Yavneh defeated Rockwall’s Heritage Christian Academy 77-41 Thursday on SENIOR NIGHT. The win closes out the Bulldogs perfect regular season at a matchless 29-0 (12-0).
In the final regular season home game for Yavneh’s quintet of outgoing Seniors, a little bit of everything happened. The Bulldogs did indeed, despite somewhat near disaster trailing 5-2 early in this contest, complete its first undefeated regular season in school history behind a cool 75-36 run. In his final regular season home game Griffin Levine Sr recorded a new career high with 35 points. The game also featured just the second QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE in school history courtesy of Senior Pierce Bell as all five elder statesmen started and scored in the basketball game. The first SENIOR connection came mere seconds into the game as Bell’s first assist to Levine was a lead pass for a bucket at the rim. Heritage Christian engineered a 5-0 spurt that took the air of a packed house ready for celebration and turned the SRC into a haunted house under construction for about 13 seconds. Senior Micah Romaner, playing the role of Superman without the cape on this night, may have saved the game and the season with a timely assist to Levine for the short jumper that injected life into this group and started the final run to cap off this legendary regular season. Senior Sam Schultz, a defensive catalyst all year long, swooped into the passing lane for a burglaresque theft and finish to recapture the lead at 6-5. Levine then kicked it into gear for one of his best career offensive streaks with steals for baskets, a corner triple, and several nice finishes courtesy of Bell setups. A 24-4 explosion to end the opening stanza was capped off by a possession that was among the highlights of a season that has had many. Ofek Reef simply took a basketball away from an Eagles player sizing up a lay-in opportunity and started a 5-pass trip with an outlet pass that saw Bell and Levine exchange the basketball 4 more times. Finally Bell finished a Somebody Shoot the Ball chip shot and the Bulldogs added a Reef slam dunk to punctuate the opening 8 minutes of play on this special evening. Yavneh forced 16 turnovers while Levine scored an insane 17 points and Bell assisted 7 times in an action-packed first quarter. Senior Seth Gerstenfeld was active all night long in his first career start and really calmed the waters after a choppy Bulldog start to the second period. Levine had cooled only temporarily and the Eagles had a window to climb back into the game before Gerstenfeld’s no-look hook shot that nearly shattered the glass before torpedoing into the hoop. That finish restructured a 28-12 advantage and kick-started another spurt to carry the second quarter. Bell raced to the rack for a basket and Mason Schwaber added both a strong finish near the painted area as well as a nice dish for a freshly microwaved Griffin Levine’s second trifecta and a 37-18 lead. Romaner darted another great pass to Levine to secure a 39-22 edge for halftime. The Bulldogs hit a wall in that second quarter with only 2 forced turnovers but outshot, outrebounded, and thoroughly outplayed Heritage in the first half. Behind 24 first half points from Levine on 10/16 shooting the Bulldogs were just 16 minutes away from completing this regular season unblemished.
Yavneh continued to front run and got super comfortable in the second half to turn this game into an epic celebration down the stretch. Jonah Eber connected with Reef who ferociously attacked the baseline for a finish and the game’s first 20-point advantage early in the second half. On a night where Seniors carried the day, it was the underclassmen that really opened the game up during a pivotal stretch to start the third period. Eber baited the defense into a right side overplay before shot-pass assisting Zachary Bernstein for a tip follow which he almost stuffed home but decided to redirect into the basket instead. Tyler C Winton burned the Eagles with a pair of triples that found nothing but the bottom of the net and electrified the crowd with two third period Mouse in the House rebounds that started more transition for the Bulldogs. The game’s submission to Sportcenter’s Top 10 had to be Eber’s show-stopping finish for 48-26 moments before the Seniors re-entered the game for one final push. The Sophomore guard switched hands in mid-air while simultaneously triple clutching a reverse finish in traffic that had even a mesmerized Michael Jordan impressed after the game. The Red-and-Black were well on their way to victory during a fourth quarter that was more of a coronation than a basketball game. With every passing play the capacity crowd in a building that had to bring in extra rows of portable seats for this contest hung on every play just soaking in the moment. The final regular season field goal for Micah Romaner was a textbook layup off glass like he had done countless times over the last three seasons. Sam Schultz and Seth Gerstenfeld (6 rebounds as well) pitched in a pair of field goals each to keep the fans on the edge of their seats as well. But the loudest roar may have come when all 5 Seniors were subbed out for the final time. For Griffin Levine, who led all scorers with the career-high 35 points on an efficient 14/21 field goal shooting night, the standing ovation was appropriate. Pierce Bell streaked to the hoop for his 10th point mere seconds before he exited the game. That basket gave him 10 points but the real story was how well-rounded this final regular season game was for a player that is simply a well-rounded offensive superstar. Bell’s 7 first quarter assists surged to 10 by game end to go along with 12 high-rising rebounds and a flurry of fourth quarter steals to give him 10 as well on the final theft at half-court. It all added up to the second QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE in school history matching only Gavi Wolk’s masterful performance in 2002 at Keene’s Chisholm Trail Academy. Tyler Winton and Ofek Reef added 8 points each off the bench as well. The Bell rang all night long in several categories highlighting a well-rounded finish for the Seniors, the team, and the basketball program in general with Boys and Girls district titles in the same season.
Yavneh (29-0) will use this strong finish as a transition to the start of the second season that they have anxiously awaited since the second overtime’s final buzzer in Abilene, Texas last March. Despite every subjective poll in America might lead the general public to believe, Yavneh is the only undefeated team in TAPPS 3A, among Jewish high schools nationwide (32 losses ahead of the 6 teams ranked above them), and among all teams starting with the letter Y that report scores on any level (curling clubs included). The Bulldog quest to get back to STATE, the championship game, and to finish the deal will have to wait 12 days through a well-earned first round BYE in the TAPPS 3A playoffs. A home playoff game awaits this group Tuesday February 20th as the time has come for this team to complete its magnificent legacy once and for all. Will the 2017-18 Yavneh Bulldogs win 4 more games to win a State’s championship? How will this Senior class finish off its storied careers? What will the final story for this team in uncharted waters every time they step onto the floor from a perspective of school, international and significance, and identity be? CAN THEY FINISH STRONGER THAN THEY STARTED?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 14th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M TL-BW-SP-BR