Yavneh defeated Thomas Jefferson Public High School 44-43 Tuesday evening. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 5-1.
As Junior Elan Kogutt secured the rebound that would give him his second double-double on the young season Tuesday night, the Bulldogs escaped another ugly performance, a raucous environment, and a tough night for the zebras to collect their fifth win. It was the time of win that both builds character for a team early in the season but at the same time exposes the weaknesses that will indeed prevent Yavneh from winning games down the stretch. For an amazing and unbelievable sixth consecutive game, the Bulldogs failed to attempt a shot on their first offensive posession. Turnovers in all six opening offensive posessions is a tribute to how poorly Yavneh has played early in games. In fact, on this night, the Bulldogs would turn over the basketball in their first four offensive sets on the way to an early 6-0 deficit. Thomas Jefferson was able to dictate the tempo for the entire first period, pressuring Yavneh far away from the basket and making the Bulldogs play three speeds faster than they were comfortable with. 9 first quarter turnovers gifted TJ into a 12-8 lead. In the season’s low point to date, Yavneh cratered early in the second period. Clearly rattled by the environment and a string of horrific referee calls including but not limited to a player being called for a foul 30 feet away from the play, the Bulldogs failed to keep their composure. Suddenly, TJ enjoyed a 21-10 lead with a losing streak for Yavneh all but inevitable. But once again, this team showed they were ready for the next step in the maturation process. Despite 15 first half turnovers and 4-11 foul shooting (a big issue again), the Bulldogs stayed in the game with pure grit and determination. TJ’s lead was just 25-19 at the half thanks in part to control of the rebounding situation (12-6) and by catching the Josh Karnett fever. Karnett took another pair of charges in the first half along with 5 more from his teammates to make 7 for the game. Those plays are not just turnovers for the opponent but are also big momentum changers, something Yavneh was in desperate need of on this night.
That momentum carried right over to the second half as Kogutt put the team on his back from an offensive perspective and willed them back into the lead. Finally, a Ben Romaner offensive rebound and put-back with 2:14 to play in the third period surged Yavneh in front 29-28. While the game would remain in doubt until the final buzzer nearly 10 minutes later, it was a lead the Bulldogs would not relinquish. As the team found their groove in that second half, it was once again precision passing from Senior Captain Miles Pulitzer, Sophomore Jordan Prescott, and Reid Cohen most often to Kogutt but also to up and coming offensive contributor Ben Romaner. With fellow post Jake Greif mired in foul trouble for most of the second half, Romaner played a key role in staking Yavneh to a 31-28 lead after three quarters. Another Kogutt jumper 2 minutes into the final period gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead at 36-32 but they could never pull away. Every Yavneh basket down the stretch was followed by an immediate TJ answer. The Bulldog lead was in serious peril when Kogutt stepped on an invisible out of bounds line most likely mistaken for a volleyball marking 4 feet off the actual sideline. Truthfully, the Bulldogs had done enough damage with their 27 legitimate turnovers that it seemed almost unfair to run that total up any more. While Kogutt restored order on the very next possession with a patented baseline jumper, TJ would hang around behind two consecutive three point plays. With the lead at 42-40 and just 55.4 ticks left, Reid Cohen earned a trip to the free throw line for a 1-and-1 opportunity. The odds were clearly stacked against him as the Bulldogs had been 20 of their last 49 from the free throw line. However, Cohen calmly nailed both shots for a 44-40 seemingly safe lead. In the ensuing frenzy that followed, TJ scored three points on an “and-one” basket to cut the lead to a single point. Instead of allowing their opponent to desperately foul in the final 27.5 seconds, Yavneh twice turned the ball back over to TJ. One solid defensive set in the closing seconds forced an off-balance jump shot that found Kogutt’s arms for a Bulldog victory. The escape masked horrific turnover numbers (28), missed foul shots (11), and late game decision making. Kogutt carried the weight scoring 25 points and collecting 10 rebounds. It is encouraging to note that this win came despite Jordan Prescott’s worst game of the year, likely an aberration.
Yavneh (5-1) is back at home for Mc Kinney Christian on Monday night.
The Kennel Report, now in its sixth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
LF 4-2