Yavneh defeated Shalhevet 59-54 and then lost to Houston’s Beren Academy 53-46 in the final two of four preliminary games at the The David A. Yaffee z’l Memorial Tournament in Houston Friday. The Bulldogs season record now stands at 5-3. They will play for a trip to the tournament finals Saturday night.
Yavneh bounced back from a tough loss Thursday afternoon to beat #3 nationally ranked Shalhevet, thus earning the Bulldogs a spot in the Tournament Semifinals. The team would have clinched a semifinal bye into the Championship Sunday if not for another heartbreaking loss at the hands of host Beren Academy. The first half of the Shalhevet game was a back and forth affair in which Yavneh rebounded from an early 8 point deficit to get back into the game. They would have still trailed by three points had it not been for the miraculous 3/4 court heave from Adam Karnett to tie the game. The shot turned out to be a huge momentum boost as the Bulldogs started the second half hot. Senior Captain Jake Greif found himself open down low and Junior Josh Lynn connected on a big triple with a steal for a 37-32 advantage. The key to the game, though, was Yavneh’s insistence on pounding the basketball down low and getting the 7-man Shalhevet team into foul trouble. This was executed really well, fouling out their big man with still 4 minutes + to play. The final period saw several lead changes but the key play was a Kevin Sulski to Jordan Prescott three point hit to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 53-51. While the lead was bolstered with an Adam Karnett steal for a breakaway layup, two free throws from each Prescott and Sulski put the game away. The win was a huge confidence builder for the team with Prescott and Karnett leading the way with 22 and 13 points respectively.
With a quick turnaround to play host Beren, Yavneh gave a great effort and truly had their chances to win in the final period. Senior Kevin Sulski played a strong all around game with 13 points, 4 assists, and took two charges. He was absolutely huge throughout the game, scoring points and setting up Jordan Prescott as well as making some great defensive plays. Once again the Bulldogs were tied at halftime. Another early fourth quarter run looked for all the world that Yavneh was going to win the game. Prescott nailed back to back triples and Karnett scored two on a hard drive to the basket for an 8-0 run that surged Yavneh into the lead 41-35 at the 6:13 mark. Beren, though, responded with an 18-5 run fueled almost primarily by Bulldog turnovers. 21 giveaways including 4 right at the Beren basket during inbounds plays made it way too easy for Beren to overwhelm on their home court. Prescott led the way with 26 again and Sulski had the 13.
All in all, Yavneh (5-3) has to be thrilled with still a shot at the tournament championship. They will have their hands full with an angry Shalhevet team that can score at will and is looking to avenge the close loss from earlier today. The Bulldogs are desperate to discard them once again and finally get their revenge against Beren in the tournament finals when it will mean the most.
The Kennel Report, now in its eighth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
TL