Yavneh defeated HSAA South 66-46 Tuesday night on Senior Night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 24-8.
Tuesday’s final regular season game should have been all about the Seniors. Tuesday should have been the showcase for All-World Senior Captain Jordan Prescott to record the 43 points that he needs to become the second-leading scorer in Yavneh history. But that just is not Prescott’s personality nor is it the personality of the special 2011-12 Yavneh outgoing letter men. To a man, this group has always been team first and their final game in the SRC was no exception. There are clearly bigger things that lie ahead for this quad of 12th graders. On the contrast, nine of eleven Yavneh players scored in a wire to wire rout of HSAA South, who could not solve the Bulldogs in three tries this season. If Prescott was ever entertaining thoughts of forcing his own offense on this night, those notions were instantly dispelled with an unselfish dish to Sophomore Adam Karnett on the very first possession. Instead, Prescott stole two basketballs in the opening three minutes en route to an 8-0 beginning. Seniors Jake Greif and Kevin Sulski both produced early offense in the fast start. Replacing the starting Senior unit, Sophomores Itai Guttman and Adam Steinbrecher produced a 7-2 run of their own for a 15-2 advantage. Guttman lasered a pass to Steinbrecher who finished at the basket and then drilled a triple the next time down. He then produced his own offense with the first coast to coast steal and finish of his career. Yavneh could do no wrong in the opening stanza. The rookie version of Guttman and Guttman teamed up with Sophomore X-Factor Sam Kleinman and his classmate David Rudomin for a final 7 point outburst. Ori Guttman found Kleinman cross-court for a three pointer in rhythm. Kleinman then proceeded to steal two straight passes and convert them to Rudomin layups. The second of these saw Rudomin sprint past Guttman in a photo finish to track down the Kleinman assist, using his teammate as an inadvertent screen. In all, 22-5 was the Bulldog lead after a single period behind 81% lights out shooting. While the shooting tailed off a bit in the next eight minutes, 70% was still by far the best opening half shooting performance of the season. Turnovers allowed HSAA to skin the lead courtesy of a 14-9 mini-run but they would get no closer than 12 points. With a 27-10 lead Prescott finally poured in his first points on a three ball from the wing. When Yavneh is thriving, Prescott is distributing and setting up the defense for an attack when they have established themselves. On this night, though, his individual offense would not be needed. Meanwhile, Greif was having a field day at the basket in his final home game including a late first half tip-follow. The lead was 35-20 at halftime despite 12 Bulldog turnovers.
The second half was all about final preparations for the post-season. Yavneh used a variety of different combinations, including one that showcased Steinbrecher’s three point magic (3/4) The guards did a great job in securing a dominance on the boards with 5 each from Kleinman and Rudomin. Hybrid Steinbrecher (half guard/half post) also gobbled up 6 rebounds. Most of the bounces seemed to go the home team’s way down the stretch. Ori Guttman got the benefit of a friendly bounce as his three pointer hit the back rim, almost the ceiling, and then the bottom of the net on one occasion. Rudomin’s over-head volleyball serve pass through an HSAA city of traffic found Kleinman for the finishing touches with just minutes remaining. The score got completely out of hand as Karnett got most of his six steals in the final period leading to easy offense. The game was never close down the stretch as the Bulldogs have streaked to the finish. (won 10/11 games since January 12th) Adam Karnett led all scorers with 14 points on another super efficient shooting tear of 5/7. Six steals, four assists, and 4/5 free throws gave him a solid all-around game. Steinbrecher followed with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 4/5 shooting. Itai Guttman recorded 8 points and did not miss from the field (4/4).
Yavneh (24-8) will now have just shy of 9 days to prepare for Yeshiva University’s Sarachek Tournament in New York City. A #9 seed matches the Bulldogs up with #8 seeded Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy of Elizabeth, New Jersey, known to many in the Yavneh camp all too well as JEC. RTMA/JEC overwhelmed the last Tier 1 Quarterfinal Bulldog team in blowout fashion five years ago. An onslaught of three pointers decided the game early but every indication is that this rematch will be an absolute war. If Yavneh wants back in the Tier 1 Quarterfinals, a maximum defensive effort and efficient—low-turnover offense would be a good starting potion. Will the depth of this team bother JEC? Will the size of the Bulldog front line frustrate the pesky Garden State squad? Will Jordan Prescott assert his star power right into the heart of New York City?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its eighth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
TL-BW