Fort Worth THESA 52-58

THESA defeated Yavneh 58-52 Thursday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 16-10.

A marked improvement in turnovers and rebounding were not enough to overcome 16 missed three pointers including four in the final 90 seconds Thursday. Back at full strength the Bulldogs seemed more organized, could and should have won this game. In a game that seesawed nearly the entire way, it was strange to see Yavneh lose a close one for only the third time this season.

Unlike recent games that have crawled from the beginning, THESA and Yavneh were in an old-fashioned shootout early. Nathan Pressnell, who led all scorers with 26 breathtaking points, gave the Bulldogs fits early and often from the left side. Yavneh countered with three early triples from Kevin Sulski, Adam Karnett, and a reborn Elan Kogutt respectively. Freshman Itai Guttman managed a tip in from 7 feet away and both teams shot over 50% for a 17-16 THESA lead after a single period. If only Yavneh would have known that their 3/3 start from long range would be followed by a 1-17 encore, maybe their shot selection would have been different down the stretch. As it was, though, Pressnell and Kogutt scored plenty first half points. THESA led 26-24 at halftime behind 14 points for the THESA star guard and 12 encouraging points from Kogutt. Slowly, the scoring sensation that has a mastery for the baseline jump shot and the long-legged glide to the hoop is starting to dominate defenses again just in time. After a 30 turnover bonanza on Tuesday, it was also nice to see just 6 in the first 16 minutes of play.

The margin in the second half was never more than 6 points for either team. In a season of large Bulldog/Bulldog opponent runs throughout the games, this was a nail biter all the way. The home squad tied the game at 28-28 before a key sequence where Senior Jake Greif took a charge off of a trapping scramble paving the way for a change in the lead. Junior Jordan Prescott nailed the only three point strike besides the three early ones for a 33-31 Bulldog lead, their first since the opening minutes. It probably should have counted for 4 points due to the depth but it put the stamp on a 13-8 Yavneh uprising. The tempo had quickened with a nice sequence of pressure defense by the Bulldogs. Kogutt got an open floor steal which led to a stat-stuffing layup on 2 attempts and a rebound, and Sulski was able to finish all the way at the basket. THESA would break the pressure on several occasions late in the third quarter to stay within a single point at 43-42.

For six minutes at the start of the final period, neither team held a lead greater than 2 points. Kogutt set Guttman up for a timid excuse me jumper but Pressnell answered time and again. THESA would grab a full three point lead on a steal for a layup from halfcourt but Kogutt answered with a finish amongst contact. The missed free throw that followed was Yavneh’s eighth on the evening but they surged back in front anyway when Prescott got a steal of his own. Whether stumbling by accident or stutter stepping to the hoop, Prescott finished with ease for the 51-50 lead. 3 of the next 4 critical possessions for the Bulldogs consisted of quick and contested three point heaves. The other trip was marred by the ninth free throw miss of the game, and THESA had to do very little on their own to close the contest out. Kogutt led the Bulldogs with 22 points followed by 15 from Prescott. The 16 missed three pointers and 9 missed free throws in addition to 5 missed layups with minimal defensive pressure left too many points on the table. Yavneh (16-10) will play Lucas Christian on Tuesday evening. The two teams were iced out of their first meeting just over a week ago.

The Kennel Report, now in its seventh season, is written by…

Zack Pollack M&M

MWJR? 3-26