Balch Springs 59-41

Yavneh defeated Balch Springs Academy 59-41 Tuesday evening. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 10-1.

The Bulldogs shrugged off another slow start, got scoring from every player on its roster, and wore down Balch Springs Tuesday to continue their excellent early season surge. Elan Kogutt missed his first two shots but then reeled off 8 in a row to finish with a team-leading 17 points. Yavneh enjoyed a size, speed, athletic, and miscellaneous intangible advantage over their opponents yet still managed to trail 6-1 at the outset. Almost shocked that the awkward-looking shots of their opponents were finding the bottom of the net, Yavneh again looked unsettled at times in the first half. A 1/6 shooting start created the early deficit but Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer provided a boost with a late first quarter weaving layup through traffic, similar to what he has been featuring in recent games. From there, the Bulldogs used a boost of 13-4 to capture the lead through the first eight minute segment 14-10. Balch Springs stayed in the game by out-hustling the home team. 6 early offensive rebounds told that story but again a Bulldog opponent fell victim to the turnover bug in the second stanza. Yavneh pulled away 30-16 at halftime on the back of 20 first half Balch Springs turnovers. The cushion was nice and allowed all the players to play in each half. While the lead continued to grow in the second half as the Bulldogs got easier shots and exploited lopsided matchups, their defense again let them down in the third quarter. For the second straight game an opponent scored almost as much in the third period as they did in all three others combined. In the end, though, a crisp Yavneh passing attack provided Balch Springs no hope for a run. Ethan Prescott and Josh Karnett provided several sparks off the bench with pinpoint passes that led to point blank finishes at the rim for teammates. While all 12 players played and scored for the Bulldogs, Balch Springs easily wore down with only half as many available players. Making matters even worse, by the final quarter post Chase Tyler could barely make it up and down the court much less handle the post agility of the Senior Prescott by the final minutes. The fun of a cruise control victory was somewhat tempered with the prospect of three killer matchups that await the Bulldogs to conclude calendar year 2009.

Yavneh (10-1) first accepts a rematch with Shelton Thursday night, this time at home. Shelton watched a healthy halftime lead evaporate in the blink of an eye as they imploded against Yavneh pressure just over a week ago. Talented and out for vengeance is not a combination that the Bulldogs would be wise to take lightly.

The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…

Zack Pollack M&M

LF 7-5