Yavneh defeated A+ Academy 72-38 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 14-4.
The start of 2013 was no problem for Yavneh as they shook off some rust and used a 25-6 run to finish off A+ Academy Thursday. Both teams looked like they had been on vacation for several weeks from the start with 21 combined turnovers in the first period alone. Not many players could hit the side of a barn early in the game, excluding Adams Karnett and Schor. That combination willed the Bulldogs to a 20-4 start, scoring 18 of those points by themselves. Both teams were happy to run but Yavneh seemed much more under control in doing so. A+ definitely got a grade much less than their name in the turnover category. With 14 huge give-aways in the opening eight minutes, the home team was essentially winding up an Adam Karnett bobble-head to run rampant around their gym. If he was not flying to the rim, Adam Schor was making inside finishes and tip follows look simple. The lead was 23-5 after one period of play but A+ would make a major push to start the second quarter. Yavneh started to show some serious rust from the vacation layoff. Foul trouble took key players off the court, outside jump shots were not even close, and more turnovers started fueling the A+ offense. As the lead crept towards single digits, the Bulldogs were in need of more energy. Immediately following the insertion and appearance of Air Prengler, Yavneh once again got their legs back. Above all else, Junior Sam Kleinman seemed to catch that breeze of momentum and create opportunities for teammates named Adam Schor. Kleinman found him on two straight occasions at the basket, including a three point play opportunity that turned into even more than that when Schor rebounded his own free throw and got double the bonus points. The Bulldogs lead was 37-20 at halftime with Schor and Karnett leading the way with 13/12 points respectively each on 5/6 shooting. Yavneh was once again in control with the pace to their liking. While they had made a living in the paint, a less than stellar 0/7 from three point range did put a damper on the overall shooting percentage.
A+ clearly wore down early in the second half. The pace that Kleinman and Karnett were establishing along with the punishment that Schor was giving them down low was starting to take its toll. As the margin paraded past 20 points, the rout was on. Two sport athlete David Rudomin, appearing in his first game since before Thanksgiving, gave the Bulldogs some added depth and looked stellar at times in his return. One of those stellar times was an off-balance wing triple to beat the third period buzzer and stake Yavneh to a 53-32 lead. As the lead continued to grow with each passing trip down the court, the Steinbrechers had a family reunion on the court. David exploded for four long distance connections while Adam controlled the middle of A+’s zone defense. The two also connected on a nice play to extend the game-ending run. All in all, the game served as a warm-up for what figures to be a challenging month upcoming. Adam Schor led all scorers with 17 points and 9 rebounds, missing only a pair of shots from the field. He was sensational on this night and did it in just 16 minutes of game action. Karnett added 14 points with 4 assists and 6 steals. David Steinbrecher tripled his way to 12 points, giving the Bulldogs three players in double figures. Kleinman dished out another 9 assist game, being limited to single digits once again because of foul trouble. Also of note, Jason Epstein took the lone charge to go along with 4 assists and 3 more rebounds.
Yavneh (14-4) will prepare for a three game home stand week starting Monday against Chant. It will be interesting to see if they can completely return to form and play like they had been in December by the end of Monday’s game in time for their Tuesday showdown with Celina. By that time, the roster could be as complete and healthy as it has been in months for the stretch run.
The Kennel Report, now in its ninth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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