Thomas Jefferson 60-48

Yavneh defeated Dallas ISD’s Thomas Jefferson High School 60-48 Tuesday night. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 11-2.

Playing in a 7500 seat stadium filled to about 0.8% capacity, Yavneh used a second half push to shake off an outside shooting performance colder than any winter storm could ever possibly bring. Determined to shake off their second loss of the season less than a day later, the Bulldogs got an Adam Karnett free throw line jumper and a David Rudomin steal to grab a quick 4-0 lead. Thomas Jefferson responded with two baskets of their own but scoring stagnated after that. Both teams played somewhat careless and out of control, specifically when it came to shot selection. Things became so bleak offensively for Yavneh after falling behind 8-6 that the entire starting five had to be subbed out at one point. Senior Jason Epstein hopped off the bench to provide a major spark with an immediate steal that led to his own three point play four quick strides later. The Bulldogs would register just one more point in the opening period for a 10-10 deadlock. 3/16 shooting was bad but not nearly the low point of the night. TJ started to parlay the gift shot selection from their guests with a slew of offensive rebounds as well. With that, the Patriots built a 4 point cushion nearly halfway through the second period. With 4:21 to play before halftime Yavneh broke a 6+ minute field goal drought when Karnett found Adam Schor in the lane. TJ would build a lead of 17-12 on the first made three pointer for either team and Karnett responded with three of his own from the opposite wing. In fact, Karnett would get to the free throw off a transition opportunity to complete a personal 5-0 spurt to tie the game at 17-17. For all the Bulldog frigid shooting, Karnett somehow was perfect from behind the three-point arc (3/3). The scoring run extended to 8-0 as Schor made the second of two tip-follow attempts off of a Karnett falling heave at the rim. When Karnett was not scoring he took a huge momentum charge to keep Yavneh in front. A nice post to post Itai Guttman find of Schor and a Rudomin steal/layup secured a 26-22 halftime lead. Turnovers were not a major issue for the Bulldogs but anyone without a calendar had no trouble understanding that this was not a candle-lighting night. Only 1/15 shots outside the painted area went through the hoop in the first 16 minutes for the visiting squad and 8 offensive rebounds allowed did not help the cause either. The shots simply were not falling and this team was in need of an inside clinic for the second half.

The very first possession was exactly the medicine as Karnett patiently rifled a pass to Schor at the basket for a 28-22 advantage. Yesterday’s six-point play was nearly repeated with a single possession 5-spot to provide the separation the Bulldogs just had to have. Itai Guttman grabbed an offensive rebound of a missed free throw and found Karnett for a straight-away triple only a milli-second before he got bulldozed by a TJ flyer. Unable to connect on the free throw, Karnett watched back-court mate Steve Levine find Guttman for a return feed and the layup for a game-high 35-24 edge. Sophomore Jonathan Ochstein forced a turnover with some disciplined defensive footwork on TJ’s best scorer and then connected on a baseline jumper to notch a double-digit lead through three periods of play. Adam Schor had the best passing quarter of his career with 3 of his 5 assists and even briefly guarded a 4-ft guard to complete his brief impersonation of a point guard. The patience that built up the lead in the third quarter was gone with the wind to start the final stanza. Yavneh consistently shot outside the paint and just as consistently participated in Bring Your Kids To Work Day, with everyone’s parents suddenly experienced home builders. The low turnover count was suddenly on the rise for the Bulldogs as well and a 5-0 TJ run sliced the lead to 45-39. A layup drill for Leon Beavers off open-court turnovers suddenly put Thomas Jefferson in a position to steal the game. Yavneh needed a play and got it from Itai Guttman off a great inbounds pass from half-court to a streaking Steve Levine. The play would not only pop the lead back to 8 points but also ignite the game-clinching 10-2 outburst. Levine, making his third straight start during Operation Sombrero, finished an up-and-down game with a bang. Karnett connected on a pair of free throws and Schor cashed in yet another second chance bucket in the paint but it was Levine who capped the run and sent the raucous Jefferson crowd plunging for the exits. Levine’s double-pump, one handed leaning finish while absorbing contact made the score 55-41 and that just about ended all hopes on this night for TJ. Jason Epstein continued his stellar fourth period foul shooting with 3 more connections and 5 to close the last two games. If your name was Adam you had a pretty good game. All three of them scored combining for 42 of 60 points but it was Karnett with 23 and Schor with 17 to lead the way. Karnett was the only one to make a three pointer at all and that was at a 3/3 clip. The shooting struggles permeated just about every other player. Schor had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals to complete a solid effort after being in the lost-and-found since Saturday night. Also of note, Itai Guttman heroically recorded 5 more blocked shots on the defensive end.

Yavneh (11-2) finally will have time to catch their breath before a December that includes a tilt with HSAA North, a first match-up in 4 years with Shelton, and of course a national tournament in Baltimore, Maryland. The Bulldogs make a return trip to Baltimore for the first time in 5 years next Wednesday. Many will remember with tears in their eyes the last Baltimore excursion which included not-so much fun in the snow, an extended stay which included a train ride to and through New York, and one heart-breaking buzzer beater in the Rambam Tournament Final. In addition to what should be a competitive tournament, an almost sure #8 vs #5 match-up of two Top 10 nationally ranked Jewish Hoops America teams will be on display vs the Heschel Heat.

The Kennel Report, now in its tenth season, has been written by…

Zack Pollack M&M

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