Yavneh defeated HSAA South 47-44 Monday evening. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 17-12.
As HSAA guard Phillip Jackson’s 41 foot heave barely fell off the rim with no time remaining, the 5 Yavneh Seniors playing in one final home game could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The 68th career win for Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer, Josh Karnett, Joe Lerer, Ethan Prescott, and Micah Steinbrecher did not come easy but they will all take the hard fought W. Clearly separated from any travel weariness of the last two weeks, Yavneh came out firing from the beginning. After the 5 Seniors (many of which don’t normally start) held HSAA scoreless on two straight possessions to open the game, reinforcements checked in to leave earlier first quarter scoring struggles in the past. The Bulldogs were living large in the 40’s shooting percentage wise early, a complete turnaround. Sophomore Reid Cohen exploded for 5 first period rebounds and Elan Kogutt, not normally a defender, swooped in for a thunderous rejection to help preserve a 2 point lead after 8 minutes. Cohen continued to play great, answering an HSAA run with a big three pointer and classmate Jordan Prescott also had a productive first half despite being saddled with 2 early fouls.
HSAA grabbed a 22-21 halftime lead almost exclusively off Yavneh turnovers and missed box outs. A pair of three point plays and another couple run out baskets made things too easy for HSAA. The Captain, however, was not going to allow Senior Night to go into the loss column. Like a game of 2-on-2, Pulitzer and Jordan Prescott led a mini-burst, turning a 3 point deficit into a 5 point lead instantly to start the third quarter. HSAA surely would have preferred to pass to their other three teammates but Prescott and Pulitzer were calling for the ball so politely. Once the game had flipped, the Bulldogs took advantage of Kogutt mismatches to punish HSAA and build an 8 point edge. Every HSAA bucket was met by a big Yavneh answer. Cohen nailed a second three pointer and Kogutt found Pulitzer slashing to the hoop on a second critical possession. The best fourth period defense for HSAA was actually the personal foul with Yavneh missing five big freebies to keep the game close. A three score game became tight as Jackson nailed the first of two triples to cut the lead to 44-40. In the waning seconds with the Bulldogs still in control at 45-41, Josh Williams nailed another long range special leaving only 7 ticks on the clock. Having seen his teammates miss 8 free throws did not rattle Reid Cohen, drilling both his attempts and assuring no worse than an overtime period for his team. That overtime almost came about but the desperation chuck by Jackson fell out to end the game. Kogutt led all scorers with 20 points and Cohen played an excellent game with 10 points. Pulitzer (8 points) and Prescott (7 points) each had 6 assists, together keying the run that turned the game in the Bulldogs’ favor. As important as this win was for the Seniors and the team as a whole, all eyes are set on tomorrow night as they look to end their careers and seasons respectively in Fort Worth.
Yavneh (17-12) travels to play Castleberry High School with an 18 win season and 5 Bulldog Seniors legacies hanging in the balance.
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