Yavneh defeated Rockwall’s Heritage Christian Academy 61-59 in OVERTIME Thursday night. The win completes the Bulldogs regular season record at 28-3 (11-1) and also secures a share of the 2017 TAPPS 3A District 3 Title.
Griffin Levine Jr connected on a pair of free throws with 5.5 seconds left in the overtime period to grab a share of the District 3 title in the most dramatic of season finales. The game, which featured 2 of the best 3A teams in the state, lived up to its billing and proved the first meeting a complete anomaly. Unlike the game in Rockwall, the Bulldogs were fired up and ready from the opening gun. Daniel Chernikov, who could not make a 2 foot putt in that game 3 weeks ago, went right at the rack for the first statement basket of the night. He then found Zach Epstein on a gorgeous diagonal pass against a spotty Heritage press for the first of two cupcake finishes. That same pressure that had rattled and confused Yavneh a couple weeks ago now was nothing more than a vehicle for Bulldog points in the opening minutes. The first 120 seconds were played at a feverish pace with the teams combining for 15 points. There were no defensive stops at all and the game was as see-saw as it could be until a Levine AND ONE finish extended to an 11-7 Yavneh advantage. A Levine baseline jumper and an Epstein corner three ball popped the lead out to 7 points at 16-9. The trio of Levine, Epstein, and Chernikov were awesome in the opening period of play. Chernikov looked like a man amongst boys leaving Heritage searching for answers that were not forthcoming. Another layup and a tip follow gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead all night of 9 points and they maintained that advantage to end the first quarter. An Epstein up-and-under masterpiece Kevin McHale style had his team on pace to score nearly 100 points through 8 minutes. Both teams shot above 65% from the field but 7 Heritage turnovers accounted for their deficit. The second period did not go as well for the Dallas version of the Red-and-Black as Levine and Epstein fell victim to foul issues. Heritage methodically used a 12-2 run to come all the way back and gain a 27-26 lead. The defense for the Bulldogs was not awful during this time but after 24 first quarter points they tallied a mere 2 points in over 6 minutes to begin the second period. Levine returned for three critical minutes before halftime in which he scored a pair of desperately needed baskets. An off balance baseline leaner and then a pull-up jumper right before the halftime buzzer righted the ship at 30-27 in favor of the home team. The Bulldogs forced 11 turnovers and got all 30 points from Levine, Epstein, and Chernikov on a combined 13/19 shooting.
The second half would not see an extended run from either team as the battle for district honors was fought tooth and nail. Heritage scored the first points of the third quarter before Epstein connected on another enormous long distance bomb in a big spot. The depth of the Eagles continued to rotate scorers into the game to counter every amazing play Yavneh made. Noah Rubinstein’s pinpoint passing ability came to the forefront in that third period to really keep the Bulldogs afloat. He slipped a great feed to Chernikov for a room service finish, carved up the Eagle defense to find Micah Romaner at the rim, and then just for good measure bottomed a lane high-arching jumper for a 39-36 lead. The game was played within a slim 4 point window as Yavneh would lead by no more than 4 points briefly while Heritage never quite climbed the mountain in the third quarter. Chernikov controlled the high post with a nifty helper to Levine for an AND ONE finish that broke a 40-40 deadlock right before the expiration of that third period. A 6-1 Heritage run bridging the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters ping ponged the advantage back to the Eagles sideline. That lead did not last long as the Bulldogs responded with Epstein’s backdoor cut layup off a laser from Jonah Eber with 6:05 to play. The teams traded hay makers at that point with Eber recapturing the lead for his team with a runner in the paint that used all the colors of the rainbow. That highlight would be answered by the Eagles with a three ball for the lead at 49-48 with 4:24 remaining. The score would be tied again at 49-49 when Heritage made their push to take command of the game and sit all alone as district champions. A 4-0 spurt left the score 53-49 with the Bulldogs on the brink of a second place disappointment. Griffin Levine had other plans. His cold-blooded step back triple took 75% of the thrill out of that Eagles lead at 53-52 with 2:31 to go. The tension in the building with so much at stake had a capacity crowd hanging on every breathtaking play. Eber rejected the daylights out of a shot attempt and Rubinstein secured a steal on the very same possession. Eber would also grab a huge offensive board but the scoreboard would not move one iota until a Levine free throw to tie the game at 53-53 with 17 seconds remaining….in regulation. A huge tie-up with 3.2 seconds on the clock willed Yavneh to bonus basketball only after Levine’s desperation runner barely missed the mark.
32 minutes was not enough to separate two teams that left it all on the floor on this epic night. Heritage struck first in the overtime period courtesy of a missed Yavneh box out but Levine quickly answered with a wing three ball for the lead at 56-55. Mere seconds later Will Treffinger stuck a corner lefty three point answer to immediately gulp the lead back into the Eagles favor at 58-56 with 2:13 left to be played. The first team to blink was going to get left behind but thankfully Griffin Levine, master of all facial expressions, was well trained in the art of the staring contest. He released one more long distance dedication from straight away that was nothing but cotton after falling from the sky for a 59-58 edge with 1:49 left. When a Heritage free throw once more tied the score at 59-59 and still 1:29 to be played, there was most definitely a handful of possessions still in this game. To the contrary, however, the Bulldogs ball handled their way to a last shot scenario. As Levine motored towards the hoop with just seconds remaining, a referees whistle that sounded more like a violin with birds chirping sweet sounds in the background played its melody. Neither of the ensuing free throws had any real chance of finding shelter outside the basket as the Bulldogs led 61-59 with just 5.5 seconds to play. An errant Treffinger baseline heave that seemed to come after the buzzer in any event triggered a celebration and the end of one fantastic basketball game. Griffin Levine led all scorers with 27 points including a trio of big league triples and the game winning freebies. Daniel Chernikov and Zach Epstein added 14 points apiece with Chernikov’s 7 rebounds and 6 assists capping his fantastic night. Noah Rubinstein once again led the passing attack with 7 huge assists and, along with Chernikov, played all 36 minutes of the game.
Yavneh (28-3) has its 4th TAPPS district title in school history and the 2nd this decade since returning as a 3A TAPPS program. In defeating the previously unbeaten in district Heritage Christian Eagles, the Bulldogs are now in a great spot ahead of the TAPPS 3A playoffs. With exact seeding to be determined in the coming days, the team does know that they will receive a first-round BYE and play in the Round of 16 game on or about Tuesday February 21 (time and location TBA) Will this be the Yavneh team to advance past the state Quarterfinals and into the TAPPS Final 4 for the very first time? Can the Bulldogs overcome their depth issues to navigate through injury and foul trouble in the second season where every game is a Win or Go Home/Survive and Advance scenario? What can this Senior class, that has accomplished so much, muster up as their final lasting legacy for the future generations? What is next for the Great Griffin Levine and his continuing maturation into not only a prime time scorer and team leader but also the distributor that will make him impossible to defend?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 13th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack CTDC M&M
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