournament titles and looks to become the third three-peat winner of this event when they return next year. In fact, the opponent on this historic night, was looking to win their fourth consecutive finals appearance separated by a 2-year gap. Heschel, who broke the hearts of Bulldog Nation with a 43-42 gut-wrenching overtime victory in 2013, was on fire in the first half of this game. Ofek Reef got off to a powerful start for the first basket of the game and the Bulldogs actually held a 4-2 lead courtesy of a Jonah Eber finish at the rim. However, Heschel was shooting with ultra efficiency and scoring at will. Pierce Bell had a steal and a layup while Griffin Levine Sr lobbed to Reef but Heschel’s 58% shooting had them surging to a 17-11 lead after one period of play. The two biggest issues were a trio of three pointers and the fact that Yavneh only forced 2 turnovers. Levine actually made two three pointers bridging the first and second periods but the first one was waived off due to the period buzzer sounding. As it was, the Bulldogs were behind and trading baskets with the likes of Ilan Orgel. Orgel scored the majority of his 17 points in that second period but the great equalizer was Yavneh’s ability to get to the free throw line. Bell, Reef, and Levine all paraded to the charity stripe but could not get enough stops to chip into the lead at all. 31-24 was the high Heschel lead but two Levine trifectas and a Reef baseline AND ONE cut the lead to 31-30 for halftime. While Levine did not beat the first period buzzer on his three pointer, he was able to sneak in the one right before halftime just in the nick of time. The Bulldogs watched Heschel shoot 54% from the field and drill four three pointers but a 9-1 Yavneh advantage in free throw attempts accounted for the only 1 point differential at the half. The 6 turnovers forced were low given the amount of pressure being applied but Heschel was growing tired. Reef and Levine were each in double figures for the half but for a sixth time in 7 games at this tournament the Bulldogs were on the ropes. It would seemingly be very tough for Heschel to both keep the hot shooting up and overcome a deadly differential at the free throw line.
With an over-capacity gym and millions more listening/watching on a Super Bowl-like internet live broadcast, a 33-30 deficit in the third quarter had many experts concerned. The game turned, however, on two monumental developments. For one, Yavneh transitioned from the combination zone pressure defenses to a man-to-man “senario” which seemed to baffle a team already winded. Offensively, though, the Bulldogs started to find a comfort zone. Bell connected on a mid-range to draw his team within a single point but it was the next possession that changed the offensive tone of the game for good. Micah Romaner, who had previously made a million dollar move with a bankrupt finish, delivered the play that may have saved the season….or at least the undefeated record. Romaner, known to many in these parts simply as Mr Baltimore, attacked the rim off two feet in a rumble that could only be compared to a 32.0 earthquake. This time Romaner dropped the basketball into the hoop for the first Yavneh lead since 4-2. Bell padded the lead to 37-34 moments later with a paint finish. With the defense working, every offensive play the Bulldogs made felt like it was in triplicate. Levine set up Reef in the corner for three points. Reef also took an enormous charge and by the time Levine bottomed a pullup triple the score was 43-34. In all, this was a 19-3 epic run dating back to the first half. A 13-4 third period eased all the tension and more importantly sent Heschel the message that nothing would be easy on the offensive end while the Red-and-Black were working on a scoring carnival at the other end of the court. The three pointers of good old back in the day AKA the first half were no longer finding safe haven. The Big Three shined at the offensive end, scoring at will without the thought of giving up points on the other side. Reef finished another baseline drive for an AND ONE, Levine and Bell got easy looks at the basket, and the Bulldogs built a 50-37 margin midway through the final stanza. Eber whistled a pass to Levine for a majestic floater in the lane that cleaned the ceiling before careening safely into the goal for a 52-37 edge with 3:03 to play. Romaner, who played like there was no way he would allow the Bulldogs to lose, connected on a statement finish with more exquisite footwork. Bell leaked out for the finishing touch and a 56-39 score that would indeed be the final score. 8 points was all Heschel could muster in the second half after exquisite shooting in the first 14 minutes. GrifFEK was in full effect for this tournament and earned themselves co-MVPs, a Weiner Tournament first. Griffin Levine scored 18 points and dished out 8 assists in this game and had 111 points/35 assists for the tournament. Ofek Reef led all scorers with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in the championship game (another double-double) and 132 points/77 rebounds for the week. Pierce Bell finished with 13 points and 75 for the tournament. Tonight it was Micah Romaner with 4 key points and six rebounds, as well as a gritty 31 minute effort from Jonah Eber. But throughout this tournament it was also so many important sequences from Tyler Winton, stretches of defense of Sam Schultz, and the overall commitment and passion of the bench.
Yavneh (14-0) has started this season on an incredible run. They are winning games with a trio of uber-talented players at the top but now are starting to get contributions from a variety of supporting cast players that grew up in Baltimore this week. The challenge will continue to be how to best utilize this roster as teams begin to strategize plans to slow Levine, Reef, and Bell. The Bulldogs will have one final tune-up for district play when they compete in a series of games at the First Baptist Cotton Bowl Classic, an event designed to prepare teams for a rigorous district schedule. Can this group continue to evolve into a complete team with a post presence, depth at the guard spots that could completely change the focus of opposing defenses, and the continuing development of a multi-layer defensive system? Will this team use 2016-17 as a model to return to Texas a different team than before they arrived in Baltimore and run their way towards a State championship? Can this group go one step further and bring Yavneh Academy their first state title???
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 14th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M TL-BW-SP-BR