Yavneh defeated Denton Calvary Academy 67-45 Tuesday night in a TAPPS 3A Round of 16 AREA playoff game. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 28-3 and keeps the season going strong into the Regional Final.
The trepidation and anticipation was almost silly around the Metroplex ahead of this over-hyped, psychoanalytic dissection of a basketball game. YES Denton Calvary was the #4 team in the state, YES they played in what every Joe Lunardi-esque TAPPS Einstein intellect considered to be the premier district in all the land, YES they were on a 10-game winning streak, and a BIG YES this was an improved, tested, and veteran version of the very team that pushed Yavneh to the absolute brink in this exact game one year ago. Final Answer: NOTHING TO WORRY BOUT The Bulldogs once again protected their All-Time undefeated home playoff tradition, and they did it in absolutely convincing fashion. In a game they led wire to wire, jumped out to a 7-0 lead, held on to a 6-point halftime edge, and then stormed to victory behind the most ridiculous 25-0 third period you will ever see, this group made a statement Tuesday. While a year ago the Lions cornered Yavneh into an early 8-point deficit at 14-6 with Junior Transfer Jason Prager a mere observer on a school visit, this game would be different from the word GO. Prager buried a corner three pointer off a pass the steady Jonah Eber in the opening possession of the game, a shot that seemed to set the tone for the night to come. Tyler C Winton, always ready for the biggest of games, was electric from the start with a pair of steals to get the capacity crowd into this game right away. The first take-away set up an Eber rumble runner into the middle of the paint and his encore went to Prager for the quick touchdown lead before most Calvary fans had even found their way South on Interstate 35 for this contest. The Splash Brothers would reverse roles a short time later for a Prager to TW3 as Yavneh continued to score on nearly ever trip in this opening stanza. Ben Rael, who would be a show-stopper on this night, pilfered a basketball that ended up generating the first Mason Schwaber points of the night on a slick tip-follow. Like any good Rael effort, that play was immediately followed with a charge take to completely seize momentum. Meanwhile, Winton was so locked into this game that he rewarded his fans from both teams with a textbook jump-stop flipper finish in the lane. The Lions would pick up the offense a bit towards the conclusion of the first quarter, they could never really slow down the Bulldogs attack. Schwaber, who at times thought he was in the NBA’s Three-Point Contest from over the past weekend, did find success in the mid-range for a big response basket. But the Schwaber work of value would come at and around the rim, not to be over-shadowed by a huge blocked shot on the baseline to maintain a 20-12 advantage through one period of play. While the final points of a stellar opening frame came on an Eber whirling dervish to the basket, the 8-point lead was in large part due to 7 forced turnovers by the home team. All-world and ambidextrous point guard Jacob Helzer scored 7 points early but they were difficult and accompanied by pressure defense that would not allow him to truly feel comfortable doing what he does. The energy and determination of the Bulldogs was evident as Eber/Schwaber began the second period with a multi-second chance effort finally leading to a Mason finish at the basket. While there had been times of the past that opposing size had slowed Schwaber, this night was a celebration of his talent amidst several tree-like Calvary opposition. Avery Levy’s steal went to Prager and on to Eber for a game-high lead of 24-12 early in the second quarter. Mount Mason continued to be in attack mode as more work led to a pair of free throws and an even bigger lead of 14 points. If this team from Denton, who had such a great year and were an absolute threat to win it all, was nothing else they were patiently resilient. We saw it in the epic swing game last year and once again they got off the mat to challenge this Yavneh team. Their 12-4 spurt to end the first half was exactly what was needed to regroup and the Lions did it with patience, shooting, and of course their size. For a brief stretch they slowed the Bulldogs and chipped into the 14-point lead by more than half. With only a patient Levy to Eber end to an offensive trip netting a field goal in the final minutes, Denton Calvary was very much into this game trailing just 30-24 for halftime. They had out-shot Yavneh by 8%, bounced back to commit just a pair of second period turnovers, and really felt they were a minor tweak from pressurizing this game. The Lions fully expected to storm out of the locker room and score points to creep even closer. They would do just that but it would take about 8 minutes to reach their objective….a crushing end to their magnificent season.
