Yavneh defeated The June Shelton School 90-31 Thursday night. The win improves the Bulldogs season record to 3-1.
On Tuesday evening Yavneh acted as if all the hoops in the SRC had been raised and did not make double-digit shots from the field. Thursday was clearly a new day with the Bulldogs scorching the nets on the road once again: shooting 62%, connecting on just one shy of 40 made field goals, and being “limited” to 90 points as they drained the clock in the final stages of an absolute showcase. Down to just 66% of their roster with 10 active players was no issue for Yavneh as everyone scored and seven players tallied 7 points or more. Shelton could relate to the Bulldogs previous problems in triplicate as they saw a stifling defensive effort come into their gym to the tune of only 7 made field goals, 25% from the field, 31 forced etc. turnovers, and a rebound differential of a magnanimous 31-12. This complete and total wire-to-wire masterpiece by Yavneh began off the opening tap with a Jonah Eber feed to cousin Ben Rael for points not three whole seconds into the contest. Sophomore Hillel Baynash, making his first career start, fed Mason Schwaber for the first basket of what would be a breakout night for the Senior Captain. There would be no questions about Schwaber’s attack strategy or wavering from the basket on this night as he introduced himself to Shelton for what would be all first half long. Mount Mason scored at the basket, over the basket, and around the basket in an epic first quarter. Three consecutive tip-follow baskets by Schwaber really seemed to demoralize the Chargers as the score became 12-3 in a methodical flash. If you were a Junior transfer, you then added a steal for a touchdown building the lead to 16-4. Avery Levy and Jason Prager back-to-back swipe and scores were only a brief respite from bully-ball activities for Schwaber as he punished another Shelton player deep inside the painted area for an 18-4 advantage. In total, the first period was 22-4 behind the Mason Schwaber 13 point/10 rebound DOUBLE-DOUBLE well on pace for a 50/40 game under more competitive circumstances. A 47-11% shooting edge from the field, a +9 on the boards, and 10 forced turnovers all pointed against the possibilities of a major comeback but this game was being played on the Shelton home court. Eyes lit up in the stands when Schwaber was escorted to the bench for a respite as this would be the moment for the Chargers. However, they miscalculated Phase 2 and specifically THE Tom Oster. A welcome back to America assist by Jewish jumping bean Nik Krasovitsky found Oster for a floater that levitated in mid-air for what seemed like an hour before rolling around the rim and harmlessly into the hoop. As is the case with most golden Oster stretches, various defensive gems are always included as his defensive hustle caused two key turnovers and a blocked shot heard all the way to the intersection of Arapaho and Preston fueled the most pristine break of the year through Prager and on to Elisha Klein at the cup. Eber’s 360 degree spin off glass off a Klein feed, a Rael to Schwaber easy money connection, and of course a vintage Prager rainbow triple complete with the 30-second hold on the follow through all highlighted a 40-10 explosion. The lead would be 42-15 at halftime with field goals at 51-13%, the rebounding now a +11, and 19 forced turnovers (32 combined by the teams in just one frenetic half of play). Schwaber finished the opening half with 17 points/13 rebounds on exquisite 8/9 shooting.
There would be no lull in the Yavneh attack as their relentless play on both sides of the court by all 10 active players continued. Ben Rael is a smart individual and it was no surprise that he decided it best to feed the ball back to Schwaber for another easy finish to begin the second half where the first half was decided. A Prager to Eber AND-ONE finish (Eber nary a missed free throw on this night) and then a return connection the other way started another big run for the Bulldogs, fueled by their defense and accentuated by flawless offensive execution. Levy found Oster for a smooth trifecta as part one of two dagger three pointers. Reece Parker stealthily dropped a pass to Rael, who torpedoed his three ball off the backboard and in for a 61-20 margin. Oster’s dribble drive, putting a second opponent on skates for the season, Levy’s feed to Klein, and then Klein’s corner triple had to make Shelton feel like these players were coming out of the woodwork with career nights. And they would not be too far from the truth as Elisha Klein was wayyyy more than his THREEE and D flawed scouting report says. This was a breakout performance with no turnovers, plenty of positive stats, and several breaths of fresh AIR in a double-digit scoring effort. Avery Levy was shot out of a cannon in this contest, rebounding and finishing like never before in his Yavneh career, and was fantastic in the second half of this game. Those two combined on a great play to begin the final period as Klein found Levy for an AND-ONE finish without any facial expression. The read on Levy’s face said this was either a single possession game or someone stole his lunch money but nevertheless the lead was approaching 50 points. Krasovitsky connected on his first field goal of the season and Parker scored from the field and the free throw line both. Baynash went Treynash and bottomed a three pointer as well as some fancy dribbling at the wing to entertain a crowd that had potentially considered leaving prematurely. It’s a good thing they didn’t because down the stretch of the final minutes they would have missed a rolling Klein lefty spinner, one final Levy easy glide to the rim, and an Oster hip deception move that he must have learned at a belly dance school on his off day. Mason Schwaber tallied 21 points and 13 rebounds in less than half the game in a truly remarkable and dominant performance (10/11 FG). Avery Levy added 13 points with 5 rebounds on perfect shooting from the field. Elisha Klein’s 11 points and 5 assists on 5/7 shooting accounted for a third player in double-figures. Jonah Eber, Jason Prager, and Tom Oster all scored 9 points apiece and combined for 13 steals.
Yavneh (3-1) went polar opposite the last pair of games, and the obvious question on the table is which is more like what we can expect long term. While it is probably somewhere in the middle, the result Thursday was in no small part a culmination of the starting group playing well followed by a sea of depth and energy all working at a maximum. It will take that and more for an even more short-handed group Saturday night as Slidell High School makes their first ever trip into the SRC. UIL 1-A State Champs from just a year ago, this will be an excellent measuring stick for how this team will bounce back amidst some challenges and perform against another formidable opponent. Will this second opportunity under the lights and at home show growth from the first in which this team did not represent themselves in the way they are clearly capable of? Can this group rise up together and blueprint their success from Thursday? Will this be the first signature win of the 2019-20 season and catapult a team that has players with high shorts and high hopes?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 16th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack +XF M&M
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