Yavneh defeated Ovilla Christian 82-47 Tuesday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 12-7 (3-0).
While most of North Texas was busy dealing with 7 earthquakes over a seven hour span Tuesday, Ovilla Christian had their own seismic event to deal with in the form of a relentless Daniel Chernikov, Noah Weiss, and Jonathan Ochstein front line. 42 combined points and 28 combined rebounds may not have measured on any Richter scale but did headline the dismantling of a 13th straight Yavneh TAPPS district game opponent. Monday’s superstar Noah Weiss once again showcased his passing skills to begin the game with a trio of assists. After kick-starting Daniel Chernikov’s monster game, Weiss stole a basketball and led Steve Levine to the basket. Upon finding Chernikov one more time for a smooth foul line jumper, the Bulldogs had notched a quick 11-0 lead right out of the gate. The Yavneh passing attack was in full force early in this game as Senior Ori Guttman helped extend the lead with a pair of great setups. His lob to Chernikov preceded another good look for the same result for a 14-4 edge. Guttman also made a great steal on the sideline that went through a pair of Noahs en route to a Rubinstein finish. 20-4 was the decisive lead after one period of play with a shooting differential of 47-14% from the field. The Bulldogs forced 8 turnovers and controlled the rebounding 14-4 as well over the initial 8 minutes. Guttman began the second period with 2 more assists, again to Chernikov as well as a find of Ochstein for a no-hesitation jumper. 24-7 was the commanding lead but unlike most games this season there would be no opponent run to trim the lead on this night. A key sequence that in all likelihood ended any competitiveness for this game took place when Ochstein swept through the lane for a finger roll with the foul. For a player that was only recently informed that an extra point was awarded behind the big arching line, Jonathan Ochstein simply could not miss. When he did misfire on the free throw this particular time (by about 3 feet), he jackknifed to the ensuing rebound and found David Steinbrecher for a jump shot. This 4 point possession pushed the lead to 30-9 and officially deemed the rout on. Sophomore Zach Epstein clearly bought all the Weiss hype from Monday as it took him all of 23.4 seconds into the game to feed a pair of passes over the out-stretched and helpless arms of Ovilla defender trying to keep Noah Weiss at bay in the post area. Those 4 additional points and one more Ochstein jumper for the road made it a 41-15 drubbing at halftime. Nearly triple the shooting percentage, quadruple the rebounding, 7 less turnovers, and a front line that alone out-scored Ovilla by almost 10 points had the Bulldogs in complete control.
The Ovilla run that was sure to happen never truly did in any sustained way. Nearly everyone that played got a chance to assist Chernikov, and to start the second half it was Noah Rubinstein’s turn. Rubinstein’s signature moment of the night, though, was probably the next trip down the floor when Chernikov got a chance to return the assist. A super slow motion spin move that needed no video editing or sound effects to do it justice gave Rubinstein 2 more points…eventually. Senior Grant Prengler connected with Weiss moments later to achieve the game’s first 30+ point margin at 59-29 with the likely exclamation point being a Weiss to Meir Epstein finish at the rim to end the third period. Ovilla did make a 9-0 run to start the final stanza but that barely put a dent in an insurmountable lead for Yavneh. Chernikov ended that spurt and the Bulldogs would actually make up the 9 points plus three by the end of the game. Those three points may well have been an improbable bank-shot triple from the deep corner by Zach Epstein. To be fair, the Epstein dynasty owned the fourth period. When Zach was not throwing in trick shots similar to the old Larry Bird commercials, he was offensive rebounding missed shots (some of them his) and eventually finishing. Meanwhile, Meir Epstein put on an 8 minute, 2 second clinic while hopping into double figures during that stretch alone. The game in total was a wire to wire domination that left Ovilla searching for answers that were not being provided. Daniel Chernikov matched Weiss’s double-double from a night earlier with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jonathan Ochstein had his career game, tallying 16 points and 8 rebounds in a nearly flawless performance. Meir Epstein and Noah Rubinstein each were very efficient in producing 10 points apiece. Noah Weiss narrowly missed a second-straight double-double with 8 points/10 rebounds as well as 6 assists and Steve Levine did chip in 8 of his own points. Ori Guttman also had 6 assists, most coming during his second period passing assault that punished Ovilla.
Yavneh (12-7) blasted a second straight opponent with size and strength. The bigs not only matched their signature game from Monday but they 1-upped it. With the emergence of Ochstein, opponents seem to be scrambling to account for slashers, posts, and of course the quick dual handed guards that have carried the team for much of the season. Also of major importance, Bulldog opponents are no longer benefiting from brick and mortar from the outside as most shots were coming in the paint at long last. Heritage Christian will attempt to be the first team to win a TAPPS 3A district game against Yavneh Thursday. If they have trouble accounting for the newly sizzling front court, a perfect first week of 2015 could indeed be on the agenda.
The Kennel Report, now in its eleventh season, has been written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
TL-BW-SP-BR