Yavneh defeated Mc Kinney Christian 54-46 Tuesday evening. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 11-5.
Elan Kogutt and Jordan Prescott combined for 37 of 54 points as Yavneh lethargically defeated a pesky Mc Kinney Christian squad to halt their first extended losing streak of the season. Like the first meeting, Yavneh built a lead that never quite made the game comfortable but at the same time never once provided a nervous moment down the stretch. The game may very well have been decided in the first quarter when Mc Kinney could barely get out of its own way, turning the ball over 6 deadly times for Bulldog points. It was more the location than the frequency of the turnovers that were Mc Kinney’s ultimate undoing. The 15-6 lead Yavneh held after a single period had all the makings of a runaway game but the home team was able to hang tough bell to bell. The outside jump shot was the method of choice for the Bulldogs in the second quarter but most of those were not falling. They held a 10 point lead at halftime shooting only 43% and being outrebounded. Kogutt pumped 13 first half points but Mc Kinney’s Alex Farey netted 11 points himself using a skilled left-handed attack. Yavneh got a burst of energy early in the second half from Jordan Prescott as he drained 2 of his 3 triples in a four-minute stretch. The pace of the game was finally moving up a notch but with that came a flood of Yavneh’s own turnovers. In fact, a 16 turnover second half performance kept the Bulldog lead at just 36-29 late into the third quarter. Prescott followed with an old-fashioned three point play this time to bring back order and then gave way to an unlikely source to all but ice the game. Kogutt found a streaking Shimi Wolk, who torpedoed the ball through the basket in full stride. With that Yavneh was able to build a 13 point margin finally and seemed to be home free. While Kogutt has hit his fair share of buzzer beating baskets to end quarters, Tuesday marked his first career buzzer beating charge to end the third period. He was able to truck his defender just as the buzzer was sounding, the timing of which was much harder to decipher than the opposing reactions of the referee’s jubilant call and Kogutt’s disagreeing expression. Nevertheless, the final period was a painful exercise of salting away a bland but much needed Bulldog victory to right the ship. Farey led all scorers with 23 but it was Kogutt’s 20 and Prescott’s 17 points that claimed the victory. Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer chipped in a solid all around game to constantly steady Yavneh, and Reid Cohen struggled through a high turnover outing with a great steal/rebound performance. The win equals the team’s win total from 2008-2009, is the first of calendar 2010, and puts the momentum back on the side of the red, white, and black.
Yavneh (11-5) plays Nevada Community School next Tuesday in the first of a two-game tough week. Nevada is known for its athleticism and should provide an interesting test for a team that is expecting lead Post Jake Greif back to action from his broken nose vacation.
The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
LF 7-5