The Covenant School of Dallas defeated Yavneh 50-47 Thursday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 17-9 (5-6).
For a third straight game Yavneh played a district opponent right down to the wire but for the second straight instance that other team made 1 extra play to hand the Bulldogs a second straight close loss. The teams played to a 4-4 tie as Griffin Levine assisted Noah Rubinstein on a power-step move and then Rubinstein’s second early steal set up Steve Levine for a big finish. Covenant made a major 8-0 run at that point to jump out to a 12-4 lead. The uncontested outside looks and lack of resistance in the paint have been a theme early in games that have made life difficult on Yavneh. The constant playing from behind has taken its toll in all of the district losses and this night was no different. Jonathan Ochstein found Rubinstein to break the run and the Bulldogs crept within 4 points on a Griffin Levine steal that found its way to Steve Levine for a first period buzzer-beating layup. Trailing 12-8, Yavneh needed to protect the defensive glass better after allowing 4 first quarter offensive rebounds to Covenant. Another disturbing theme in these games has been the inability of the Bulldogs to get key stops after making offensive runs. Covenant immediately scored the first 4 points of the second period and they would answer every spurt with a mini-run of their own all night long. Griffin Levine drilled a pair of free throw line jumpers for some much needed offense to counter the Covenant outburst. After trailing by a game-high 9 points at 21-12, Yavneh got a sign of things to come: a deep wing triple from David Steinbrecher. Steve Levine made it 5 points in a row by jumping a pass to earn two free throws, trimming the deficit to just 21-17. But Covenant would respond with easy points in the paint and the Bulldogs found themselves simply trading baskets down by 7 points. While making little to no progress in trimming the deficit, Yavneh did get a 76 inch moral victory that was a sight for sore eyes. Daniel Chernikov made his return and waited all of about 10 seconds to connect on two of his trademark mid-range jumpers. Griffin Levine bottomed a third jumper, this one from deep mid-range and Pierce Bell rolled in two free throws to keep the Bulldogs within 8 points at halftime. The 8 point lead for Covenant was another case of a Yavneh opponent shooting the lights out in the first half. 51% shooting including 5/10 three point hits make it extremely tough to match at the other end.
The Bulldogs went back to work as they have so many times before. Chernikov would cut the lead to 6 before Covenant responded with a three pointer. That triple was matched by David Steinbrecher who was just getting started. Jonathan Ochstein found Steinbrecher for a second straight shot from distance to pull Yavneh within 38-33. Meanwhile, a game-high 3 defensive stops in a row had the home team believing. When Steinbrecher fired up a third straight three point attempt not a person in the building was confused as to where the ball would end up. That shot trimmed the margin to just 2 points and after one more stop an unconscious David Steinbrecher used the deep corner to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 39-38. In the aftermath of one of the greatest shooting displays in 13 years, Covenant kept their composure and reeled off the final 5 points of the third period to recapture a 43-40 advantage. That run would reach 7-0 as the Bulldog defense could not build on the momentum of the 4 stops and 4 huge Steinbrecher three balls. Trailing 45-40, Yavneh was not phased as Chernikov connected on another foul line jumper to slice the lead to 3 points. Griffin Levine tied the game on the next possession with a rainbow triple from the wing. With 5:43 to play, Steinbrecher used his defense to create as he wrestled a ball at half-court for an easy lay in and a 47-45 lead. The dueling 7 point runs made for another photo finish. The missed box out bug hurt Yavneh big time as the tying field goal and go-ahead Covenant free throws were both courtesy of offensive rebounds. Despite Shoegate and 3 critical missed free throws by Covenant in the final 27 seconds, the road team held on by a slim three point margin. The three point magic fell one make short as a 7th triple would have sent the game to a third straight overtime this week. As it was, however, none of the desperation attempts in the waning moments found a home inside the hoop’s net and a 6th district loss was the end result. David Steinbrecher, in another world for most of the third quarter, led the team with 17 points on 5/8 three point shooting to go along with 8 rebounds. Griffin Levine added 9 points and 4 assists on a nearly flawless 4/5 from the field. Daniel Chernikov was most definitely on the comeback trail with 8 points on 4/6 shooting himself.
Yavneh (17-9) cannot be pleased with the result nor their now under .500 district record. However, encouraging signs like the return of Chernikov, the brilliance of Steinbrecher, and the maturity of Griffin Levine provide more than just fleeting hope that the Bulldogs best basketball yet will be showcased over the final 5+ games of this season. None of these developments will surprise Monday’s opponent, Covenant in the second game of this home-and-home series. The two teams will make the long 1.563 mile journey to Covenant to play another most important game of the season for both teams.
The Kennel Report, now in its twelfth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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