First Baptist 49-58

First Baptist Academy defeated Yavneh 58-49 Tuesday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 15-7 (3-4).   

Yavneh turned the ball over 20+ times for the second straight game, yielded 12 more free throw attempts than it shot, and lost their third straight district contest Tuesday evening. The Bulldogs started well and look focused on the road early on grabbing a 7-2 lead out of the gate. Junior Noah Rubinstein connected on a short mid-range jumper from straight away and Senior tri-captain David Steinbrecher drilled a corner triple to build the initial advantage. The opponent runs, however, have been killer for Yavneh at times over the course of the last 5 games. This time, First Baptist used a first period 8-0 spurt to finish the opening stanza. 7 quick points was all Yavneh got before missed layups and turnovers threw the visitors into the 3 point deficit. The teams combined for just 7/26 from the field in that first period but 5 Bulldog turnovers were tough to overcome. Rubinstein began the second period with Yavneh’s first 6 points to spearhead a nice 8-4 run that recaptured the lead at 15-14. A lefty drive followed by a put-back of Rubinstein’s version of a figure skating spin move that should never be performed without certified skates was a solid start to the period. He then finished one more in close courtesy of a nice feed from Sophomore Pierce Bell and Steve Levine capped the run with one of his patented steals for an uncontested layup. The Bulldogs were starting to find their offensive groove during this stretch but could not couple it with the defensive efficiency it showed glimmers of in the first 10 minutes of this game. Rubinstein chucked a floating ceiling pass to Steve Levine for an in-rhythm catch and finish, and Griffin Levine then set up Steve for a wing three ball that seemed to put momentum squarely in the Yavneh huddle. The lack of consistent defensive stops, however, left the game with just a 20-18 Bulldog edge and very little protective lining for another opponent spurt. This time FBA ran off 6 straight points to regain a 24-20 edge in what was literally a once per quarter occurrence of hurtful runs against Yavneh. Jonathan Ochstein buried a short baseline jumper and Griffin Levine likewise on his mid-range pop to knot the score at 24-24 before FBA ended the first half with a mid-range hit of their own. The flurry of shots made inside the three point arc but outside the painted area by both teams ended a competitive first half of play. First Baptist shot 1/10 from distance but benefited from an 8-0 free throw attempt advantage along with 9 Bulldog turnovers.

The third period FBA run came immediately out of the locker room and may have been the most damaging of the night. Yavneh turnovers and lackluster offense combined with the biggest defensive let-down of the game led to a damaging 16-4 explosion to begin the third period. In just 3:27 of game action, First Baptist had built their biggest lead of 14 points and would have been worse had Steinbrecher not connected on a timely offensive rebound put-back jumper in the middle of the stretch. Now trailing 42-28, the Bulldogs were in desperation comeback mode for a third straight game which has not been a winning formula. In a scrappy sequence that seemed like make-or-break moment for Yavneh to get back into competitive mode in this contest, Rubinstein shuffled a pass to Junior Zach Epstein which seemed to spark something at long last. Rubinstein’s tip follow led to an FBA turnover and subsequent Griffin Levine setup of Epstein for a corner triple. The 7-0 response in a flash chiseled the deficit in half to 42-35 in a heartbeat, begging the question of what that sequence could have accomplished in lieu of a double-digit cavernous hole that has been all too common for 4 of the last 5 games. Another Rubinstein finish and a huge Griffin Levine three ball from the deep corner completed a 12-2 Bulldog end to the third period and left a manageable 44-40 deficit for the final period but with every ounce of momentum on the right side. Sophomore Micah Romaner was an unsung hero in the festivities, making several key plays including a monster rebound and a physical play in the middle of the lane that was a microcosm for the toughness this team has been lacking to this point in district play. If the start of the third period was damaging, the start of the fourth quarter was devastating. Another 7-0 FBA run like a running water faucet surged the edge back to 51-40 for the home team and restored nearly all of the 14 point game-high lead. The Bulldogs once again had a tough time staying out of their own way with a sea of turnovers and poor offensive plays while allowing that to seep over to their transition defense. Yavneh tried to battle back for a third time with Pierce Bell’s roll to the rim trimming the lead to 7 points but FBA sharp shooter Justin Lovvorn connected from deep to restore a 54-44 lead moments later. First Baptist did not hit many three pointers but one to start the second half, another to begin that final period, and a third on that somewhat decisive moment that essentially finished the Bulldogs on the road for a third time in 3 tries. There was still time for a Steinbrecher triple and a few final turnovers but the game would get no closer than the 9 point differential that was the final score. Noah Rubinstein led the way for the Bulldogs with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Levines put up 9 points each and combined for 9 defensive rebounds while David Steinbrecher added 8 points and 6 rebounds of his own.

Yavneh (15-7) is in unfamiliar territory and in a dogfight for playoff positioning. With 9 district games yet to be played, 5 teams are bunched in the 3-7 spots with 4+ losses and in a night-in/night-out battle for the #3, 4, and 5 playoff spots in District 3. For the first time the Bulldogs will wake up out of a playoff spot but knowing that a new all-important day is on the horizon with a chance to completely flip that scenario. Above all, this team has been lacking CONSISTENCY from an offensive, defensive, and intangible aspect possession by possession, quarter by quarter, and most importantly game to game. It must find that consistency and string successes together starting Thursday in a key road game at Lutheran. Similar to the shirts on their back alleges, THE TIME IS NOW

The Kennel Report, now in its twelfth season, is written by…

Zack Pollack M&M

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