HSAA North defeated Yavneh 69-35 Tuesday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 16-9.
The rematch simply did not go as planned. There would be no revenge on this night for Yavneh whatsoever and only the double nemesis of turnovers and rebounding could be blamed once again. Missing the team’s most productive offensive player and more importantly the best ball handler against pressure, the Bulldogs looked like a team struggling to regroup off an 11 day weather induced layoff.
Both teams jumped out of the gate colder than some of the sub-zero Dallas temperatures over the last week. No one scored for the opening 3:53, which was just fine with a short-handed Yavneh team looking to slow the tempo and limit the game’s possessions. However, when the points did eventually come, they all belonged to HSAA. An 8-0 start was fueled by an excessive number of turnovers. The most discouraging thing about that was how brilliantly Yavneh played in their half court defensive sets early in the game. With the other half of the dynamic scoring duo out in Junior Jordan Prescott, Senior Elan Kogutt reeled off a personal 7-2 run to end the opening stanza. Two nice moves and a gorgeous three point play put Kogutt and the Bulldogs squarely in the game. Yavneh capped their 11-2 run early in the second period with a crafty give and go play between Juniors Kevin Sulski and Jake Greif that gave the home squad the lead 11-10. That run featured only a brief respite from a turnover convention that quickly spun out of control for the Bulldogs shortly thereafter. HSAA’s 17-1 response was almost exclusively accomplished by converting turnover upon turnover as well as another domination of the offensive boards. The lead ballooned to 30-14 at halftime with a tempo suddenly in favor of HSAA big time. Yavneh actually out shot HSAA 38-36% but gave away the ball a stunning 19 times and allowed 9 offensive rebounds.
Just as in the first meeting, the Bulldogs had a huge second half hole to dig out of and would give it a shot to begin the third period. Jake Greif picked a great time to have his best period of the season. Down 32-14, Sophomore Josh “H” Lynn chiseled the lead with a triple and it was time for Greif to go to work. During a 2 minute stretch in which he scored 6 straight points on a pair of free throws, a monster tip-in, and a roll to the hoop off a Kogutt dish, the Junior Captain single handedly sliced the lead to just 10 points. But alas the turnover bug returned and the game would never be close again. Lynn’s buzzer beating three ball held the lead at 16 points to end the third quarter but a defeated Bulldog team watched HSAA run away and hide during the final 8 minutes. There are only so many extra possessions by way of the turnover and offensive rebound that a team can give away before starting to get demoralized, and a rough fourth period looked for all the world like that is just what happened. In all, 30 turnovers and 18 offensive rebounds broke the spirit of a team looking to find themselves again after the week+ layoff that saw two games postponed. HSAA attempted 30 more shots than the Bulldogs and made only two less field goals than Yavneh even attempted. Kogutt led the Bulldogs with 10 points but only shot 8 times due to the lack of possessions. Also of note, Junior Ben Romaner used the backboard on two consecutive successful free throw attempts. The two teams combined for buzzer beating three pointers in the second quarter (HSAA Kinville) and third quarter (Yavneh Lynn) back to back.
Prescott or no Prescott, there was no fight in the dog to compensate and compete. This was the most concerning outcome Tuesday and something that needs to change in a hurry. Yavneh (16-9) will play THESA Thursday evening. Like the HSAA rivalry, THESA and Yavneh have played many close games with each team winning their share. The potential for greatness continues to exist in this Bulldog squad with 2 superstar-capable scorers, a host of young rising talent, and a trio of big men that can make an impact. What might happen if the turnovers went away and/or this team took control of the rebounding aspect?
Only time will tell!!
The Kennel Report, now in its seventh season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
MWJR? 3-26