Liberty Christian of Argyle, Texas defeated Yavneh 68-49 Thursday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record of 1-1.
There would be no Freshman magic potion on this night. Runs of 19-2 and 11-1 to start the first and third quarters respectively buried the Bulldogs in an uncomfortable early-season road environment. points early. Needing crisp offensive execution and strong perimeter defense to clean up the sloppiness from Tuesday, Yavneh got neither and paid the price. While Liberty was enjoying a quick 7-0 burst right out of the gate, the Bulldogs had not even attempted a field goal. Much like the early struggles of Game #1, Yavneh could not get to the basket and points were scarce as a result. Looking lifeless down 19-2, star scorers Elan Kogutt and Jordan Prescott finally came to life in the second period. A 23-14 outburst to finish off the first half got the Bulldogs right into the game and momentum seemed to be turning. Kogutt and Prescott started to get higher percentage shots, and Freshman Adam Karnett found his way to the foul line on multiple occasions with an aggressive mentality. The lead was just 8 points at the half, and what the Bulldogs needed was a strong effort to start the third stanza. What they got was a repeat performance of the first quarter debacle, and a one-way ticket to a .500 record. An 11-1 Liberty Christian run later put the home team into cruise control and they never looked back. Yavneh battled to try and get back into the game near the end of the third period but every time they threatened the two LC sharpshooters were there to answer. An 18 point lead going into the final quarter provided no late drama of any kind. Shell-shocked by the two rough starts to halves, the Bulldogs never got a flow or were able to establish anything. Kogutt, Prescott, and Karnett finished with 18, 11, and 7, but the team was out-shot by nearly 20%. Additionally, a 7 rebound edge and a double-digit Yavneh turnover number did not help the cause either. Also of note, all three healthy Freshmen scored points.
Yavneh (1-1) will play Bishop Lynch Monday night in the first home game of the season. There is no question that more aggressive offense and defense will be necessary to beat the best of the Bulldogs’ first three opponents.
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