THESA defeated Yavneh 46-34 Tuesday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 10-8.
THESA refused to let Yavneh off the hook for a second time this season but not by much. Nearly blowing another dominating halftime double-digit lead, THESA held off the Bulldogs in the final period after taking advantage of a horrific first half for the home team. Yavneh could not have played any worse in the opening 16 minutes. Turnovers and forced outside shots against a suspect THESA zone limited the Bulldogs early and often. Falling behind 10-3 by the end of the first period, Yavneh could not right the ship in the next eight minutes. A last second, buzzer beating Elan Kogutt three prayer sent the crowd into jubilation right before the half cutting the deficit to a cool 26-11. Despite the shot, Yavneh made just 3/19 field goals, 3/10 free throws, turned the ball over a gaudy 15 times, and were out-rebounded 25-11. To be down just a 15 spot was a miracle in itself. The Bulldogs, however, knew the formula for they had erased a halftime double-digit deficit against this team just weeks ago. But things seemed different with such a horrific 16 minutes of basketball filled with everything that just cannot happen when trying to win a basketball game. Yavneh would fall behind by 17 points early in the third quarter before making their move. With their shooting percentage bottoming out at 3/25 (12%), there was nowhere to go but up. All of a sudden, like being shot out of a cannon, Kogutt and Freshman Jordan Prescott fired away. “The Late Show” decided to make a third quarter appearance and smoothly drained a series of jump shots including a three pointer. Suddenly, Kogutt got easy shots in the lane to trim the margin. Most importantly, Yavneh was converting steals into easy transition points. The 5 minute third quarter outburst was all part of a 19-6 run that cut the THESA lead to a paltry 34-30. The run was capped by Senior Captain William Zalstein, playing in the final home game of his Yavneh career, completing the craziest circus shot of that same Yavneh career. Much credit on that shot goes to the defender that guided the ball into the basket while poking Zalstein in the eye. Either way, the Bulldogs had THESA on the ropes heading to the final period. Their shooting had sky-rocketed to 30% and the scorers were in a better groove for sure. Things continued to look very promising when THESA point guard Nathan Pressnell fouled out minutes into the final period. He had one of his most frustrating nights, falling victim on three of his foul calls to charge-taking machine Josh Karnett. But it was at that point that Yavneh seemed to run out of gas. THESA responded with a 10-0 statement, putting the Bulldogs once again in a precarious position. With the game tilting back towards the visitors, the Bulldogs reverted back to hoisting low percentage shots and quickly relinquished any chance of another comeback. Ben Bloom gave Yavneh fits, camping his large frame in the paint, for a team-high 12 points. He also shared game-high honors with the PK Combo, who also had 12 points apiece. When Prescott and Kogutt are scoring, the Bulldogs seem almost impossible to slow down. In just five minutes, they accounted for more than 60% of the total offense for the game. Free throws were another factor that buried Yavneh on this night. 6/19 left 13 points on the table, which incidentally would have swung the game for a Bulldogs team that lost by 12. There were bright spots, though. To show that type of resiliency against a quality opponent is reason enough to have high hopes for a big weekend to come. Freshman Jake Greif had a monster hustle game, collecting 14 rebounds and blocking 4 shots. Zalstein left it all on his home court, shadowing his man with the tenacious defense that the Senior point guard has exhibited throughout his entire career. Senior Asriel Agronin, who has scored more points than any Bulldog in the last four years (albeit on paper as the official scorer), finished his home career as well. One of the more consistent products Yavneh has produced, Agronin will surely be missed.
Yavneh (10-8) has their season ahead of them with 4 huge games in a span of 60 hours. They will play in the David A. Yaffee Memorial Tournament, featuring host Beren (Houston) as well as Yeshiva Atlanta, Kushner, HANC, and nationally ranked #2 Ida Crown (Chicago). The Bulldogs lost in the finals last year to #1 HANC, which could set up an interesting rematch as just one of the many story lines to come. This will be an opportunity for Yavneh see where they are at nationally with a young team. Most interesting, Sophomore Elan Kogutt’s scoring skills will be on display for all the Jewish High School basketball world to see for the very first time in this capacity.
The Kennel Report, now in its fifth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M