Yavneh defeated Irving The Highlands 56-36 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 15-4 (3-1).
Yavneh overcame a sluggish first half and pulled away in the third quarter thanks to 24 forced turnovers and a much needed 15 offensive rebounds. Junior Daniel Chernikov continued his stellar first quarter play scoring the first 3 points of this contest. The Bulldogs looked like they would run and hide from Highlands early jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The Levines teamed up for the early burst with Steve finding Griffin for a baseline jumper to secure the 7 point advantage. The transition game was working early with Griffin Levine stealing a pass and finding Junior Zach Epstein for a big time finish. Yavneh led 12-7 after one period of play as the teams combined for 1/9 three point shooting. The Bulldogs forced 7 turnovers but were guilty of a trio of traveling violations themselves. The home team was in good shape until Highlands reeled off a 7-1 run/crawl to begin the second quarter. In an extended flash, Highlands suddenly had a 14-13 edge. Yavneh was careless, lethargic, and truly looked confused with their shot selection. Noah Rubinstein secured a rebound and scampered end to end for a much needed lefty finish to put his team back into the lead. Following a Highlands three point play, Rubinstein tied the score at 17-17 with a dribbling tip follow. The offensive rebounding was a key attribute the Yavneh success on this night with 10 in the first half alone. Jonathan Ochstein grabbed a pair of the 10 to end the half with a put-back off the second one to salvage a 19-19 tie at halftime. The Bulldogs shot a meager 23% from the floor (including 1/10 three pointers) and missed 3 first half free throws.
Yavneh was in need of energy in the third quarter and they got just that from their foul plagued catalyst Steve Levine. He set the tone early on with a sprinting shot pass to Griffin Levine who followed up the brilliantly placed missed layup for a 21-19 lead. Steve Levine then found Chernikov moments later in transition and almost instantly stole a ball in the back-court to make it 6 straight points. Rubinstein grabbed another of his 6 offensive rebounds and scored while simultaneously competing in Dribblemania to complete the 8-0 run out of the locker room. Steve Levine recorded one more steal for a touchdown before having to sit with his 4th foul in what suddenly had become a double digit affair at 31-21. Ochstein drilled a textbook baseline jumper off a great setup from Griffin Levine to extend the lead but a mini-dagger came just as the third quarter buzzer sounded with Zach Epstein burying a corner triple. That capped the 17-4 period and the 13 point lead which might as well have been a 35 point lead with the Highlands offensive woes and more troubling their lack of any kind of ball security. The Bulldogs have been at their best this year when they are able to salt away games with their interior passing. The final stanza was evidence of just that with post to post passing putting on a clinic. Chernikov lasered a pass to Rubinstein for a reverse finish and moments later they switched roles with Chernikov scoring from close range. Ochstein also had a great helper to put the game away as Chernikov finished 3 critical layups late to put the game on ice. Senior Jacob Lampert connected on a three pointer late in the game becoming the 8th Bulldog to triple this year. Daniel Chernikov led all scorers with 13 points to go along with 6 rebounds. Steve Levine barely saw the court with foul trouble but that did not stop him from adding 9 points and a steal per minute 7 steal performance. Noah Rubinstein scored 8 points, grabbed 9 rebounds (6 of them offensive), and just missed some sort of record with 2.4 dribbles per foot into the painted area. Jonathan Ochstein and Zach Epstein contributed 6 points each as well.
Yavneh (15-4) has now won 2 straight and 3 of 4 district games. Their toughest week yet, however, awaits as a trip to Downtown Ovilla followed by a Thursday home game with none other than the defending state champs will be on the slate. If the Bulldogs can continue to find an identity on defense and become more consistent in doing so, they will continue to climb up the District 3 standings as the second quarter of the district season is about to get underway.
The Kennel Report, now in its twelfth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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