Beren Academy of Houston,Texas defeated Yavneh 61-53 Monday morning in the Tier 1 7th place game game at the Red Sarachek Yeshiva University Tournament in New York. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 25-11.
Junior Zachary Yoshor scored 35 points as Beren used 28 fourth period points to outlast Yavneh for 7th place Monday. The Bulldogs jumped out to a nice 6-3 start as they were in attack mode early. Senior Captain Jake Greif saved his best career game for the very last one. He was every bit as good as his line of 10 points–15 rebounds–2 assists—one block—and a record-tying charge taken all on perfect 5/5 field goal shooting. A technical error (too many players on the court) triggered a late Beren first period run and Yavneh trailed 11-6. The offense had continued the theme of being absolutely atrocious in New York City. The second stanza was much more friendly to the Bulldogs as they got comfortable for really the first time all week long. Kevin Sulski rolled to the hoop followed by another Greif finish (his second) off a nice drive from Adam Karnett. The game was turning slowly but surely. Beren was getting one shot and Yavneh was doing work on the defensive boards. Typically a problem area, the Bulldogs absolutely owned the glass for much of the game. It was surely Greif’s game when he connected on a moon shot jumper to re-capture the lead at 12-11. On the ensuing possession he gobbled up an off-balance rebound and slung a deep pass to co-captain Jordan Prescott (first FG of the game) for a 14-11 advantage. That easy one really sparked Yavneh’s now 2nd leading scorer all time as two smooth jump shots followed. That 16-4 run gave the Bulldogs a 22-15 lead late in the first half. Sulski once again scored last for his team in the first half with another follow, this time a mid-range jumper. A three point halftime advantage could and should have been bigger if not for 8 more horrific turnovers. A healthy 21-7 rebounding edge and the career first half from Jake Greif just barely held up, and the Bulldogs would need much more given Yoshor’s offensive proficiency on this morning.
Greif got his double-double about midway through the third period but the lead was shrinking as Yoshor built up steam. Itai Guttman spun his way to the hoop for a 33-29 lead but Yoshor finished the first of two separate four-point play opportunities to tie the game at 33-33. The superstars were now trading punches as Prescott re-captured the lead for his team with a laser pass to classmate Ben Romaner for a 35-33 lead to end the third period. Prescott opened the final chapter with a bank-shot jumper to extend the lead to 37-33 but defensive stops were extremely hard to come by for the Bulldogs in the closing 8 minutes. Guttman found Prescott on a long bomb to tie the game at 39-39 but the team quickly fell behind by three points again as they fouled another successful three point shooter (twice in one half of basketball). Tough as nails, though, Prescott responded in the clutch with a triple of his own to even things up at 42-42 with 3:12 to play. Yoshor countered with a 5-0 spurt of his own for a 47-42 edge. Karnett would find Seniors Sulski and then Prescott in transition to trim the lead to 47-46 but no one accounted for Beren’s Yair Miller from the outside who drained a dagger three ball. The lead was 50-46 and the Bulldogs were unable to recover. Prescott led the team one final time with 23 more points. Greif and Sulski each followed with 10 points in their final game. The eighth place finish (+1 spot from original seeding) was very respectable but certainly leaves this 2011-12 team wondering what could have been having lost 3 winnable games to end the season. The usual suspects of turnovers and offensive rebounds allowed sealed the Bulldogs fate in this tournament’s losses once again but 4/38 three point shooting was an unexpected pitfall for a team that shot well for the majority of the season.
Jordan Prescott finished his career Monday with 1771 points (2nd all-time) and 383 assists (1st all-time). Known for his one-eye closed deadly three point accuracy and controlled drives to the basket, Prescott was a four-year starter that carried the team his Senior season and was a Grade-A complement to Elan Kogutt for three other years. Fellow Senior and Co-Captain Jake Greif holds a share of the charges taken career mark as of today and was a premier defensive player for nearly all his career. Jake’s knack for blocking shots was also invaluable to the Bulldog defensive scheme. Kevin Sulski, quite possibly the most athletic specimen Yavneh has ever produced, had an electric final two seasons. He was truly the Bulldog version of a Temporary Restraining Order every night, always successfully locking down the opponent’s premier offensive threat. Ben Romaner finished his four year career with a couple really nice efforts in the YU Tournament, both from a rebounding and finishing perspective. Ben was a class act his entire Yavneh career, always supporting his team and his school whether on the court with his paint patrol or off the court using his innate leadership/coaching skills. While this group may have fallen just short of their championship aspirations, they did wonders to position the Program for success in the future.
From finality comes anticipation, and Yavneh faces more uncertainty than any year to date. There are currently no Juniors on the roster which means potentially no Seniors for the 2012-13 season. Further, for the first time in forever there is no clear cut star player waiting in the wings to take over the ship. This will afford the team an invaluable opportunity to grow together and reload for a Senior-heavy 2013-14 campaign. The soon to be Junior class of Adam Karnett, Sam Kleinman, Itai Guttman, David Rudomin, Adam Steinbrecher, and Jason Epstein collectively have buckets of potential. Karnett is an explosive guard that could be a big-time factor on the national level if he hones his passing skills and masters the art of decision making under fire. Kleinman has shown flashes of brilliance and is only a summer away from transferring his “X-Factor” status to that of a key contributor. The elder Guttman is no longer the Frenetic Freshman that was a nice story. He needs to transform into a Judicious Junior and become a leader on the court, off the court, and AT the basket. Rudomin burst onto the scene with his lightning quick transition ability and surely will continue to develop his all-around game to be a major piece of the puzzle. Steinbrecher has shown abilities to play inside and outside, and will be a key component if this group is to succeed. Epstein has shown volume ability to lead the JV program and will undoubtedly be a prime time factor in the maturity and growth for the next 2 years of Yavneh basketball. and clutch play. Soon to be no longer Rookie Ori (correctly pronounced OH!!-REEE) Guttman will surely be generating his own OHs and AHs from crowds all over Texas and beyond with his boat-load of potential. His unique set of skills in so many areas of the game can catapult Yavneh Nation to a new level if applied correctly. The sky is truly the limit for both Guttman brothers whose tandem will decide the fate of this program to come. Classmate Meir Epstein showed tremendous growth in his Freshman year and figures to keep getting better at a record pace. As he grows so does his game and should factor in mightily to the Bulldogs future. A strong incoming Freshman class combined with transitioning JV players headlined by current Freshmen Zak Schultz and Noah Weiss could make this team deep for several years. Schultz has one of the best pure outside shots that this school has ever seen and Weiss has already shown potential to be a special post player/swing-man. Will Itai Guttman and/or Adam Karnett develop either singularly or together as the next GREAT Yavneh superstars? Will the rest of that ginormous Sophomore class develop as a unit to provide depth like this program has never before scratched the surface of? Can the team play to its strengths and develop a unique identity that will compete on a national level, taking the legacy left behind by so many to yet another level? Can this collection of developing and incoming players build on the success at Sarachek 2012 and compete in the upper half of Tier 1 in 2014???
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!!!!!!!
The Kennel Report, concluding its eighth season, has been written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
TL-BW