It has often been said by the lead engineer of this basketball team that there has never been a perfect basketball game witnessed by human eyes. While perfection will once again need to wait for another couple of days (at the least), it does not get a whole lot better in a single quarter than the 25-0 whitewash that Yavneh produced in this season-defining 8 minutes of pure bliss. For fans, supporters, and those in love with this team, this was a quarter to remember forever. Schwaber and Eber have brought their game nearly every night; Winton has done whatever is needed game-in and game-out be it points, passing, defense, or just comedy; and Prager always gives you the transition, shooting, and big shots of adrenaline. But when this team is truly great and hitting on all cylinders (see the 3DBD game), Benjamin Dylan Rael aka 3D aka The Elevator is always in the mix. If you want absolute greatness, just look for the Rael-road games and this third period was one of those moments. After a somewhat tiring Eber to Schwaber assembly line finish, the two Seniors each fed Rael for finishes at the rim in transition. The energy the Sophomore brought, combined with the amped up pressure defense, was causing Calvary fits. They could not score the basketball for all the world and every passing moment were just netting more points for a streaking Yavneh team. An Eber steal, a pair of free throws, and a Rael trip upstairs on the freight elevator were just adding insult to injury as only one side of the scoreboard needed power or lighting for an entire period of play. Eber, surging ever closer to Sam Kleinman’s school record of 500 career assists, was spreading the ball around majestically. McBuckets deposited a straight-away triple followed by a Rael 3D corner hit, and then finally Schwaber saw a moon ball go in from way outside his normal stomping grounds. It was like a game of NBA Jam with the ball of fire locked on every Bulldog player, surging to a 19-0 run for this third period. For a team that used their depth this entire season and remains the best asset to this group, it was the starting unit that produced nearly all the offense in this contest (highlighted by the 19-0 beginning to the third period) The last thing the Lions wanted to hear was something….anything coming off that bench after this blitz spectacular that was ending their season over and over and over and over again during this stretch. But a team that does as much homework as this group from the land of UNT had to take note of one of the surging 3A bench talents this state has to offer. Tom Oster was not on the court for a full second before he released a corner trifecta somehow off parts of the backboard but straight into the basket. Always looking for the timely assist, Klein set up that inbounds special and was one of just two bench players to score in this game for Yavneh. Three critical stops down the stretch of this magical quarter preserved the sought after shutout for the Red-and-Black but this frame had to end at a clean 25-0 to truly be special. Rael, who was such a catalyst in this run, would draw up one last creation to make it happen. His read of the surging double-team was pristine as he found the defrOster open for a trey that rainbowed through the net as the bittersweet chime of the buzzer sounded. Sad to see the third period not carry on for another month or two but excited about the prospects of an anti-climactic fourth frame rolling on in, the Bulldogs were going to advance to a 4th consecutive Regional Final. The mere 7 turnovers and 70% free throw shooting were both + stats to the Bulldog average on the season that significantly tipped the scales in their favor. Helzer battled and finished with 18 points (game-high) to finish a spectacular career but his opposition had played at another level. Eber continued to shine down the stretch, assisting Prager for a nice finger-roll and then Schwaber on a great pump-and-dish feed. Klein set up Eber for a finishing drive, and despite a big drop-off in the final period, it was a cruise to the finish. Mason Schwaber led the cause with 17 big time points to go along with 7 rebounds while Jonah Eber added 12 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Ben Rael chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds, nearly all in that pivotal and deciding third period. Tyler Winton reached double-figures at 10 points with 4 enormous steals to set the tone and Jason Prager chipped in 9 points of his own. Tom Oster’s perfect shooting night with 6 points gave a big boost to finish the legendary quarter in grand style. The team debuted their tribute warmup shirts, honoring the memory of Annette Wolk z”l with her patented “Get the Rebound” quote visible. While matching a much bigger Lions team rebound for rebound was both impressive and appropriate, the bigger message of persistence and resilience that is represented continues to be a shining light for this team representing the entire community.
Yavneh (28-3) is into the Regional Final for the fourth straight year and again one win away from an almost inconceivable 4th straight State Final 4. For the first time, however, the opponent will not be a Metroplex team. On the Colorado River, deep in the Texas Hill Country 58 miles due northwest of the state Capitol there lies the town of Marble Falls. Within this nearly 7000 person abode is Faith Academy who has compiled a 21-2 record of their own this season. An embarrassment of riches from the guard positions, this Faith team has the tools and the experience to challenge the Bulldogs in what could be a Regional Final for the ages. The game time and location (a neutral site game covering 208 miles of terrain) will be determined sometime Wednesday afternoon.
The Kennel Report, now in its 16th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack +XF M&M
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