Yavneh defeated Mc Kinney Christian Academy 55-37 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 13-5.
Jordan Prescott scored 14 of his 18 points in the first period and finally Yavneh’s trio of big men salted away a game for a wire to wire victory. The opening minutes presented a storyline featuring a match-up of two scorers. While the first quarter was just that, the Bulldogs team depth and overall size wore down MCA by early in the second half. Prescott was blazing early, connecting on a triple and taking a halfcourt steal right to the rim for a 14-8 lead. A 5/6 Prescott opening eight minutes netted 14 points and a 17-8 lead. Caelen Malone countered with 8 points of his own including the first of multiple backboard aided three pointers but the Bulldogs were winning in more areas than their star player and team’s points tally. In an almost shocking turn of events, Yavneh out rebounded MCA 9-1 and that gap would widen with every passing moment. Junior Josh Lynn connected on a long distance hurl for the first double digit lead early in the second period. At that point the big men started to make their mark. Itai Guttman entered uncharted waters when he went to the hoop for a 26-11 advantage and Senior Captain Jake Greif followed that possession with a tip follow of his own. The margin was just 28-16 at halftime but it might as well have been 280-16. The two Bulldogs nemesis stats were guardian watchdogs on this night. Very few first half turnovers and a Bulldog 17-7 rebounding edge spelled disaster for MCA.
With Yavneh making a concerted effort to pound the ball inside during the second half, the rebounding advantage compounded itself and there was nothing for MCA to fall back on. Their star player had notched 13 points in the first half but grew increasingly frustrated down the stretch as he was pushed outside and forced to settle for difficult fadeaway shots. The score never truly got out of hand but with total control of the rebounds and limited turnovers, the Bulldogs simply had to stay close in shooting percentage and they controlled that as well. When Prescott found Lynn cross-court for a three pointer Yavneh had re-established a 15 point edge. By the end of the third period, a 30-12 rebounding lead and a 51% to 23% shooting gap set up the home team for a coast to the finish. The majority of the excitement the rest of the way was limited to a free throw shooting contest by the Yavneh reserves at the request of the opposing coach. The foul-a -thon that ensued eventually padded the lead for a glorious finish to calendar year 2011 for the Bulldogs. Prescott finished with 18 points but his formula of setting the tone with the 14 early and then getting seemingly everyone else involved was magical. The final 24 minutes Thursday offered a glimpse into how dangerous this team can be when they make opponents pay for trying to exclusively limit Prescott. The final rebounding numbers were a doubling 42-21 which included 17 between Guttman and Greif. The duo also blocked 5 shots combined.
Yavneh (13-5) still has many unanswered questions heading into 2012. It has yet to be determined whether Prescott can continue to receive enough help to provide multiple threats on offense. Defensive continuity has been there on some nights while on others (see Lutheran) it has been amiss. Can the three post players consistently produce as a unit? Can the quintet of regular rotation guards get more aggressive and ultimately loosen up the defense for Prescott? Can Prescott himself make the final jump to cold blooded super stardom during a rigorous 2012 labyrinth schedule? Will the Bulldogs take the final steps to becoming a complete basketball team in order to compete for the Sarachek crown in March?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!
The Kennel Report, now in its eighth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
TL