The Oakridge School defeated Yavneh 75-56 Thursday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 15-4.
Chris Babb and Oakridge were as advertised a mountain too tall for Yavneh to climb Thursday evening in Arlington. Yavneh had not seen the likes of Babb since facing Lamarcus Aldridge’s Seagoville team years ago. A player with that much talent and gifted teammates to play off is a lethal combination. The Bulldogs, however, gave Oakridge a huge scare for three minutes before falling prey to an overwhelming environment. For just over 180 seconds, Yavneh flexed its muscle. Star Senior David Naxon scored 7 quick points and looked the part of the player ready for the next level. Just as quickly, though, the game swung violently the other way. Babb would force his way into the books at the offensive end, and slowly, Oakridge turned Yavneh over. The opening quarter would end on an Oakridge 22-8 run and it was high time for the Bulldogs to respond. But they just could not. An ensuing 14-2 run all but ended the game in the second quarter as Yavneh imploded with turnover after turnover. Babb went for 23 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone. In the opening three minutes, Yavneh played their game and proved that they had the talent to compete. The next 13 they proved that maybe they could not keep that level up for a full game. Down 21 points at halftime, it would have been easy to fold and take one major drumming. It looked for all the world that the game was indeed heading that direction in the third quarter. However, Seniors Naxon, Erez Krengel, and Brad Alhadef battled all night until the final buzzer sounded. Naxon went for 23 points and 15 rebounds while Krengel and Alhadef each had 13 points. They left it all on the floor and ended the game on a 10-2 run. While the stars for Oakridge were in and out for most of the fourth quarter, Yavneh truly played to the end and learned from a game against a high octane opponent. Babb finished with 31 points and 17 rebounds on 13/23 shooting. Most of the Bulldogs’ 21 turnovers were committed during critical stretches of the first half.
Yavneh (15-4) will look to carry their late-game momentum to the Winston School Tuesday night. While they must right the ship after two consecutive losses, the Bulldogs will learn from this game and use it as a springboard for bigger games to come this season.
The Kennel Report is written by Zack Pollack