Rambam Mesivta of NY 34-33

Yavneh defeated Rambam Mesivta of New York 34-33 Saturday evening in the last preliminary round game of The Wilner Tournament. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 15-11 and sets up a rematch just 15 hours later for the tournament championship.

The Bulldogs slivered by a tough and pesky Rambam Mesivta squad Saturday night in a hotly contested defensive struggle that netted a grand prize of a rematch Sunday. Granted, Yavneh is a giddy group having not only escaped with a chance to win the tournament but also winning a game at the buzzer for the first time since November. There was no big scoring run for the opposition, no falling apart at the most pressurized moments, and no slow start for the Bulldogs. In fact, Yavneh jumped on Rambam to the tune of 4-0 minutes into the contest. Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer not only had an early eyes-closed prayer answered at the rim but finished a great first period with a buzzer-beating three ball for a 15-12 lead. Pulitzer scored 7 points in that first period, and Yavneh was dominating a similar sized Rambam team on the boards. Early in the second period, Sophomore Jordan Prescott continued his tournament roll grabbing three offensive rebounds on a single possession. The team was every bit as scrappy and tough as their New York opponents. Sophomore Reid Cohen saved one particular possession with an all out dive for the ball culminating in a 20-19 lead at halftime. Scoring sensation Elan Kogutt snapped out of his month-long free throw slump by hitting four straight, including a pair resulting from a technical foul. Senior Josh Karnett took the first of two charges midway through the third period as the game turned into a defensive struggle. With points at a premium and possessions lasting upwards of 2 minutes apiece, both teams micromanaged the game and the referees. With Yavneh still leading by 2 entering the final period, every basket was treated like a golden treasure. Sophomore Jake Greif began the final stanza with a slow-motion post move that electrified the bench and more importantly gave his team a 4 point cushion. Playing for a team that normally treats timeouts like soon to be extinct animals, Senior Josh Karnett recognized the severity of the moment and used a timeout to save a key possession at 32-30. Moments later Prescott grabbed the toughest traffic rebound of his two year career, as if to say he was tired of getting pushed around by others (including ping-pong playing sixth graders). The lead was never lost nor was it more than 3 points for nearly the entire final period. At 32-31 with 5:49 left, Greif may have saved the game with a sky steal that lead to a bucket, and Rambam knew it was time to score. Backing down Cohen, Rambam was able to pickup 2 quick fouls on the smaller guard. So, Yavneh countered with their pogo-stick defender Karnett, who immediately took the charge on the very same play. There was not a surprised observer on the Bulldog side when that sequence unfolded, which made Karnett’s insertion a genius move. The game became very chippy at that point, with the referees just trying to control the action. Greif was called for an offensive elbow violation that sent him into jumping bean panic mode for nearly 8 seconds on the sideline. With the lead just 34-33 with under a minute to play, a crucial Yavneh turnover gave Rambam a chance for the win. Holding for the final shot over the last 40 seconds, it was going to be a one possession fight to the finish. Kogutt was finally able to pick off a post entry pass with 2 seconds left and force the desperation foul. Although he did not convert on the free throw (front end 1&1), Rambam’s last second desperation heave did not find safe harbor nor was it greeted by a Josh Karnett foul (Molina 12-15-09) this time around. He had learned his lesson, the Bulldogs had grown up, and on to the Wilner Tournament they roll. Kogutt led all scorers with 13 and Pulitzer added 11. This game finally once again felt like Yavneh basketball. A replay tomorrow is exactly what the program, these 5 Seniors, and this team as a whole needs entering their season’s final week+.

The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…

Zack Pollack M&M

LF         7-7

TB