Yavneh defeated McKinney Christian Academy 78-56 Thursday night. The win levels the Bulldogs record at 2-2.
The answer to all Yavneh’s problems: score exactly 78 points. For the second time this season 78 was the magic number as Ofek Reef notched a triple-double with 4 slam dunks, the Bulldogs pounded their way to 25 offensive rebounds, Mason Schwaber exploded for 17 points, and McKinney Christian turned the ball over at a warped speed slightly quicker than Yavneh air-balled three pointers. This sudden reversal of fortune in the hustle stats categories propelled the Bulldogs to break the lackluster streak that covered the last 7 days. The beginning of the game, however, was more cause for concern and prospects of an unthinkable three-game losing streak were in play. Reef’s first steal of 10 found its way into the adept hands of Senior Captain Zach Bernstein for the game’s first basket but an early three point barrage by James Eastham of McKinney put the Bulldogs in an early 9-4 hole. Four first period triples against a team that hasn’t had that many go in for the last 3 games combined was alarming. Reef was flying all over the place early in this game with everything but points to show for it. The energy was great but the deficit on the scoreboard brought an uneasy feeling across the capacity crowd at the SRC. Bernstein sparked the comeback with one of the most breathtaking turnovers in the history of basketball, almost inspiring McKinney Christian to match his creativity. While 30 giveaways later the Mustangs were still not up to the challenge, something seemed to click for the Red-and-Black for the first time this young season. Reef found Schwaber inside for a finish to cut a 6-point lead by a third and the Bulldogs were off and rolling. Freshman Ben Rael found Reef for a straight-away triple moments later to crawl back to within a single point at 11-10. The lead swung back to the home team on a Tyler C Winton tri-offensive rebound Beast Mode possession that ended with an emphatic, screaming AND-ONE finish and a 13-11 lead. The Mustangs would grab one final lead before yet another emotional play swung the game with purpose. Reef collected his second steal of the game and made a Bee line for the rim with a one-handed flush to finish. Schwaber added to the lead by burying McKinney in the paint to earn a 17-14 edge after one period of play. In all, stretching 7 minutes between two periods in this first half, Yavneh went on a 22-9 spurt to grab an 8-point advantage. Winton threw a rainbow alley-oop pass for a second Reef jam, Rael’s steal kick-started Bernstein to assist Winton on a wing triple, and Yavneh had all the momentum. Through land, sea, and most definitely AIR x 3, Winton was a catalyst for the energy that was supporting a locked-in Reef on this night. Ben Rael-roaded his way down the baseline on a swoop to the hoop flip finish for the 8-point lead but McKinney had one last response. A 7-0 Mustang run cut the lead to just one point at 28-27 but a strong finish to the first half would stake the Bulldogs to a 4-point lead at the intermission. Reef’s strong AND-ONE finish after missing shots from just about everywhere on the court in the same possession was a huge play in this game. Sophomore Tom Oster scored the final points of the first half, the first of his career, with two perfect free throws. McKinney was shooting much better than Yavneh but the trend from last game on the glass had completely reversed itself. 20 first half offensive rebounds and a +5 at the free throw line overcame the horrendous shooting. It seemed as if Yavneh could just turn a couple of the air-balls into some semblance of points, this game could get out of hand in the blink of an eye.
Sure enough, the third period was everything the home team could have asked for. Five straight steals to begin the half led to the same number of field goals. Bernstein was everywhere, deflecting passes and fueling an electric run. Reef was caring and sharing with an extra pass to Jonah Eber for one basket, and then a third dunk off yet another steal. Schwaber was going to work in the painted area, dominating on the inside as McKinney was wearing down from all the running to chase down transition baskets by the Bulldogs. A 15-2 run out of halftime for Yavneh created a 48-31 advantage as the Mustangs threw more passes to people named Reef, Winton, and Schwaber than any of the characters they boarded the bus in McKinney with. The Bulldogs threw the cousin-to-cousin combo at them for good measure as Rael/Eber and then Eber/Rael hooked up on back-to-back baskets for a 54-33 statement edge. Reef’s fourth and final throw-down finish completed a school record night in that category and exited just two assists shy of just the third Quadruple-double in Yavneh history (Gavi Wolk, Pierce Bell) The final stanza saw Tri-Schwaber connect on his first long distance dedication of the season but the closer role on this night went to Junior Reece Parker. The first 8 career points for Parker came in a flash as McKinney was limping towards the finish. A series of layups and a smooth mid-range baseline jumper popped the lead out to 68-41 down the stretch. While in some country it most certainly had to be Reece Parker Day, back on Planet Yavneh the Mustangs had reached 30 turnovers and had watched the Bulldogs simply impose their will. Elisha Klein and Nik Krasovitsky each recorded their first field goals of the year in this rout. Ofek Reef put up video game-like numbers with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals, and 8 assists. Mason Schwaber added his 17 points and collected 6 rebounds as well. Tyler Winton and Reece Parker put up 8 points apiece with TW3 posting 6 steals as well. Effort, energy, and rebounding was a win here despite the now 7/44 three point shooting over the last pair of games.
Yavneh (2-2) is back on track and feeling good with the contributions across the board. Coming off games against 6A and 4A TAPPS contenders, the Bulldogs will play a Saturday Night Special against 1A Desoto Canterbury before next week’s 2A and 4A matchups. If this team continues to share the basketball (28 assists), can own the glass (+20 rebounds), and improve on the shooting, the 1-2 start will be a distant memory. Will this group be the team that got beat on the glass and out-hustled Monday in a listless effort or will they rise up and continue the momentum with their ever-increasing depth on display Thursday? Can Ofek Reef continue to shine while complementing the wide array of talent around him growing up by the minutes and seconds? Can this Yavneh team establish their identity over the next several games and be rolling into 2019 as needed?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 15th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
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