Rockwall’s Heritage Christian Academy defeated Yavneh 67-42 Thursday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 21-3 (4-1).
For just about the 19th straight time since November 16th the team with momentum rode a wave of energy to a thrilling runaway victory. Sure there had been the occasional nail biter like the First Baptist and Weiner Tournament championship games but for the most part it was simply a matter of when that other team would break. On this night, though, the script was shockingly flipped in the most violent of ways. For one 32-minute basketball game Yavneh entered what seemed like a parallel universe running in reverse. Everything they had done for the last 2 months of winning, winning, and more winning at the expense of any team that dared to stand in their way enjoyed Role Reversal Thursday in the most unfriendly confines there is. If you want to kill a winning streak, one good option may very well be beautiful Rockwall, Texas. There is no questions the Eagles were flying in this game but in no way did they remotely get the Bulldogs best shot. The opening pair of possessions looked like another ho-hum night for Yavneh with two great opportunities at the peak of the rim. In a riddle only a physicist could decipher, somehow the Bulldogs remained scoreless…for those two missed gimmes, another 3 that would come in the next 2 minutes and then for another 3+ minutes. In total, Yavneh had 0 points and trailed 8-0 nearly 6 minutes into the game. Meanwhile, after a matching nervous start, Heritage Christian shook off their jitters and connected on two triples and an uncontested layup. Griffin Levine’s pull-up jumper finally got Yavneh on the board. The best stretch for the Bulldogs was a 6-0 run after trailing 12-2 to pull within 4 points after one period of play. Pierce Bell’s acrobatic steal set up Levine for a finish and, after several passive attempts to break the Eagles pressure defense, Daniel Chernikov lasered a pass over the top to Bell for a finish. Levine scored once more in transition to survive the opening stanza down just 12-8. If that had been the aha moment for the Bulldogs, they had definitely limited the damage after the 8-0 hole at the outset. Unfortunately, Heritage was just getting started. A 16-7 run by the home team to begin the second period was an extension of all the bad Yavneh moments rolled into one: mindless unforced turnovers, poor judgment fouls that put two starters on the bench for most of the quarter, and damaging missed free throws that could have stemmed the tide with Heritage in the foul bonus. Signs of encouragement came late in the half when a 13 point deficit was trimmed once on a Levine explosion to the rack with the use of a Micah Romaner iron screen. Noah Rubinstein then finished a great move off a Levine pass and followed his own miss for an AND-ONE to slice the lead to 30-20. Once again Yavneh escaped to halftime down a very manageable 32-23 all things considered. Out-shot 56-25%, having been out-rebounded, out-threed, and missing 5 free throws, the Bulldogs had been here before.
Although trailing at halftime was an extreme rarity, a 9 point margin was little cause for panic to a team that owned the second half of 18 consecutive games. All they would need to do is put a little game pressure on the opponent and they would be right back in the game. Conversely, Yavneh had everything but PHDs in the art of taking a halftime lead and expanding it quickly to end a game before the opponent realized halftime was over. This was not a night like all other nights…at least not the last 18 of them. The Bulldogs experienced exactly what they had been dishing out to the tune of 15 consecutive points by Heritage Christian out of halftime. Ill advised shots and turnovers ignited immediate fire in the Eagles, who were running as if they had the wrong jerseys on. The defeated look of wanting to be anywhere but on the basketball court was inexplicably this time on the faces of the Bulldogs. With each passing basket, the Red and Black were unrecognizable. These were not the same players that had made finishing these same errant shots look so effortless for so long. 8-0 started the game and now 15-0 started the third period, and suddenly a 47-23 score turned this game into a laugher. The Bulldogs would make a couple plays in that third period but nothing that was not immediately answered +2 by a Heritage team that played as well as a team can play. Meanwhile, Yavneh was spent, deflated, and in total shock in a 26-4 third period that without a doubt was the most frustrating 8 minutes of the season to date. In the fourth quarter the Bulldogs fought back but they had leaked a way too much oil. Levine connected on a three pointer, found Rubinstein at the rim, and drove hard to the basket in an 8-3 stretch that cut the score to 61-35. Freshman Jonah Eber was a rare bright spot late in the game as he continued to hustle, assisting Levine on a pinpoint pass and scoring a basket on a nice floater. The final margin of 25 points is the closest the game would get in the final period. Griffin Levine finished with 22 points while Noah Rubinstein scored 10 points and collected 8 rebounds. In a game of MIA and just general weirdness, the other three starters combined for 1 single point. This result was more of an unexplained phenomenon than a loss in a basketball game. 1/15 three point shooting, 8 missed free throws, out-rebounded by 10, a turnover differential of just +5, and an overall shooting disadvantage of nearly 30% are all statistics that make sense. More unbelievable than that, however, were the number of Bulldog players that had been playing so well for so long to just suddenly wipe out all at once.
From despair and shock comes the budding reality this was one single road game in a district schedule that has miles to go before anything will remotely be decided. Yavneh (21-3) is still in the greatest of shape with all but two of their remaining games at home. At home, meaning a place the Bulldogs have not lost at in over 11 months. Further, both remaining games against the other two top teams in District 3 will be home games, starting with a pivotal rematch with Covenant. Picked by many experts to win the district, Covenant was defeated soundly by Yavneh in their building to start district play and then also gave up their home game to this same Heritage team in a close affair. If the Bulldogs can take care of their home court and avoid any slip ups in their other games against the lower tiered teams, they will finish no worse than in a tie for 1st place. With so many games to still be played and so many permutations, this group has the world in front of them. A team that won 18 straight basketball games will attempt to regroup and reel off the next 7 final regular season games to position themselves exactly where they want to be for the TAPPS 3A playoff run. A 20 point lead cannot be lost on a single shot nor can this district be won or lost on any single game. The road ahead will be an interesting one, filled with hope, opportunity, and a chance for greatness. What will it bring?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 13th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack CTDC M&M
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