Yavneh defeated Texoma Christian School of Sherman, Texas 66-46 Monday night. The win clinches the TAPPS 3A District 2 title for 2019 outright and improves the Bulldogs record to 23-5 (10-0).
Ofek Reef’s 28 points led three Yavneh players with double-figures as the Bulldogs stormed their way to a third straight district title Monday. Texoma Christian did everything in this district campaign besides defeat the Red-and-Black, hanging right in the race until the last possible moment. They tested this team like none other within district, even taking a 7-point lead during the initial meeting in Sherman. But Monday was a coronation for this Bulldogs team that will host another home playoff game (undefeated in such events for its history) in their quest to return to a third consecutive State Final 4. Relative to most Yavneh games of late, this contest began in slow motion. Reef paraded to the basket right off the opening tap for a 2-0 lead and put his team in front again a short time later with one of his patented own tip-follows. In fact, the best way to describe the Bulldogs offense in the first half of this game was a multitude of misses and boomerang specials. The home team absolutely feasted on grabbing their errant strikes from in close. 11 misses in the painted area during the first half alone left a bevy of points on the table but also established an inside presence that wore on Texoma’s pride. Mason Schwaber would connect on two free throws early for a 6-2 lead, no small feat on a night in which the Bulldogs were once again ungrateful on 11+ of their charity attempts. Jonah Eber swatted a basketball to gobble up one possession for Yavneh and finished on a runner a short time later to extend the lead to 8-2. The most welcome part of the offense, however, was likely the sharp-shooting of Tyler C Winton. Zach Bernstein BN chucked a great cross-court feed to Winton for the first of his three glorious trifectas, this one from the corner and an 11-4 advantage. After a slow start that seemed like both teams were stuck in the mud, Yavneh had thrown a big punch with a 17-3 spurt highlighted by great passing and forced turnovers. Just after they trailed by the 7 points in Sherman, the Bulldogs discovered their passing game and have not looked back since. Schwaber and Eber threw back-to-back exquisite touch passes that cycled to Reef for a signature finish and the turnover game rang up numerous easy finishes during this first period run. Unlike the first meeting, the Eagles could not protect the ball and all 5 first quarter giveaways ended up yielding points. The most devastating of these were a pair of thefts near half-court by Bernstein, who is a seasoned veteran at such highway robberies. The Pelican swiped one basketball to notch his first of 6 assists on the night but just a possession later used all the claws, bills, and beaks available to him in turning a pretty good pass into another Reef finish. Those two trips down the court were just part of the legend of Bernstein but also were emblematic of the district title that was all but a certainty at this point. Eber and Reef traded late first period assist/finishes to secure a 21-5 margin. The Reef TD pass on the back end of that sequence found Eber streaking to the hoop for a right-handed finish in stride. Winton capped the opening stanza with a triple just south of the RED LINE that McBucketed its way into the basket for a 24-7 first period. The lead would get tantalizingly close to 20 points at 26-7 on a Reef to Schwaber at the basket finish but Texoma would fight back. A 13-7 stretch for the visitors was powered by inexplicable inefficiency by Yavneh in the paint and a host of turnovers the other way. Freshman Ben Rael grabbed a trio of big offensive rebounds, two of which stemmed the tide on this run. Winton set up Schwaber for one basket and Reef took a steal the distance for another finish to spring the lead back to 14 points. In other breaking news, THE Simcha Malina made his return and tallied a point courtesy of a free throw created by a sensational pass by Tom Oster. A rough second period could have been worse for Yavneh as Reef grabbed an offensive rebound, gave it up and got it back for a pair of free throws that led to the 34-22 halftime lead. The Bulldogs controlled the game with 12 forced turnovers and a healthy 8-rebound edge but actually were outshot by the Eagles, had 10 turnovers of their own, and missed 16 combined layups and free throws.
The critics are quick to point out just 11 and 12 point halftime leads in these last two games at halftime but a quick step-back to think about those prospects as being “rock-bottom” border on the ridiculous. On each occasion, third period runs have extended the advantage and this game would not reach single digits again. Reef attacked the basket for one score and a TW3 with contact pushed the lead to 39-22 less than a minute into the second half. Following Winton’s second three point hit, he and Schwaber got off paint attempts that Eber was able to direct into the basket for a Three Times Is Indeed the Charm finish and a 45-28 differential. Texoma’s Mathias Coleman and Reef traded AND-ONE opportunities but the Eagles would net a point on the exchange as somehow Yavneh would supplement their less than imposing 8/19 freebie shooting with not 1…not 2…but THREE free throw lane violations (two by shooters) With Texoma flirting with making this a game down by just 12 points, the front-runner for District MVP scored six straight points to essentially tie up the afore-mentioned district. A score courtesy of a pass from Eber, a drive to the basket, and then another second chance bucket off offensive rebounding hitman Oster’s clasp near half-court gave Reef three field goals and Yavneh a 53-35 advantage. The third period’s final 120 seconds was a virtual three-ring circus of turnovers, offensive rebounds, and free throw appearances for both teams but ended with the Bulldogs comfortably ahead 53-38. Both teams seemed content to run out the final 8 minutes of this game with the result a foregone conclusion, another huge credit to how dominant Yavneh has been in this district and the fact that a 15-point difference seemed like 100 to a defeated Texoma crew. What’s more is the confidence shown in this Bulldog bench, which has been exemplary over the last 5 games. Reece Parker notched a steal and connected on a free throw to push the lead back to 18 points during another patented fourth quarter stretch for the Junior. Oster set up Mo Zander-Feinstein for a thunderous rack attack that brought rain and a 56-38 differential. Eber to Schwaber gave the Bulldogs the 20+ point lead at long last with 2:38 to play and the celebration was on. It took Oster his whole life to score 7 points in a game culminating in the career-high against Highlands on Thursday but why would he not duplicate that again in an authoritative three-minute stretch to end this game? A spiffy dance to the basket, a wing three point hit where the ball left his hands seemingly before the Rael pass had even arrived, and a steal that led to a put-back at the rim, TO was T-WOAHHHH to end this game. District 2 had been won behind another stellar 28 point contribution from Ofek Reef to go along with 7 rebounds and 6 steals. Mason Schwaber, limited with foul trouble all night long, notched his most efficient career Double-Double with 10 points/10 rebounds in less than half a game. Tyler Winton tripled thrice in tallying his 10 points on just four attempts from distance. Tom Oster and Jonah Eber combined for 13 more points while Zach Bernstein and Eber assisted 11 times together.
Yavneh (23-5) will have 14 days to prepare for the post-season and a run towards a third straight State Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs will get the favorable home playoff game and not be tasked with playing another district winner until a potential State Semifinal. With two games still to play in the 2019 district regular season this week, Heritage Christian will invade the SRC on Tuesday for the first important such preparatory contest. With the emergence of the bench and the continued success of the starting unit, this team is poised to be a major factor in the upcoming TAPPS 3A playoffs.
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