Yavneh defeated Coram Deo Academy 51-36 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to a perfect 2-0.
In one of the ugliest opening four minutes to a game in modern sports history, Yavneh and Coram Deo put on a glorious presentation of air balls, turnovers, bone-headed personal fouls, violations including but not limited to 5-seconds closely guarded, and of course a buffet of missed point blank layups. Junior Micah Romaner mercifully put an end to the insanity with a flip shot for the first Bulldog points which accounted for just a third of the amount of turnovers for the two teams to that point. Yavneh was missing shot after shot in the most creative of ways that were inexplicable to even the simple laws of physics. Meanwhile, Coram Deo slowly had righted their ship to the tune of a 7-0 spurt that netted a 9-2 advantage. A second Romaner short jumper accounted for all 4 Bulldog points in the opening stanza. The 13-4 Coram Deo first period advantage was more about the inept Yavneh offense than anything else courtesy of 2/18 shooting from the field with 4 turnovers and a % differential of 60-11 in favor of the road team. Ten minutes into the game the offense was Romaner, Romaner, and Romaner…and that law firm had 4 points. With 6:01 to play in the second period came your Turning Point of the Game sponsored by a Griffin Levine inbounds pass to Pierce Bell for a layup. Levine followed with 5 additional points including a three ball and a transition layup. Bell’s acrobatic trampoline steal on the sideline highlighted the 12-3 explosion that catapulted Yavneh into a 16-16 tie after trailing by 9 points. Senior Captain Daniel Chernikov picked off a pass for a long touchdown run and Bell connected on a pair of free throws to complete that portion of the run. The home team was not nearly done with their game flipping extended spurt. Pierce Bell continued his torrid stretch with a wing triple for the lead and by the time Freshman sensation Jonah Eber pick-pocketed a Coram Deo offender for another Levine finish on the run had reached 17-3. In all, a 27-6 second period turned a struggle into a developing laugher of a contest. Coram Deo may have out-shot the Bulldogs from the field in the first 16 minutes but 16 forced turnovers and a +10 free throw attempt differential staked Yavneh to a comfortable 13 point edge at the break.
Once again the Bulldogs had broken an opponent after a slow start with the visitors looking defeated throughout the third period. Chernikov came alive in the early stages of the second half to maintain the double digit lead but once again Griffin Levine was too much for an opponent to handle. When he wasn’t streaking down the court for an easy layup, Levine was a whirling dervish that made Coram Deo defenders dizzy and with no other option but to continuously foul him. In all, 11/14 free throw shooting made Levine’s night easy money after a tough first period. After starting 0-6 from the field with 3 turnovers and a pair of missed freebies, his night had completely turned with an earthquake charging drive down the lane for a charitable three point play and a 40-26 lead late in the third quarter. The game seemed all but over until a 7-0 CD run chopped the Yavneh advantage to just 7 points. With 5:30 to play in the game, Eber slow-rolled into the paint for a floating lefty rainbow band-aid to extend the lead to 42-33. One final Levine side-winding three point play sprung the edge back to double digits at 45-33 and the Bulldogs were essentially never challenged again. The game could have become remotely interesting in the final 2 minutes if not for one final Romaner field goal finish to his gritty performance. Also key in closing the game defensively was a hustle dive into the opponent bench by Senior Captain Noah Rubinstein. That attempt at a loose ball accomplished the rare feat of spending significant time on both teams’ respective benches throughout the contest. The comeback victory was an impressive rebound to a game that looked like the Bulldogs simply did not have it. Instead, the idea that it is only a matter of time before these opposing schools reach their breaking point is beginning to become evident. Speaking of a matter of time, Griffin Levine drop-kicked his worst ever Yavneh period to notch a career high 24 points to go along with 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Pierce Bell’s 9 point/8 rebound performance was key if not THE reason this game turned on a dime. The post combo of Micah Romaner and Daniel Chernikov combined for 12 points and 10 rebounds as well.
Yavneh (2-0) continues to grow into a polished product on the court and will get another non-district TAPPS test when Desoto’s Canterbury Episcopal School comes calling Monday night. The schools have not played in several years but Canterbury has been a successful program for a long time and this should be another good early season test for the Bulldogs.
The Kennel Report, now in its 13th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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