Beren Academy of Houston defeated Yavneh 66-60 Friday morning in the semifinals of the 5th Annual David A. Yaffee z’l Memorial Tournament in Houston. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 12-9.
Yavneh’s furious fourth quarter rally fell 6 points short as Beren built a 19 point lead which they needed nearly all of down the stretch. Recording only the second win in decade over their Dallas rivals, Beren raised eyebrows all afternoon with a shot-making ability that the Bulldogs had not seen from them but once 9 years ago in New York City. The host Houston team was hot right from the beginning, nailing 66% of their first quarter field goals on their way to a 7-0 beginning. Meanwhile, the chronic Yavneh ailments reared their ugly heads early and often. 6 early turnovers, 3 missed free throws, and a deficit in rebounding all added fuel to the fire that was a Beren run to lead 17-5 after the first period of play. The run continued before halftime as Beren connected on 4/6 three pointers and shot 45% for the entire first half. Offensively, the Bulldogs were having just as many if not more problems. Leading scorers Elan Kogutt and Jordan Prescott each made just 2/5 first half field goals and without them the offense came to a virtual halt. 29-15 was not a unrecoverable halftime deficit but things got way worse before they would get any better on this morning. More sloppy play bred a 33-17 Beren advantage before Prescott and Kogutt had finally had enough. A 7-0 Bulldog run put Yavneh right back into the game as pressure defense turned things around and also opened up major scoring opportunities. Beren was remembering the previous decade of disappointment as their lead was melting away but they responded in a big way. Scoring 10 points in succession to bolster the lead to a game-high 19 points, Beren continued to drill three point field goals and get multiple chances for easy layups off of offensive rebounds. With the lead 46-31 heading into the final quarter, the Bulldogs had a glimmer of hope as they were in the foul bonus. Yavneh resorted to an all-out pressure defense for the final 8 minutes but could not chip enough into the margin to threaten. When Kogutt found Post Ben Romaner under the hoop, the game was only a 10 point spread at 48-38 with 6:24 remaining. Again, though, Beren would respond. The 7-0 response seemingly ended the game at 55-38. True to form, the Bulldogs never gave up. With only 3 minutes left and a 16 point hole left to dig out of, Yavneh made one final push. Scoring the next nine points through pressing and easy scoring chances, Yavneh challenged at 62-55 with still 1:07 left. Things continued to get super interesting as Kogutt drained a three ball to make the score 64-60 with 20.2 seconds left. But missed opportunities rimming the basket denied the miracle comeback and allowed the shock waves to officially be recorded. Kogutt led all scorers with 24 points, Prescott added 18, and Posts Ben Romaner (6 pts, 6 reb) and Jake Greif (9 reb) played strong in the comeback effort. Also of note, Joe Lerer attempted a shot from the field and Josh Karnett got credit for none of the eight charges he took.
Yavneh (12-9) will play for third place Sunday morning. The Bulldog loss is the latest in a string of poor early performances that could not be reversed by feverish late rallies. A 32 minute consistent effort could yield a third place finish at this tournament and quite possibly a much needed late season surge which included two more games versus public schools and an all-important tournament in Baltimore next weekend. Only time will tell.
The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
LF 7-5
TB