Yavneh defeated Selwyn 72-39 Tuesday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 5-2.
Yavneh used a third period defensive clinic to bounce back from a close game at the half to throttle Selwyn 40-12 in the second half Tuesday. Junior Adam Karnett scored 20 points on 9/13 shooting to help the Bulldogs break the 70-point barrier for the second game en route to a fourth straight victory. The opening minutes belonged to Sam Kleinman, personally staking his team to a 4-0 lead only seconds into the contest with a layup off the opening tip as well as a steal for another easy finish on the ensuing possession. The trio of Karnett, Kleinman, and classmate David Rudomin were all over the passing lanes early and often. Deflections, steals, and easy finishes as a result had Yavneh flying to a 21-7 first period. Karnett led the home squad with 10 points in the first eight minutes and the Bulldogs out shot Selwyn 55-14%, almost all in transition. Junior Adam Steinbrecher and Sophomore Grant Prengler exchanged nice assists to each other on back to back possessions for a game-high 16 point lead. This game looked like a carbon copy of the annihilation that Yavneh inflicted on Hill Country last Thursday up until the 4 minute mark of the second period. It was at that point that either Selwyn flipped a switch that churned on a light bulb or the Bulldogs just fell into a deep slumber to end the first half. A 16-3 Selwyn run cut the seemingly insurmountable lead to a single basket at 30-27 with 1:18 to play before halftime. While a David Steinbrecher baseline jumper stemmed the tide and gave Yavneh a 32-27 lead at the half, Selwyn had essentially turned the tables on the Bulldog pace and were beating them at their own game. The same turnovers for points that Selwyn had fallen behind with also helped to put them right back into the game. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, had given their opposition every chance to do what they did with 9 first half turnovers, an 0/5 from three point range, and 2/7 from the not-so charity stripe.
Yavneh needed a clamp-down third period or another high scoring effort to re-establish control of the game. It turns out they got both to the tune of a 23-1 third quarter. The Bulldogs once again feasted on open court pressurized steals leading to transition opportunities. In addition to the same guard trio, posts Itai Guttman and Adam Schor were extremely active in that third period onslaught. Not normally known for his passing ability, Guttman impressively dished out 4 assists that came in bunches. This broke his personal career high in assists dating back well before Kindergarten. Selwyn was way too busy racking up assists of their own….(to the Yavneh guards) for them to be getting quality shots. Their single third period point came on a free throw with just seconds remaining. Meanwhile, the score had become 55-28 and fans once again would not need to watch the final stanza in order to know who won the game. In fact, the margin of victory in a Bulldog contest still has yet to creep into single digits through the first 7 games of 2012-13. On this night, the most exciting part of the last eight minutes might very well have been the Little Man Connection as David Steinbrecher found Jason Epstein for a capping 63-28 advantage with 4:29 to play. Once again the Bulldogs had dispatched a visiting opponent long before the final buzzer even thought about sounding. In addition to Karnett’s 20 points, Rudomin and Schor scored 10 points apiece to also finish in double figures. Guttman finished with 9 points/9 assists as well as the 4 assists, and Adam Steinbrecher played the most efficient offensive game with 9 points on 4/5 shooting. Kleinman had a great all-around game with 8 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals. Everybody played and contributed with the exception of Max Schnitzer (still on IR) and Ori Guttman (zsick).
Yavneh (5-2) will finally play a true road game Thursday as they travel to Grandview High School. The game will serve as a stiff test for a team that has turned around a 1-2 start with the help of a solid home stand. If they can execute far away from home in a challenging environment, the early-season struggles in Memphis will begin to feel like only a distant memory.
The Kennel Report, now in its ninth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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