Shelton defeated Yavneh 72-57 Thursday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 10-2.
Yavneh was bruised, battered, and beaten Thursday night as Shelton got even in a game they seemed determined to win. For the first time this season, the Bulldogs were clearly outworked, out hustled, and really out muscled as they crumbled under pressure at home almost identically to what Shelton did in the first match up. Things started better than anyone could have hoped for as Yavneh grabbed a 6-0 lead in the opening 90 seconds for unquestionably the best start of the season. Pinpoint execution started by the passing of Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer had the Bulldogs looking as if they would blow Shelton right out of the gym. The 8-0 Shelton run that followed, though, was a sign of things to come. The combination of Shelton’s Aldous and Jackson was once again key and they hurt the Bulldogs all night long. The tandem combined for 55 of the 72 points and were scoring right at the rim seemingly every possession. The only thing that stopped the two players was the foul trouble that had them on the bench for most of the second period. Shelton led 14-12 after a single quarter and were feasting on Bulldog mistakes. 7 big turnovers, 7 opponent offensive rebounds, and 2 missed free throws did not help the Yavneh cause in the opening eight minutes. Although they enjoyed a short lead at 15-14 in the second stanza when Jordan Prescott hit one of his four three pointers, a late Shelton run was capped by a tip-in at the buzzer for a 34-27 lead. Yavneh had been outshot, out rebounded, and outplayed by essentially two players. However, there was reason for optimism. They had come back several times before including on this very team by a 1 point greater margin. Despite the deficit, the Bulldogs still brimmed with confidence. Scoring sensation Elan Kogutt had once again struggled early but surely he would snap out of it and will his team to victory with the help of Prescott like we had seen so many times during the 10-1 start. But this night was different. Kogutt would not snap out of it, key cogs would leave the floor hobbled, and the magic would just not be there. With Kogutt struggling to a 3-14 start from the field, it was Sophomore Reid Cohen that managed to ignite a Bulldogs comeback. His acrobatic slow motion left-handed finish with a foul cut the Shelton lead to a single basket at 38-36 and 3:22 remaining in the third quarter. Yavneh would get as close as a single point one trip later on another Prescott three ball but would never even the score. The consistent stretch of play from the key players never showed, and every time the game got tenuous, Aldous would break the momentum with a big score for Shelton. He was real tough. With both Pulitzer and Sophomore Post Jake Greif having to leave the game with injuries down the stretch, the chemistry lacked and it hurt tons. Suddenly, the Bulldogs were just chucking three pointer after three pointer instead of trying to hurt Shelton inside at its most vulnerable point given their foul issues. Greif’s grit and toughness was severely missed and his presence alone would have made it more difficult on the Shelton bigs late. Shelton never surrendered their double digit lead for nearly the final 6 minutes. Yavneh’s two star players made 6 shots apiece on 33 attempts, the team missed 12 more free throws, and were almost doubled up on the boards. Meanwhile, Shelton’s Aldous was great, missing only 4 shots en route to his game-leading 28 points. In a flash, the Bulldogs willpower is now tested. With arguably the toughest three game stretch of their season staring them right in the face, and facing the reality of being without their “ace bruiser” for some time, the makeup of this team will be challenged like never before.
Yavneh (10-2) will face public schools Molina and RL Turner as well as St. Marks before they see any daylight again on their schedule. With Greif out indefinitely and Pulitzer questionable for Tuesday vs. Molina, it may take a team effort like never before and surely a return to glory from Kogutt and Prescott to have any chance at all. Only time will tell.
The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
LF 7-5