Yavneh was defeated by The Hebrew Academy of Five Towns & Rockaway (HAFTR) 47-40 and then beat The Community Hebrew Academy Of Toronto (CHAT) 57-57 in the first two of five preliminary games at the The Joseph and Florence Weiner Memorial Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland Wednesday. The Bulldogs season record now stands at 9-2.
A tradition unlike any other continued Wednesday as Yavneh rolled into Baltimore looking underwhelmingly like a shell of itself. For the 7th straight appearance at this tournament, the Bulldogs seemed to limp through Day 1, and were fortunate to have recorded even one win at the Weiner Tournament in Baltimore. The good news: this not-so coveted streak of slow starts include appearances of much success and very little is ever accomplished or lost before Thursday in Maryland. When two of the most talented Jewish teams in America match up on a court held together by Legos, the pageantry, grandeur, and splendor of the matchup can quickly turn into a basketball blizzard. As HAFTR and Yavneh dueled to a 19-19 turnover stalemate on a court known to many as The Toy Store, only brief glimpses of greatness were seen in this matchup. The Hawks actually tallied a three pointer less than 2 seconds into the contest but the teams would only combine to make 6 more shots from distance on their remaining 29 outside attempts. Rising Junior transfer Avery Levy scored and assisted early for the Bulldogs and built a 6-5 advantage on a Mason Schwaber put-back. In fact, an 8-2 Yavneh spurt had them looking pretty comfortable in the opening stanza. A Schwaber bully-ball finish for a second field goal coupled with Tyler C Winton’s steal and finish staked Yavneh to a 10-5 lead behind multiple missed layups and turnovers from the Hawks. Matthew Jedwab was getting to the rim but clearly seemed bothered by Schwaber’s size early in this game and it caused HAFTR to spiral into an early abyss. 21% first quarter shooting and 7 turnovers gave Yavneh a 10-8 edge after one period but they could not capitalize on what should have been a much bigger lead given the start by their opposition. This would cost them when the Hawks found their groove in a deciding second period of play. Winton followed his own shot and Ben Rael scored on a craft hanging tap in at the rim in an otherwise dormant offensive stretch for Yavneh as this game would split away. An extended 19-4 run by HAFTR came courtesy of turnovers, quick and very inaccurate outside shooting, and multiple defensive breakdowns which were now ending in made layups versus the earlier misfires by HAFTR. Jonah Eber, in his first game back from a shoulder injury, scored his first points on a nice transition finish from a Winton steal to sneak to within 24-16 at halftime. The Bulldogs seemed to have a decided advantage on the inside, out-rebounding HAFTR 18-12 but could not throw the ball in the ocean after the 10-5 lead and, while hoisting up errant three pointers, the Hawks were rolling to the rim for key finishes. Schwaber and Eber assisted Levy for two key buckets to begin the third period but the entire second half was nothing more than an even trade of baskets for the most part. Rael tried his best to put on his 3D glasses and took a big charge that seemed to turn the tide a bit. Eber found Jason Prager on the next possession to cut the lead to 30-23 and then even closer with a great lefty drive. However, that 5-point margin at 30-25 would be the closest this game would get as the entire second half was played within a 5-point window. 8 points was the deficit heading into the final period courtesy of a slick Schwaber dish to Noah Ohayon for a layup and first points back from his injury. HAFTR remained very disciplined in preserving their lead and did a good job of making the second period run stand up in this game. Winton provided great activity and the Schwaber/Eber connection provided a pair of encouraging baskets but the Hawks had an answer for every mini-run the Bulldogs tried to build down the stretch. Eber and Prager teamed up for a steal that gave Eber 2 points late, and there was a glimmer of hope at 42-36 with 1:38 to play. Another Winton steal to Prager would follow but there just simply was not enough time and the low foul count did not match up with those late forced turnovers to give Yavneh a chance to play much of a foul game in the final moments. Mason Schwaber notched a Double-Double with 11 points/13 rebounds while Jason Prager chipped in 9 points. Tyler Winton’s 5 steals were not enough to overcome a team 1/13 three point performance with the 19 turnovers. Three players for HAFTR combined to score 44 of their 47 points in the less than convincing result that feels like a much different basketball may await these teams in a potential late-week rematch.
