Yavneh defeated Sunset Public High School 52-49 Tuesday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 6-3.
Yavneh concluded its Texas non-conference schedule for 2014-15 with a third straight victory, knowing that its toughest work is still ery much in front of them. Sophomore Noah Rubinstein hit classmate Daniel Chernikov on a nice roll to the basket for the game’s first points producing a lead that would never be lost. Rene Mendiola’s no look three pointer bounced off the iron and into the hands of Noah Weiss moments later. Sunset was dizzy guarding multiple Noahs right down the court with the eventuality of Weiss depositing a fling to the rim from 4 feet away off a nice pass from Rubinstein. Steve Levine’s third attempt at driving to the basket produced more points and a 6-2 lead but the game’s intensity level went up a notch on the next Sunset possession. Weiss elevated far above sea level to tomahawk chop a Sunset shot attempt into a different time zone. Ori Guttman produced instant offense off the carom with his steal/layup for a 9-4 start. For the second straight night, the Bulldogs were turning over a 5A Dallas ISD school in mass quantities early in a ball game. 4 more points from steals to immediate layups appeared out of thin air with yet another Guttman special followed by Rubinstein’s slow-break theft and ensuing corkscrew driving finish. Weiss finished the quarter with an exclamation point off the window from just outside the lane for a 15-6 advantage. Yavneh once again feasted on opponent giveaways with 10 points off 8 Sunset first period turnovers. The second period continued an all-Bulldogs night with a nifty designed play that saw Guttman and Levine execute a give-and-go play for the first double-digit lead of the night. Both teams got very careless in the second period, and the game turned into a rather ugly spectacle for some time. Neither team scored for about 3 minutes of game action until Levine buried a wing triple for a 21-8 lead with 4:49 to play in the first half. He then swiped another pass and twisted to a contorted finish with Sunset spinning like a flock of teacups. The final 3 minutes of the first half belonged to Junior Jonathan Ochstein, who scored 5 points and grabbed 4 rebounds during that stretch. First, he grabbed a rebound and took the ball all the way to the other end for a driving layup. After another rebound, Ochstein patiently waited for his defender to fly by like he was on a sled, and then drill a mid-range jumper. This outburst led to a 29-12 dominating lead which culminated with a 13 point halftime edge for the Bulldogs. Levine’s 10 points and 17 Sunset turnovers were both big factors in the halftime advantage.
Yavneh’s second-half struggles when holding a large lead continued in full force on this night. Poor shot selection, a continuation of the previous night’s second half turnover extravaganza, and way too many fouls tilted the game in Sunset’s favor at a slow pace. The lead was trimmed to 10 points at 33-23 before Levine fed Ochstein at the rim. Rubinstein’s subsequent steal and high arching teardrop pushed the lead back to 14 points and the Bulldogs assumed total control once again. If Sunset was gaining momentum it was officially halted with a series of plays to end the third period. Steve Levine’s air-ball assist dropped into the hands of Ochstein for 2 points and then Noah Weiss set up Levine for a corner triptastic rifle shot to build back a 43-28 advantage. Sunset’s Mendiola was a master of the buzzer beater all second half, dicing the lead to 12 points heading to the final stanza. As inept as Yavneh opponents look through three quarters, the last 8 minutes seems to be every struggling visitor’s epiphany. A quick 5-0 Sunset run cut the lead to a tenuous 7 points with 6:40 to go before Ori Guttman’s 4 straight points stemmed the tide. The game would become choppy for the Bulldogs as they fouled at inopportune times, missed a buffet of free throws, threw in some turnovers, and most puzzling heaved up ill advised long distance shots protecting a single digit lead. A couple split trips to the free throw line were enough to hold off Sunset despite yielding a late 21-9 outburst. Mendiola’s meaningless buzzer beating three pointer made the game a one possession final score but Sunset never really had a fighting chance to threaten down the stretch. Steve Levine’s 14 points and 4 steals led the way for Yavneh but he got some good balanced help. Jonathan Ochstein made the biggest impact of his career to date, recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds to go along with 4 steals. Ori Guttman also chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds while Noah Weiss tallied 8 points and 9 rebounds himself.
Yavneh (6-3) has now won 3 games in a row and will have over a week to rest and prepare for a critical time in their season. Next Wednesday the Bulldogs will begin play at The Joseph and Florence Weiner Memorial Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland. Last season’s 7 game tournament appearance ended in heartbreak after a tough overtime defeat in the Finals. This team wants nothing more than to get back to that Saturday night final game and alter both the result and the ensuing weather report.
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!!!!!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its eleventh season, has been written by…
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