St Marks School of Texas defeated Yavneh 65-52 Monday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 10-2.
The Runnin Bulldogs finally got run down Monday evening. A team that had run their way out of bad quarters, horrific turnover numbers, poor shooting stretches, poundings on the offensive glass, and poor decision making so many times over the last 9 games could not out-sprint fate on this night. A nightmare defensive first period was simply too much to overcome in a hostile environment filled with ultra-physical play. St Marks stormed out of the gate to score a pair of quick baskets while Yavneh was getting pushed around right from the out-set. The same deer in the headlights look that so many Bulldog opponents have after 2-3 minutes was reflecting right back into their faces. A 7-1 start was about to turn into yet another St Marks rout of Yavneh in a building that has seen plenty of that over the years. All at once, though, surging Senior David Rudomin buried a triple and Adam Karnett stole a basketball for a layup to cut the lead to a single point. Junior Zak Schultz connected with Rudomin again for a second three point hit to tie the game at 9-9. The Bulldogs had arrived…late to the party but they had arrived. In typical St Marks fashion, however, they responded with a deadly 10-0 explosion. One three pointer, a turnover for a touchdown, and then another three ball seemed like one elongated possession to forget for Yavneh. Their rotations were slower than normal and this was not the team to be late with. 5 quick points off the bench from David Steinbrecher held the deficit down to 25-16 after the opening frame but the defensive numbers were staggering: 10/15 67% St Marks shooting. A Rudomin tip-in at the first period buzzer seemed to have capture some momentum for the visitors but more late defensive rotations allowed St Marks to keep extending the lead. Another 12-3 run started the second period of play and a 37-19 score made a victory seem just about as likely as an accurate weather forecast from the Dallas crack team of meteorologists. Karnett responded with a personal mini-run but he could not score fast enough to cover up the continuing late defensive rotations. An 8-3 mini-run for Yavneh to end the first half was capped with an Ori Guttman find of Adam Schor at the rim to leave the margin at 13 points. The Bulldog defense had ended the half better but still were yielding 58% shooting. 8 turnovers, 5 offensive rebounds that led to baskets, and a quintuplet of St Marks three pointers all made life miserable on the road in this building.
Yavneh was facing its stiffest comeback test yet but this team simply would not quit. The lead got sliced immediately to 10 points on a third chance triple from Ori Guttman. But just when the Bulldogs were making strides, the good old turnover bug led to an 8-3 St Marks response. Rudomin hit another big triple, this time out of the corner, but he would be remanded to the bench with 4 fouls. In a game where physicality ruled the day and a player from either side had to hit the floor with loud audio in order to draw a whistle, Yavneh almost unbelievably was called on a trio of third period illegal screens. With each of those being one costly turnover after another, the score remained 48-36 heading to the final stanza. The foul on #0 had become so common-place that at one point in the fourth quarter a referee tried to foul Rudomin out while sitting on the bench. As it was, though, St Marks was pulling away at 52-36 with little to no resistance. With many of the Yavneh regular starters in foul trouble, banged up, having turnover issues, and on the beach/in a cabana, the so-called depth was going to be the difference between a run at a miracle or one giant blow-out. Jonathan Ochstein was the first to step up with a nice roll to the rim and a steal that led to a Karnett circus, underhand, whirling layup. Showing signs of life, the Bulldogs proceeded to show up late on defensive rotations and in turn gave up the dagger triple that put the score at an all-night worst 60-42. There are very few 18-point plays available for purchase but Yavneh was able to rent out your run-of-the-mill 6 point play when they needed it most. Ori Guttman sank a wing three pointer with contact away from the ball. That rare whistle gave the Bulldogs the ball back for Guttman to find Schultz in the right corner for a second three ball in 2.8 seconds for the 6-point play. With the score now 60-48 with 3:10 remaining they needed more in a hurry and Ochstein came through with another half-court theft. Ori Guttman’s air-ball assist to Schultz crept Yavneh back to within 10 points on the ensuing trip and yet another St Marks turnover led to a pair of clutch Jason Epstein free throws. At 60-52 with 1:53 to play, St Marks was teetering on the brink of an epic collapse. It was, however, one final late defensive rotation that did the Bulldogs in for good as Brannon Rouse snuck through a layup with the foul. From 8-11 points went the lead and with it any hopes of a miracle finish dashed. Adam Karnett scored 12 points with 6 assists, and David Rudomin chipped in 11 points of his own. 19 turnovers was not going to get it done on the road, especially not in tandem with such poor defensive rotations.
Yavneh (10-2) will have to remember what it is like to rebound from a loss, something which they did in style the only time facing the situation this season. There are no cupcakes before turkey awaiting this group, though. 5A Dallas ISD Thomas Jefferson will host the Bulldogs in what should be a raucous Loos Fieldhouse in less than 24 hours.
The Kennel Report, now in its tenth season, has been written by…
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