Yavneh defeated Phoenix Charter 41-22 Monday evening. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 8-6.
There was indeed quite a drop-off from Gateway to Phoenix Charter schools as the Bulldogs underclassmen/reserves absolutely rolled the school not from Arizona Monday. From the opening tip, the hungry lineup that Yavneh displayed were ready to play. The game’s first possession featured a pair of Freshmen big men teaming up for a 2-0 lead. The game would never be close again. In the best start to a game this season, and arguably in several seasons, the Bulldogs dismantled a thin Phoenix team in the initial 8 minutes. So many times Yavneh has come out against inferior opponents with a lackluster early effort. As Junior Ethan Prescott assisted his brother Jordan for the first time, the Bulldogs grabbed an 8-2 lead. Other first quarter highlights included a nice Reid Cohen to Josh Karnett three-point play all culminating in a 21-3 first period rout. Yavneh outshot Phoenix 70 to 14% and out-rebounded them 8-0. Freshmen guards Cohen and Prescott had all of their 6 points each early combining to shoot 5/6. As if it needed any more problems, PC had their most productive player on the brink of elimination with 4 fouls early in the second period. This opened up the interior and paved the way for Yavneh to unveil their newest trick formation, The JUMBO Package. Comprised of all posts Ethan Prescott, Micah Steinbrecher, Jake Greif, Ben Romaner, and pro tem Point Guard Shimi Wolk, the group tied for the best appearance in school history allowing 0 points in 110 seconds. Scoring was, however, at a premium, with only a Wolk steal/assist to show for their efforts. Those same posts played heavy minutes in the second half as well with great effectiveness. Ethan Prescott scored 6 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a solid performance. Classmate Micah “MW” Steinbrecher also collected 10 rebounds and notched 4 points in a big second half. Shimi Wolk didn’t just run the point; he also snatched 5 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and hit both of his free throws. Freshman Kevin Sulski chipped in with 4 nifty assists as he showed great court vision in his 27 minutes. Ben Romaner led all Yavneh scorers with 9 points, including his first career three pointer with only seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Yavneh (8-6) will get right back to business Tuesday with a tough battle against THESA upcoming. Last year the teams split in two very hard fought games. No doubt the Bulldogs will need to locate leading scorer Elan Kogutt, who has not played either of the last two games. He will need a big one Tuesday to give his team a chance to stay with THESA.
The Kennel Report, now in its fifth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M