Yavneh defeated Flower Mound’s Coram Deo Academy 82-39 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to a perfect 2-0.
Griffin Levine Sr netted the most efficient of double-doubles with 21 points and 10 rebounds in just half a basketball game, Yavneh improved their first period differential on the young season to 60-12, and the Bulldogs ran away from a second straight opponent in short order. Similar to Burton on Tuesday, Coram Deo had nary a minute to ease their way into the game before the Bulldogs hit them with an immediate spurt. In just their second possession of the game, Yavneh grabbed 5 points on a Tyler Winton trifecta courtesy of eight different bounces on the rim. As the ball finally found a safe haven through the hoop a foul underneath allowed Levine to finish with contact and a missed free throw for a 5-0 lead that quickly. Coram Deo never really recovered from that sequence as the flood gates began to open. The much heralded Big Three connected on an Ofek Reef to Griffin Levine to Pierce Bell steal/assist/layup combo for 7-0 just over a minute into this game. Levine put on a show in just 16 minutes of action but did remind his fans that he is indeed human with an appearance from alter-ego “Brickgriffin” who may be frequenting a free throw line near you soon. Winton’s one-legged touch pass to Bell on the roll to the rim combined with a Levine all-cotton pullup jumper swelled the advantage to 12-0. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 4 times in a 2-minute span but that was about the only thing that went wrong in an opening stanza that Coram Deo saw no end in sight to. Levine fed Reef for a levitating 3-point play with contact and then they reversed roles on a steal/assist the other way for a 17-2 edge. Jonah Eber’s dribble penetration created a pair of Reef put backs and Levine finished a stellar first period with 5 of the last 7 points including a three ball to beat the horn. The 33-6 barrage through 8 minutes of play saw Levine score 16, Reef 7, the Bulldogs take 10 more attempts than CD, and force 12 turnovers. The second period was a letdown quarter for Yavneh as they lost their edge as the bench was outscored 14-8. A once 27-point lead was sliced to 21 points at halftime and could have been even closer if not for a pair of Mason Schwaber jumpers. As it was, though, the teams each shot 47% from the field in the first half but a +15 shot differential and +12 turnover differential left Coram Deo searching for answers on the road.
The start to the second half looked much like the first with Yavneh scoring 6 straight points to build back the 27-point advantage. The highlight of that stretch was a flashy Eber steal that went through Levine and on to Reef for a nice finish. Bell followed with another huge charge taken (2nd in 2 games) and Coram Deo seemed finished for the night. In one of the most unlikely runs this entire season, the visitors got off the mat and reeled off 10 straight points to slice and dice the lead to just 17 points. Lazy transition defense and careless offense from the Bulldogs created the most adverse of situations to this point. Just 18 points away from completely losing the lead, Levine dished out just another of his 10 magnificent helpers to find Winton in the corner for a clutch triple. That ignited an 18-4 response that put Coram Deo away for good. Pierce Bell, a virtual no-show in Arlington Tuesday, broke out in a big way with some mammoth offensive boards, stellar free throwing, and three field goals in a row during the final decisive 18-4 run. With Levine assisting, Bell finishing, and Reef acrobatically finishing reverse layups from mid-air, Yavneh had built back a 65-34 lead through three periods of play. The final chapter of this game was all window-dressing but the Bulldogs were rolling to the finish. Zach Bernstein’s steal found its way safely to Sam Schultz for the layup that produced a 40-point lead at 74-34. During the final 6:16, per TAPPS rules, the clock ran faster than some unnamed Bulldogs players but that did not stop Eli Minsky from rumbling to the basket with an old-school finger roll finish to make official both Senior Seth Gerstenfeld’s first career assist and the 80th point of the night. Griffin Levine led all scorers with the 21 point, 10 assist, and 5 steal double-double. Ofek Reef and Pierce Bell chipped in 19 and 17 points respectively while each also grabbed 8 rebounds. Mason Schwaber also finished in double digits with 10 points on 5/6 shooting. Also of note, Micah Romaner provided a second straight solid defensive effort and pulled down 5 rebounds in the process.
Yavneh (2-0) got 57 points from their top three scorers and more than enough contributions from the remainder of the lineup to earn their second consecutive wire-to-wire victory. The unselfish play continued and will be essential to become the team that it looks like they can be. As opponents get their football players back on their rosters the next week could become more difficult. The next two games showcase a pair of teams that have been to the 2A and 3A TAPPS state tournament in the last couple seasons in Cambridge and Canterbury.
The Kennel Report, now in its 14th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M TL-BW-SP-BR