Sunset Public High School defeated Yavneh 68-64 Monday evening. The loss drops the Bulldogs record to 4-2.
Scoring was not the issue Monday night. The Bulldogs scored enough points to beat Sunset. Their defense did not hold up its end of the bargain, and it cost Yavneh a chance at a win in their first road game. Yavneh got big-time offensive performances from its interior but it was not enough to crack a deep 5A Dallas public school group who had an adequate big man, an above average outside shooter, and a couple scorers and penetrators. The Bulldogs looked intimated and scared in the opening quarter of their first game played outside the friendly confines of the SR Center. Sunset grabbed an early 10-2 lead and could have been up by more if they would have hit their free throws. Yavneh played with a scared carelessness in that first quarter, putting themselves in a hole with turnovers. Sunset led 13-4 after the first quarter with help from big man Jerrel Harris. Yavneh came out with a renewed fervor in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 2 but a subsequent 8 point run threw the Bulldogs right back down by double digits. Erez Krengel could never get it going from the outside in the first half, missing on each of his attempts. A telling moment of the first half was when Sunset got 7 shots on one possession. They missed them all but the 18 first half offensive rebounds told a story of a team that just could not get the defensive stops they needed, even when they got the opposition to miss. Aviv Schor led the way in the first half, pumping in 8 points on perfect 4-4 shooting. Sunset led 35-24 at halftime. Yavneh came out with a renewed focus on executing a half-court offense in the second half. They knew they would need to score to get back in the game but defensive stops and forcing turnovers would be important as well. The lead was cut to 8 but no more in the third quarter. Senior Sam Pulitzer owned the quarter. With an array of post moves and using Sunset’s athleticism against them, Pulitzer carved the defense for several third quarter baskets. However, Sunset would score just as many times at the other end and even increased their lead by a point at 51-39 through 3 quarters. With 8 minutes to play, Yavneh turned up the heat on offense but could never get consistent stops at the other end. Erez Krengel started a comeback with two three pointers to cut the lead back down to 8. Aviv Schor got into the mix, picking up on his big first half with several inside buckets. Schor and Pulitzer, the two Bulldog seniors, had their best career offensive games. Trailing 61-53 with 4:19 to go, Pulitzer finished a great three point play around two Sunset defenders. After a steal, Krengel and Bradley Alhadef connected on a 2-on-1 fast break to cut the lead to 61-58 and under 3:00 left. But, true to form, Jerrel Harris hit a big jumper and a lay-up sandwiched around a single Pulitzer free throw to put Sunset back up 65-59 and only 1:25 to play. A dagger three by Deonte Richmond finished things at 68-59 with: 40 seconds left. The game should have been over right there but several bone-headed plays by Sunset in the final seconds coupled with 5 quick Erez Krengel points made the game close at 68-64 but only a second left. Yavneh needed a miracle and almost got it. Sunset did the only thing they didn’t want to do, heaving a length-of-the-court pass that missed everybody. With that one second still on the clock, the Bulldogs needed a four-point play. The game ended without Yavneh getting off a shot at the buzzer. Aviv Schor with a game-high 18 points on 9-11 shooting and pulled in 8 rebounds. Sam Pulitzer had a monster game with 16 points and 14 rebounds but also committed five costly turnovers. The double-double gave Pulitzer season highs in both points and rebounds. Erez Krengel also contributed 17 points. Jerrel Harris and Stephen Arellano led Sunset with 16 and 15 points respectively.
Yavneh (4-2) will play at Parish Episcopal School Tuesday evening. Last season, Parish beat Yavneh 56-50 last season. The game featured several blown leads by both teams, including a 9 point Bulldog advantage. A fourth quarter drought cost Yavneh a chance at a win.
The Kennel Report is written by Zack Pollack