Yavneh defeated Dallas Lutheran 40-30 Tuesday night on SENIOR NIGHT. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 21-10 (12-3).
Yavneh honored their 5 Seniors, dwindled their 2nd place magic number to a single game, and survived 17 missed free throws to go along with a 4 point third quarter Tuesday. Senior Ori Guttman lobbed for Daniel Chernikov and an innocent enough 2-0 beginning. Classmate Noah Weiss sent a Lutheran shot deep into the hallway for a dramatic swat, providing energy into a packed gymnasium that clearly rattled Lutheran’s offensive attack. Apparently, though, it was doing a number on the home offensive package as well. The teams played to a 2-2 deadlock for nearly 4 minutes, which was not even remotely close to the most inept offensive stretch of the night for the two teams. Senior Grant Prengler drilled a corner three ball to provide some separation and a post to post Chernikov/Weiss connection had the Bulldogs off and rolling. Despite multiple unforced errors, Yavneh notched a 10-4 lead as Prengler calmly connected on 20% of his team’s total made free throws in one trip to the charity stripe. Prengler found Chernikov for a foul line jumper and a 13-4 lead moments before the end of the first period. Lutheran shooting sensation banked in a three point prayer to end the first quarter and that break would ignite an 11-0 run that cost the Bulldogs the lead. Looking back, it seems almost unfathomable that Lutheran scored over a third of their total points in one three-minute stretch but thankfully First Responder David Steinbrecher provided immediate relief for the second straight game. His wing triple off the feed from Noah Rubinstein instantly put Yavneh back into the lead 16-15, an advantage they would never again relinquish. Also for the second straight night, Rubinstein provided a pivotal stretch with several key plays that turned the game around completely. Following his assist, Rubinstein stole a basketball on the sideline and a Weiss offensive rebound later generated a free throw. Weiss would also grab a steal that enabled Chernikov to connect on a mid-lane jumper. Rubinstein’s best play in the series was probably the ensuing drive-and-dish to Jonathan Ochstein that gave the Bulldogs a 22-17 lead at halftime. The shooting percentages were really low, the turnovers were way too high, and the missed free throws left valuable points on the table in a defensive game. With such dire consequences of playoff implications, the longer this game was a tight affair the more tense it got.
The tension in the building could easily have been alleviated with an open court attack like so many third periods had provided this season. However, the game came to a grinding halt to begin the second half and became an epic battle of defensive stops. For 4 minutes and 32 seconds the teams galloped end to end scoring no points and continuously rebounding, missing shots, and making defensive play after defensive play. Lutheran broke the drought on a pair of free throws with 3:28 to play in the third quarter to leave the game at a severely tenuous 22-19. Rubinstein’s baseline drive with 1:26 to play drew contact and gave the Bulldogs their best chance at scoring to that point in maybe the most chilly quarter of the season. He buried the pair of free throws, the 7th and 8th straight made free throws by the Sophomore G/F/C/P dating back to Monday’s game. The lead was once again a seemingly insurmountable 5 points at 24-19 and the period almost ended in a 2-2 mini-stalemate. Steinbrecher, though, made a clutch paint flip shot as the third period buzzer sounded to stretch the lead to 26-19. A battle of wills saw Yavneh grab just enough momentum to put them in control for the final eight minutes. The two catalysts in the absence of Steve Levine over these last pair of games made the first play of the final period as Rubinstein set up Steinbrecher for a straight-away triple. In the most physical of second halves, Guttman and then Ochstein both notched man-sized offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and their team ahead 30-23. While the turnovers continued to mount, Yavneh kept themselves one step ahead with a commitment to the defensive end including allowing just 2 offensive rebounds. Prengler grabbed a key rebound off a missed free throw to protect a 30-25 lead with 3:21 remaining that made the next possession a game sealer. Embattled free thrower Ori Guttman connected on one attempt and conveniently used ESP to redirect his miss to Chernikov’s hands to save the possession. Chernikov fed that ball right back to Guttman for more of his specialty, a driving finish with authority to break the game open 33-25. The final 2:40 of the game turned into a free throw contest that both teams most likely equated to a trip to their respective dentists. The Bulldogs misfired on 17 FREE throws while Lutheran missed 9 of theirs. Neither team sniffed 50% in a game that both teams so desperately needed the extra points. Ochstein lassoed a Skywalker rebound and then was the beneficiary of a Prengler long pass for a three point play with contact at the rim. That ended any Lutheran comeback hopes with less than a minute to play and at long last secured a win the Bulldogs had to have. On Senior Night it was the underclassmen trio of Daniel Chernikov, David Steinbrecher, and Jonathan Ochstein that led the way with 8 points apiece. Chernikov also pulled in 9 rebounds. All 5 Seniors played major roles on this night to secure the victory nonetheless. Grant Prengler scored 6 key points, Ori Guttman was right in the middle of the game’s key play and did a great job on the boards, Zak Schultz grabbed 3 big rebounds and notched a pair of steals, Noah Weiss blocked 3 shots in a rare quiet offensive game, and Meir Epstein provided a big emotional lift just by appearing in uniform for the first time in nearly a month.
Yavneh (21-10) did much more on Senior Night than celebrate the 5 outgoing contributors. They more importantly have given themselves the opportunity to win one game at home against Irving The Highlands for an outright regular season 2nd place finish in District 4…and possession of a home playoff game. Ironically, The Highlands were the Bulldogs first round opponent at home last season and now (this time in district) are the only thing standing in the way of a repeat for the Red and Black. Will this team continue to find a way to win once more and bring the excitement of the TAPPS playoffs to the SRC for a second straight season back in TAPPS???
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its eleventh season, has been written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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