Yavneh defeated Lakehill Preparatory School 72-40 Monday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 21-5 (8-0).
Ofek Reef and Mason Schwaber posted Double-Doubles, Yavneh dominated the glass to the tune of a +28, and the Bulldogs scored a dramatic come-from-behind victory Monday to stay perfect and in sole possession of first place in District 2. Lakehill took 2-0 and 5-2 early leads in an uncharacteristic slow start for Yavneh, the first in the last 4 games where the beginning has also been the end for opponents. The shooting, composure, and ball security were all concerns for the Bulldogs during the early moments of this basketball game but the overwhelming inside advantage was prevalent all evening long. Ofek Reef and Mason Schwaber scored the first baskets of the game, an all too common theme for the offense on this night. Lakehill’s early advantage was more to do with the lazy start than anything but 1/4 free throws also did not help the cause for the visitors. For a team that had blitzed its opponents at a 50-0 clip the last 3+ games to start, this 5-5 score nearly 4 minutes into the game was shocking, alarming, and frustrating. Momentum, however, was seized on a Reef steal for a slam dunk, igniting a 14-2 run that ran nearly through the conclusion of the opening period of play. It was more of could the Bulldogs get shots at the rim versus throwing the ball away against very mild pressure to say the least. Through 5 minutes, Yavneh had forced only a single turnover and held a 9-5 lead as Schwaber got another point blank look at the rim. But slowly, Lakehill began to take notice of how easily the Bulldogs could score the basketball in close and seemed to get frustrated. Reef was in full jam everything mode but the rim did not exactly choose to cooperate. In fact, the Lakehill rim may have played better interior defense than any Varsity letterman on this night as it stuffed Reef on one such occasion. Zach Bernstein BN was there, however, for a Help a Brother Out tip follow for an 11-5 advantage. Jonah Eber had a pair of nice early assists, including one off the veteran Senior guard Eli Buxt’s head to Schwaber for another inside finish. Reef picked off another pass, this time choosing to go the surer layup finish route which counted for two and a 15-7 lead. The possession of the first quarter, however, would come in the final moments and probably demoralized the Warriors to its core. Offensive rebound follows by Ben Rael and Noah Ohayon representing the entire Freshman class and then another by Eber for a basket all on one sequence in the painted area counted for more than the first double digit lead of the night. It accounted for the eighth offensive rebound of the first period and really proved to be too much for Lakehill to overcome. 19-9 was the lead after one period of play, almost entirely led by the paint dominance. The start of the second period was not a work of art for Yavneh as a parade of turnovers beset the Red-and-Black. Five giveaways in less than 2 minutes of play kept Lakehill within 7 points as they continued to battle on their home court. Ohayon responded to one Warrior run with a touch pass to Tyler C Winton for a bank shot triple from wayyyy downtown, nearly on the Lakehill side of the court. Eber also found Reef for a tear drop finish and the energy started to increase for the Bulldogs. Winton notched a great steal and found a stumbling Eber with an off-balance lefty finish on the right side. The best offensive stretch collectively for the two teams combined was a frenetic minute where both Lakehill and Winton connected on three pointers, Eber picked up the scoring, and there was extreme end to end action on both sides. Schwaber found Eber slipping to the basket for a finish off glass as Yavneh tried desperately to pump the lead back up to double digits. A Schwaber floater did just that at 35-24 for halftime off the loudest of assists from Eber as he decapitated a Warrior at half court in the process. While Eber may have trucked someone to end the half, Yavneh was far from doing that to their opponent through 16 minutes of play. 10 turnovers and 4 missed free throws were all part of a lethargic first half, where the 22 points from Reef and Schwaber carried Yavneh to an underwhelming 11 point lead.
The defensive intensity picked up for the Bulldogs in the man-to-man beginning the second half as an immediate 6-0 spurt took control of the basketball game. Reef attacked the rack for a bucket and Winton tossed a pair of helpers to Reef for the 41-24 edge. The inside baskets were starting to multiply as Eber set up Schwaber for a walking leaner as the lead approached 20 points. Schwaber got knocked down but for most of this game came back to play with a virtual bag of chips on his shoulder. He and Reef got clean look upon clean look at the rim, and the ones they didn’t finish they grabbed rebounds for more looks. Pelicans as a species are 30 million years old and Bernstein’s veteran leadership along with his innate sense to steal and finish saw The Pelican dance his way to the basket for the first 20 point lead of the night at 46-26. Mo Zander-Feinstein splashed a corner trifecta in a crazy outburst of two three pointers in a flash towards the third period’s conclusion. The other came just outside Senior Nachi Zucker’s perceived range off a great pass from Ben Rael. 56-32 was the Yavneh lead after three periods, having recovered from the slow start to still make the final stanza nary a threat in terms of game pressure. The final period so often was a let-down early in the season and even in district play where the opponent would finally have their moments. The depth of this roster has so often been questioned as the Bulldogs large leads looked pedestrian by games end on so many occasions. However, the closers have started to shine and this game may have been their greatest performance to date. Zucker was sensational and added a passing game to go with his legendary mid-range ability. The Nach-Warrior was the perfect antidote to any potential comeback Monday as he fed Eber for a muscle beach finish and then fed Elisha Klein for an AND-ONE finish. They call him Jaws for his opportunistic feeding mentality, specifically at the cup, and Klein did not disappoint on this night two steady finishes and multiple trips to the charity stripe. Ohayon, in other breaking news, connected on both of his free throw attempts. The final period was a celebration and not a limp to the finish as the Bulldogs doubled up the Warriors to close the game out. The largest crowd in Lakehill history that was clearly expecting a tight battle for first place absolutely needed more to close this game but what they got was way Mo than they bargained for. Feinstein, in fact, closed out this game with a performance for the ages barely missing on a near dunk follow that Reef was super proud of. Additionally, he was everywhere in the final two minutes, grabbing an unfathomable six rebounds, collecting two steals, dishing two assists, and connecting on a pair of free throws while being taken out on a three point attempt that would most definitely have found pay-dirt. Klein dropped one last dime to Zucker in exquisite fashion to close out the game, of course a mid-range special. Ofek Reef’s 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 steals combined with Mason Schwaber’s 14 points/10 rebounds bailed out a Bulldog team that did not quite seem themselves for much of the evening. Jonah Eber added 8 points and 7 assists, and Bernstein notched 7 points of his own. The combo of Zander Feinstein, Elisha Klein, and Nachi Zucker combined for a refreshing 16 points as well. In a related and under-rated story, Junior Reece Parker’s name was called the most per minute nationally for Monday January 29th by the public address announcer at Lakehill.
Yavneh (21-5) has now defeated every team in District 2, won all 8 district games, 11 overall wins in a row, and is in prime position with all 4 remaining games to be played at home. The first of those will be a rematch with Highlands on Tuesday, who battled the Bulldogs behind pressure defense, a three point barrage, and their all-world point guard in the first meeting. The game could move this team one step closer to clinching a share of a third straight district title.
The Kennel Report, now in its 15th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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