Yavneh needed a bounce-back game to gain some footing in this tournament to finish Day 1 but the CHAT game was a quicksand tutorial for most of the contest. Schwaber found Rael early for the season’s second AND-LANE VIOLATION finish for the first points and Winton darted the Baltimore night sky with a floater in traffic a short time later. Unlike the first game where Yavneh controlled the rebounding by double-digits, this one was a house of horrors in that category. Despite the NBA Raptors success in Toronto, CHAT did not feature an immense spike in talent that would overwhelm many teams. However, they were relentless on the offensive glass and second-chanced their way to challenge Yavneh well into the final period of this basketball game. It was a battle of the +7 CHAT rebounds versus the 9 forced turnovers by the Bulldogs in a strange 13-13 opening frame. Prager bottomed a pullup triple, Ohayon blocked a shot off a CHAT player’s head, and Tom Oster/Elisha Klein teamed up for a steal and layup to bolster Yavneh. While slow starts against this team were nothing new based on history, this one seemed to fester and become a very dangerous proposition for the Red-and-Black. No matter what combination of players were on the court, this Bulldog team was lackluster and failed to provide any of the energy that has been their calling card through much of this season’s first 9 games. Trailing 24-21, Hillel Baynash Treynashed a three ball for the tie in one of many instances which seemed to spark Yavneh. But a 22-7 first half rebounding edge staked CHAT to a 26-24 halftime advantage. Schwaber and Eber had their moments in the first half but this game was so slow in terms of pace and lifeless at too many instances. Jason Prager has definitely had his moments of greatness and heroism this season but this second half might have been his grittiest work. In a game his team absolutely had to have for their psyche and tournament positioning, Prager seemed to have an energy for the final 14 minutes that no one else on the court (referees most certainly included) could match. An assist to Schwaber and a floater for the lead at 29-28 seemed to provide the spark that could finally provide separation in this game. Schwaber’s own-follow basket added some more fuel to that fire but similar to Game #1, an opponent run crippled the Bulldogs. This CHAT third-period spurt was 8-0 at a critical juncture and Yavneh was on the ropes down 37-30 and already down a game in this tournament. Prager had a response, beginning with a steal/assist to Klein that sparked a 7-2 ending of the third period. Still trailing 42-37 moments into an important final quarter of this second game, Yavneh finally broke through. A defining 13-2 run was more of a shower of relief as opposed to COMEBACK for the AGES but whatever works. Eber began the spurt with a power move, and a subsequent Prager Euro-step that had at least two countries gasping for air pulled Yavneh to within a point at 42-41. Pistol Prager began a 6-point run for the Splash Brothers as he buried a trifecta and then assisted Winton on another. Not only did the Bulldogs capture the lead on those two shots from down 1 to up 5 but they happened so quick that CHAT was a bit shell-shocked for the first time all night. Prager was not finished as his sensational half continued with another straight-away triple and a layup. While some strange happenings down the final stretch caused tense moments on a full-court inbounds situation up only a basket, the Bulldogs rode the Prager wave to this victory that needed to happen. It is unknown where this tournament and the season will turn from here but this game had the feel of a survival that in retrospect will trigger what is to come the remainder of this staycation in The Charm City. Jason Prager’s 23 points and 5 assists saved the day while Jonah Eber (also 5 assists) and Elisha Klein each added 8 points.
Yavneh (9-2) can neither dwell on a dull Day 1 nor be lulled into an illusion that a win fixes all because they will begin Thursday walking into a bee hive while wearing suits made strictly of honey. Host Beth Tfiloh is also 1-1 and will have the entire city of Baltimore ready to remind the Bulldogs who won last year’s semifinal matchup for most of the 28+ minute contest to come. For this group from Dallas, they will need to get back to playing their style of basketball and if they do will be in a great spot heading into the elimination rounds of this tournament come Friday. Their 19 forced turnovers per game will start to pay off if they can fix some defensive issues and get a more consistent performance from this group who has performed well and even bounced back over the first 9+ games.
The Kennel Report, now in its 16th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack +XF M&M
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