Yavneh defeated The Covenant School of Dallas 67-39 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 18-2 (1-0). This was also the 15th consecutive victory for the team.
The game was billed as the start of 2017 district play in TAPPS 3A District 3. It was to be the collision of a pair of top ten ranked teams in 3A, a battle that would set the framework for what many agree is the most competitive and loaded district in all of 3A this year. In the end, however, this was just victim #15 in a string of opponents that could not solve the Bulldogs pressure defense and subsequent transition game. Covenant scored off the game’s tip but proceeded to yield 11 straight points to Yavneh. The size of the Bulldogs gave the Knights fits all night long and it was Senior Daniel Chernikov that scored the first 5 points for his team at point blank range. A streaking AND-ONE followed by a nice diagonal feed from classmate Noah Rubinstein got Chernikov off and rolling early. Rubinstein then lefty swooped to the hoop off a steal followed by a pair of pinpoint assists from Junior Griffin Levine for the 11-2 beginning. Yavneh had their own turnover issues early on but were aggressive defensively right from the start forcing 11 Covenant first period giveaways. Zach Epstein drilled his first triple of the night to secure a 14-10 advantage after one period of play. The second quarter was where the Bulldogs threw the hammer down as the Knights were a combination of shell-shocked and worn out after not even 10 minutes of play. Chernikov played some volleyball off the rim for 2 points but the real separation came off the dead eye shooting of ThrEber and ThrEpstein. It went Zach Epstein from each corner with a Jonah Eber wing connection in between for 9 points in a flash, ballooning the Yavneh edge to 25-11. Pierce Bell connected on a pair of baseline jumpers and found Liad Guttman cutting through the lane for a scoop-and-score 29-13 advantage. Covenant would make some mini-runs but their 4-0 spurts would quickly be erased. Eber’s corner triple pushed the lead out to 15 points en route to a 36-19 score at the half. The 22-9 second period came with multiple starters on the bench in foul trouble but 5 three pointers from those with last names beginning with the letter EEEE led the way. The most telling thing about a 17 point lead on the road at halftime against mighty Covenant was that it just did not have the feel of a Bulldogs team having hit their stride in this game.
The start of the second half saw Yavneh play the basketball that has been their calling card over the last 15 games. Shot out of a halftime cannon, Rubinstein quickly stole a ball and dished an assist to Levine and before the Knights could blink Levine stole the next pass for a Rubinstein three point play finish at the rim. All that spurred an 8-2 run that sent a very decisive message that the game was about to go from over to OVER. A pair of AND-ONE finishes for Levine off a steal and then off a Pierce Bell hockey assist to a Covenant player and back to Levine kept the pressure on the home team. Eber was playing like anything but a Freshman in their first career district game as he drove hard to the middle of the lane for a flipper finish. The Bulldogs were not playing their best game of the season with multiple missed layups and easy scoring opportunities but they did carry a 22 point lead into the final stanza. The speed, tenacity, and athleticism of Yavneh combined with the size was just too much for the Knights to mount any kind of sustained effort against. They had waived the white flag merely minutes into the fourth quarter. Yavneh dominated inside with Chernikov and Rubinstein; outside with Epstein and Eber; at the mid-range with Bell; slashing with Levine and Guttman; and basically everywhere in between at both ends of the court. Since there was little to no drama down the stretch, the circus decided to make an appearance. Jonah Eber’s side-winding 360 degree spin finish off the glass had fans, coaches, players, Dallas Morning News reporters in attendance, and the Covenant janitorial staff all doing cartwheels to their vehicles in jubilation. The statement, however, had long since been made. Zach Epstein led four players in double figures with 13 points. Griffin Levine added 12 points to go along with 5 steals, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. Daniel Chernikov’s 11 point/8 rebound game was probably the most damaging to Covenant in that they literally had no defense for his size at the basket. Jonah Eber’s interesting night saw 10 points recorded in a variety of shot types in an efficient 4/7 shooting. Noah Rubinstein’s 9 point/6 steal/7 assist game had the feel of a triple double-type game in the making that will undoubtedly be in the future plans. Pierce Bell also had a solid outing with 8 points and played a key role in the biggest of runs in that pivotal second period.
Yavneh (18-2) could not have asked for a better start to district play. They have beaten one of the Big Three in the district on the road to start the season. There is obviously much work to do and 5 other teams that will be gunning for the Red-And-Black but given the 2 week layoff and Vacation Central for Bulldog Nation this was an encouraging night. Next up is Lutheran who also won by a comfortable 20+ point margin in their first district game. The game will be played Tuesday night at home where Yavneh has yet to lose a basketball game this season.
The Kennel Report, now in its 13th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack CTDC M&M
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