Yavneh defeated Emery Weiner of Houston 43-41 after losing in the semifinals of the The David A. Yaffee z’l Memorial Tournament in Houston to Beren Academy 51-38 to finish in third place. Thursday. The Bulldogs head back to Dallas with a season record of 4-3.
Another disappointing trip to Houston had a silver lining Sunday as a new-look Yavneh team debuted, shined, almost choked, but then survived all in a 32-minute basketball game. If one more painful trip and sub-par tournament finish was what the Bulldogs needed to learn their identity and turn their season around, then Mission Accomplished.
On Friday, it was the same old “Big-Game” Bulldogs. Senior Elan Kogutt used a fine first quarter performance to calm his jittery team, connecting on 3/4 field goals. The first half actually could not have been more even. The score was tied at 23-23, field goal %’s were both in the high 40’s, both teams had a star player in serious foul trouble (Prescott/Yosher), and both teams were giving the ball away like a holiday gift exchange. The one concerning pre-cursor for Yavneh was the fact that EVERY loose ball went to a Beren player. This is a trend that has been increasingly obvious through the first 6 games of the year and would absolutely turn the game after halftime. Freshman Adam Karnett burst onto the scene with a running-back type performance, weaving his way through traffic all game to explode for 12 points on 6/10 shooting. Kogutt was able to keep it going as well into the second half, surging Yavneh into a 29-25 lead halfway through the third period with his best 3 minute stretch of the season. A key sequence, however, doomed the Bulldogs as the third quarter expired. Three consecutive turnovers led to two easy Beren layups as a four point advantage turned into a 4 point mountain that would keep on growing. As Beren inserted their star player back into the lineup, he produced with no answer from the Bulldogs. Five fourth quarter field goals, including all three of his triples, buried a Yavneh team that could not counter with any offensive consistency. Kogutt still managed to lead all scorers with 18 points but on 8/21 from the field. It was the second straight season that Beren Academy ran the Bulldogs out of their home gym.
It was apparent that something had to be different going forward for a Yavneh team that has looked tired and ineffective even in their trio of victories this season. With a young and/or energetic bench, more players were going to have the opportunity to contribute. In the third place game @ Emery Weiner, the Bulldogs new-found depth and energy was apparent almost from the opening tip. Junior Jake Greif immediately set the tone with an explosion to the basket and two blocked shots with a purpose. Greif found a hustling Senior Zev Klein for another layup, Freshman Itai Guttman had a timely tip-follow, and despite a high turnover number Yavneh looked solid at 11-9. All three post players shined all game long (Greif, Romaner, Guttman). While Shaquille Kogutt was busy misfiring from the charity stripe, the Frenetic Freshman wandered into an exquisite reverse layup that was easily the most encouraging move of the year thus far. Shaq padded the Bulldog lead at 17-12 with a runout basket as Yavneh put together a nice run to jump out 24-16 at halftime. The big men were super solid and the rebounding numbers supported that, 20-11 at the half and 34-20 for the game. Instead of the Kogutt and Prescott “Do or Die” show, the TEAM was contributing and it was refreshing to see. Guttman was so intensely into the game that he actually forgot the basketball on one occasion but clearly would have finished that as well. The third period was even better, with contributions continuing and the lead extending. The Bulldogs opened up their largest lead at 33-20 with the most unlikely of plays: Sophomore Josh Lynn drove right to the basket 19 feet 9 inches away from his home at the three point line, and punished an Emery defender with contact and a SHOCKING finish. The game appeared to be a coast to the finish until Emery baseball player Brandon Levinson drilled three long-range bombs to complete 15-0 run in 3:58 to send shock waves through Yavneh nation and tie the game at 41-41. Bad decisions, turnovers, and the culmination of 10 missed free throws forced the tie and could have been a disastrous ending to an encouraging Bulldog performance. However, with Prescott and Kogutt much more fresh with the new rotation, the final 11.3 seconds were more than enough to still end this contest in regulation. Jordan Prescott took the basketball, pile drove down the lane, and finished at the basket with less than a second to spare. The quick response was the calming influence this team has been waiting for from the dynamic duo of Prescott and Kogutt. Even after the blown lead, there was no panic in those two scorers and that permeated to the entire team. Kogutt led the Bulldogs with 15 points and Prescott added 9, including the game’s most important basket. Guttman tallied 8 points, 5 rebounds, Ben Romaner also collected 5 rebounds, and Greif followed with the big first quarter and solid all-around game. Senior Zev Klein provided 16 strong minutes off the bench while collecting 4 hustle rebounds while the balance of the guards had a tough game. Also of note, this was the 250th Yavneh win for Head Coach Chad Baruch. Yavneh (4-3) has no time to rest with another two games in the next 48 hours. Up next, Cambridge will be waiting for the Bulldogs Monday night. Can the team-wide contributions continue as Yavneh finds their true identity? Can the big men continue their stellar play? How much will Kogutt and Prescott benefit from the new plan of attack? And, of course, will basketballs finally stop disappearing from the grasp of Bulldog players? Only time will tell.
The Kennel Report, now in its seventh season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M