THESA defeated Yavneh 44-41 Tuesday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 15-3.
Yavneh has now lost three games this season, all by only a single possession. Critical turnovers, a missed free throw, and late mishandle truly cost the Bulldogs Tuesday night. Both teams started particularly sluggish as the score was just 3-2 nearly four minutes into the game. Yavneh led 14-10 after a quarter, fueled by a late 5-0 run. The full court press forced 5 key THESA turnovers during that stretch. Senior Erez Krengel scored 8 quick points on 3/5 shooting. Just as quickly, THESA clawed their way back into the game in the second stanza. Starting to dominate the rebounding battle and turn Yavneh over, THESA got the game tied at 20-20 for halftime. David Naxon struggled all night, scoring just 3 points on 1/7 shooting in the first half. The Bulldogs had dominated third quarters during the past couple games but not tonight. THESA used a 14-5 run to start the half, winning the turnover battle and taking advantage of their offensive rebounding prowess. THESA’s zone defense befuddled Yavneh in the second half, specifically in the third quarter. Senior Brad Alhadef stepped up in the final quarter when the team needed him most. Driving right to the barrel of the rim on two occasions and hitting a timely three pointer for the lead, Alhadef almost single-handedly erased THESA’s 9 point advantage. When that three ball gave the Bulldogs the lead at 40-39 with 2:24 remaining, it seemed as if THESA had cracked. However, Greg Buckingham came back with 2 of his 8 points to re-capture the lead at 41-40. As the clock ticked under a minute, Krengel used a tough drive to get himself to the free throw line. The normally reliable free thrower split the pair and tied the game at 41-41. THESA’s Nathan Presnell did the same for the last of his team-high 12 points to once again take the lead 42-41. 13.2 seconds still remained for Yavneh heroics but Naxon could not handle the ball underneath the basket as it slipped out of bounds along with the chances of a win. Even after two THESA free throws, the Bulldogs could only sky the inbounds over everybody to eliminate any chance at a tie. Yavneh struggled offensively with 34.6% shooting, were out-rebounded, turned the ball over 20 times, and missed 5 critical free throws. That recipe should have gotten them beat by way more than the three points. Krengel led all scorers with 14 points.
Yavneh (15-3) will play at Oakridge Thursday night. A win over a state-ranked team with a D-1 bound stud would go a huge way towards erasing the quagmire of losing 2 of 3 games. The Bulldogs have not lost 2 games in a row all season long. Oakridge beat Yavneh last season without David Naxon’s 21 ppg. However, a 5/14, 11 point performance will not suffice to be able to challenge at Oakridge in a hostile environment against a great team. The game presents a tremendous opportunity for the Bulldogs if they are ready to play.
The Kennel Report is written by Zack Pollack