Yavneh defeated Weinbaum Yeshiva of Boca Raton 32-27 Friday morning in a Tier 2 quarterfinal at the Red Sarachek Yeshiva University Tournament in New York. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 18-11.
No matter the aesthetic presentation, Yavneh had to win Friday to keep its season alive. Senior Elan Kogutt continued his masterful streak to the finish with 13 points and received big time help from bouncy Frenetic Freshman Itai Guttman (13 points) as the Bulldogs survived the ugliest basketball game of their season. The 2 teams combined for 22/89 shooting in a game that went through several long stretches with no change on the scoreboard.
Yavneh came out with a ton of energy eager to make a statement early. Junior jumping bean Kevin Sulski blocked a shot that Kogutt used to ignite a break for the game’s first basket right away. Guttman followed with his first of six made field goals with a layup that rolled around the world before dropping in the basket. In the blink of an eye, the Bulldogs had built an 8-2 lead behind Junior Jordan Prescott’s four assists on the first four made field goals. Halfway through the opening stanza, Yavneh was on pace for 60+ points. News Flash: IT DIDNT HAPPEN!! As it was, though, the first quarter ended with the Bulldogs in front 10-4. They had out-shot Weinbaum, out rebounded them, and kept the turnovers to a bare minimum (2). Action slowed to a halt in the second period as both teams continued to struggle from the field. Not having third leading scorer Adam Karnett (neck) really hurt the offensive flow, especially with Prescott functioning primarily as a distributor for most of the game. Yavneh’s turnover number started to mount and when Weinbaum’s Alex Stein delivered a fist-pumping three pointer right before the first half buzzer the lead was just 14-11 at halftime. It was almost inexplicable how a team could be within a single basket while shooting 5/28 from the field but Weinbaum had done it. Kogutt & The Freshman sounds like a bad sitcom but in fact that was all the scoring Yavneh got in an entire half of basketball.
As has been their signature calling card all year long, the Bulldogs were ready with a game defining second half run. This time it was 8-0 right out of halftime. Kogutt and Prescott each had great finds of Guttman, who just happened to be chilling out by the basket on each occasion. Prescott finally took the ball to the basket for his first points to cap the run and double up Weinbaum at 22-11. A double digit lead seemed to be insurmountable in a game like this but the Bulldogs would manage just 2 points in the next 10+ minutes of game time. Weinbaum used a methodical 13-2 run to tie the score at 24-24 during that time period and left Yavneh searching for answers. The play of the game had to be the final Prescott to Guttman assist that surged the Bulldogs back in front 28-24 with 1:48 to play. Prescott gave Weinbaum a chance with an ill-advised runner to try and put the game away with a 3 point advantage late but also secured the victory with a tough traffic rebound on the subsequent possession. After breathing a sigh of relief, the Bulldogs were left to wonder how such high drama existed in a game in which the opponent made 11 of 55 shots. Even more puzzling, Yavneh controlled the rebounds and shot/made more free throws but still ended up just a sliver away from overtime. Kogutt and Guttman went for 13 points/8 rebounds apiece, Prescott rounded out the scoring with 6 points to go along with his 6 assists, and Junior Jake Greif gulped down 10 enormous rebounds himself. For a team that rebounds poorly on the defensive end, the Bulldogs had no choice but to pick off some of the bullets Weinbaum fired up.
Ugly or not, Yavneh is in the Tier 2 semifinals Sunday evening against higher seeded Berman Hebrew Academy of Maryland. The re-insertion of Karnett should bolster the offense but it will take another sound defensive effort complete with the rebounding to knock off a much more skilled opponent for a spot in the Finals. It goes without saying that those 17 turnovers will have to be reduced as well.
The Kennel Report, now in its seventh season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
MWJR? 3-26