Kushner defeated Yavneh 50-49 Friday morning in a quarterfinal round game of the 4th Annual David Yaffee Memorial Tournament in Houston. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 10-11.
A furious last-minute rally was not enough to temper Yavneh’s disappointment in Houston. For a third straight game in Houston and fourth overall, Yavneh fell behind early. 10-2 was the Kushner run from the out-set and things looked like another come-from-behind game for the Bulldogs. However, Yavneh answered in the opening period rather than waiting for a second half run this time. A 12-2 run gave the Bulldogs the lead at the end of the first stanza. The energy that they had exhibited in desperation was finally showing up when it mattered in the form of defensive pressure all over the court. The offensive highlight may have been a Josh Karnett textbook “show-and-go” move to dazzle the crowd. Kushner was forced into 8 turnovers early but their shooting touch kept them in the lead during the second period. Kushner had rebuilt a 5 point lead at the half thanks to 4 three pointers and doubling up Yavneh on the boards. Freshman Jordan Prescott led the Bulldogs with 12 points and he was in the midst of possibly his best game yet, picking up the slack for a struggling Elan Kogutt. Instead of a second half run, though, it appeared the Bulldogs had gone the other direction. Kushner’s lead had become 9 points several times in the third quarter and the only Yavneh answer was Prescott. Izzy Haar nailed a triple at the buzzer for an 8 point lead heading to the final period. An unsports-man-like conduct technical foul on Haar may have changed the momentum early in the fourth quarter but the Bulldogs still found themselves lifeless down 50-41 with 1:58 remaining. Sophomore Elan Kogutt was now 0-12 from the field and the Bulldogs had thrown in the towel. But, all of a sudden, Kogutt joined Prescott, and the entire gym turned into a Yavneh comeback factory. He got fouled making his first field goal, and after missing the free throw, connected on a big three pointer. All at once the lead was just 50-46 with a manageable 1:18 to go. The teams then traded 3 turnovers apiece in the next 40 seconds, creating a zoo-like atmosphere. Yavneh was subbing offense for defense, and at times seemed as if players were being interchanged even more than when the team used to run the Grinnell system. The best part was that Kushner seemed over-whelmed by the entire atmosphere. Stunned, dazed, and confused, they continued to hand the ball over to the Bulldogs as if it were a hot potato. Junior Josh Karnett, who has had at least one charge in almost every game this season, drew a great one to fuel the comeback. Freshman Jake Greif also caused all kinds of havoc during the run, drawing a charge and forcing a 5-second inbounds turnover not to mention some tough, ugly rebounds in traffic. Prescott, who had been a clutch shot-maker all game, buried a three-ball with 27 seconds left to make it 50-49. The building nor Eric Silverberg could hear itself think as he rattled out the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity. It gave Yavneh a chance for the lead almost unbelievably. The frenetic final seconds generated a whistle with the ball somewhere near the grasp of Freshman Greif. More than nerves, youth, or the situation, Greif simply got caught up in the anarchist pace that the game had become. While neither free throw went down, Yavneh had finally played as a team in Houston albeit for the final 100+ seconds. The fight to the finish that they showed not only in this game but also to make runs in the game vs. Atlanta represent the attitude of their lone Senior William Zalstein. He is a fighter and would not let his team stop scrapping until the final buzzer had sounded. Prescott finished with a rather efficient 22 points to lead all scorers. Junior Captain Miles Pulitzer returned from the flu to restore order to the court and give his team a chance to win in limited action.
Yavneh (10-11) will play for 5th place on Saturday night. It has been years since Yavneh finished a season with more losses than wins but that is what a loss in the season finale would mean. A solid carry-over from the last minutes of this game would almost certainly end Zalstein’s career sweetly as well as provide buckets of hope to what could be a special team one year older next season.
The Kennel Report, now in its fifth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M