Lubbock Christian School defeated Yavneh 59-54 Tuesday night in a TAPPS 3A Quarterfinal REGIONAL playoff game. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 32-5 (10-0).
There will be no TAPPS 3A Final Four for Yavneh as they valiantly fought #1 tooth and nail for 32 minutes, trailing only by more than 4 points in the final gut-wrenching seconds. Lubbock Christian, who pummeled 3A teams all season long ad scored 59 points in the first half alone Saturday, seemed ordinary at best on this night. Their vaunted three point and pressure defensive attack was made to look inept and only 30 gifted free throw attempts saved their season. The Bulldogs did themselves no favors, missing 8 free throws of their measly 13 attempts and turning the ball over 23 times. The Red and Black seemed in serious trouble 4 seconds into the game, yielding a quick layup. Lubbock Christian was suddenly on pace to score 960 points, which would have been news even for the mighty Eagles. As it was, however, Yavneh settled down and started to assume post control of the game. Senior Captain Itai Guttman immediately responded with a strong finish, beginning his most solid career game in his most important. Guttman added a knifing drive to the hoop on the very next possession for the first Bulldogs lead of the game. In fact, Guttman could not be stopped in that first period no matter what LCH threw at him. Sam Kleinman had a couple great finds of both big men early with Adam Schor cashing in as well. Lubbock Christian could not find their offensive rhythm at all and fell behind 12-8 while watching the post duo from Dallas get easy layup opportunities time after time. Itai Guttman’s fifth finish in a row to start the game came from a pass from arms that have not been spotted in months. The dramatic return of Senior Captain Adam Karnett was a sight breathtaking to all of Bulldog Nation. When Kleinman found freshly inserted post Noah Weiss for a great finish again inside, LCH must have been wondering if these highly skilled post players were growing on trees in North Dallas. The bigs had led Yavneh to a 16-12 advantage after the first period of play with not a single point from a guard. Itai Guttman’s 10 points on 5/5 shooting was simply amazing and Lubbock Christian was in trouble. The biggest issue for the Bulldogs was foul trouble as these dominant bigs started to be contained by the only defense that seemed to be working against them: the plastic whistle. Kleinman found Weiss once again for an 18-12 edge early in the second period and then finally a guard decided to score. Steve Levine swiped a pass and connected on a resulting free throw to get the guards into the scoring column. LCH converted a three-point play in response but Karnett bottomed a triple of his own and then in classic AK fashion followed with an immediate steal. 22-15 was the game-high lead and LCH was on the brink of disaster with 5:03 to play in the half. Noah Weiss was the beneficiary of a Kleinman shot pass to make a perfect 3/3 from the field moments later to make the score 28-22. The Bulldogs, however, were losing one player after another to foul trouble. The two bus drivers almost had to be subbed into the game towards the end of the second period and an 8-0 Lubbock Christian run to end the half erased so much greatness from the Yavneh front court. The two point deficit was both fortunate and disappointing, for as well as Yavneh’s bigs had played there was also the issue of 6 missed free throws and double-digit turnovers at 10. The second half began in a defensive stalemate, with only a single LCH point being scored for either team in the opening minute. The biggest Bulldog deficit to date at 31-28 was quickly answered with a Karnett runner. After the Eagles responded times three, Karnett found Schor in an Adam connection before attacking the basket to tie the score at 34-34. The run continued to the tune of 9-0 in total as the Bulldogs stormed to a 39-34 edge. Not only did Karnett score 7 and assist on the other bucket during the spurt but he finished it with a mid-range hit and a jaw-dropping step back triple. Once again, however, LCH closed a period strong by scoring the last 6 points to carry a one-point lead into the final stanza. With their normal three point offense not clicking and their pressure not getting an opponent to roll over, LCH continued to walk on water with the help of the free throw. The fourth period had all the see-saw one point differential action that a 1 vs 2 match-up needs for dramatic lore. Karnett’s hop travel assist to Guttman surged Yavneh back into the lead at 43-42 with 6:36 left but the ensuing possession may have been a sign of things to come as LCH was gifted an easy put-back on a shot that sat on top of the backboard before falling into the hands of the evil empire. A single Schor free throw tied the score at 44-44 with 5:48 to play and Guttman put his team back in front moments later with one of the greatest moves of his career. The triple axle spin reverse found the bottom of the net and put momentum squarely with Yavneh. As if that highlight needed an encore, Steve Levine extended the lead to four points on mis-directional floater that sank almost as fast as LCH’s #1 ranking. In the biggest response of the season, though, Landon Gomez snuck open for a three ball to cut the Bulldog lead to a single point. Kleinman answered with a baseline drive to the rack for 50-47 but LCH connected on another from long distance to knot the game at 50-50 with 2:46 to play. Falling behind on an LCH free throw, Karnett connected on a pair of his own pressure freebies with some rim to regain a 52-51 lead. Those shots, however, would be the last meaningful points in the great TAPPS run for Yavneh. LCH got the nod on seemingly every whistle down the stretch and some bad breaks hurt the Bulldog cause as well. Trailing 53-52, Kleinman’s layup attempt with 1:21 to play got stuck between the rim and the backboard leading to a series of 2 turnovers per team in succession. Karnett’s acrobatic steal was cancelled out by a team travelling violation and one final gasp for the lead rimmed out on a 1-and-1 free throw attempt with 23.77 seconds left. In a late scramble, the Bulldogs were whistled for an intentional rather than a common foul on a blocked shot attempt that was the nail in the coffin with 20.23 seconds left. One referee saw a non-existent two hand push in the back while somehow blocking a shot and the result was too much to overcome. With the unfortunate final moments, 8 missed free throws, 23 turnovers, and uncharacteristic poor play from all the guards that had been playing this TAPPS season were the ultimate demise. 13/16 shooting from the BIG THREE post group was as good as it gets and probably spells trouble for 19 Jewish high schools getting ready for the Sarachek Tournament in late March. The two four-year starters led the way with 14 points apiece. Itai Guttman added 13 rebounds to his 14 points and played his best career game when it mattered the most. Adam Karnett’s 14 were nothing short of miraculous, finding out only 27 hours earlier that he was once again available….miraculous unless you have been following the tenacious guard for nearly 4 years and counting. Sam Kleinman ad Adam Schor added 7 points apiece to go along with 9 assists for Kleinman and rebounds for Schor.
Yavneh (32-5) knows they let one slip away in the Quarterfinal and will let that fuel their Sarachek run in just over a month. A 16 game winning streak and a TAPPS Final 4 run ended in Tuscola, Texas but might also be the night that sparks one final run for this Bulldog team with 7 Seniors and the most victories in school history. With attention now turning solely to preparation for a coveted Sarachek championship, this group has 4 games remaining to finalize an already stellar legacy.
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its tenth season, has been written by…
Zack Pollack
M&M TL-BW-SP-BR