Yavneh lost to Weinbaum Yeshiva of Boca 44-33 and then defeated Rambam of New York 59-38 to finish in 11th place at the Cooper Invitational Tournament in Memphis. The Bulldogs season record now stands at 2-2.
Yavneh wanted to make a national statement to start the season and winning Tier II at the Cooper Invitational would have provided that stage. However, Weinbaum Yeshiva of Boca Raton, Florida had their own agenda and never trailed en route to a solid statement game. The Bulldogs had multiple chances early in the game but once again did not score until over three minutes had elapsed. A 12-3 deficit after a single period had the Bulldogs reeling behind 1/6 shooting, 6 turnovers, and a more than double rebounding negative differential. Adam Karnett and Sam Kleinman finally amped up the energy in the second period with some transition opportunities but Weinbaum had an answer nearly every time. Karnett drilled a pair of mid-range jumpers to trim the lead to 20-16 late in the first half but a frenetic final five seconds left the Bulldogs six points away at the half. Junior Post Itai Guttman suffered what appeared to be a head bump, actually resulting in a made free throw. Through the chaos that followed, Weinbaum was able to somehow make their way to half court in less that 3 seconds and sink a half court miracle at the buzzer to deflate any comeback momentum that Yavneh had been building. The Bulldogs were turning the ball over (10) and allowing their opponent to the free throw line time and again (11 first half attempts). Foul trouble continued to mount in the second half, the most crushing part of which landed a productive Karnett on the bench with sever foul trouble. The bench stepped up and kept the Bulldogs in the game. Kleinman found Junior Jason Epstein right at the basket and then Kleinman swirled down the lane for a finish of his own. Karnett continued to score as he was re-inserted with the foul trouble but the defensive stops just did not come down the stretch. Defensive breakdowns and just too many free throw opportunities combined with 14 more turnovers did not get the job done. Although a David Rudomin put-back cut the lead to 39-33 late, Weinbaum finished the game at the free throw line and sent Yavneh to the Tier II third place game Sunday. Karnett finished with 18 points on a very efficient 7/10 shooting but spent a full quarter of game time on the bench with the fouls. Kleinman chipped in with 11 points but only two other players scored just two points apiece.
Searching for answers and needing a solid performance to go home with, a revenge showdown with Rambam NY gave the Bulldogs just that opportunity. Although only a single player remains from the last second buzzer beating tip in from the Finals of the Rambam Baltimore Tournament in February 2009, color pictures in the locker room serve as a daily reminder of the events on that snowy afternoon in Maryland. Itai Guttman was in 8th grade during that game but it is pretty safe to assume that Rambam knows who he is now. In the most fantastic 16 minutes of Guttman’s three year career, he was utterly dominant and made Rambam look like a team that wanted no part of the Tier II consolation game at 9:15 on a Sunday morning. Playing less than 11 hours removed from a Grade 1 concussion, Guttman was cleared by the doctors to play and the Rambam defense to go right through the lane. Having scored the first 6 points, Guttman inspired the entire team to be active early and often. Sam Kleinman found David Rudomin streaking to the basket for an 8-0 lead and the rout was on. Even when the New Yorkers doubled down on the big Yavneh post, Guttman was able to pass out of the double team to Kleinman for a three point play and a 13-2 start. It was starting to get ridiculous when he stole a pass at half court and rumbled all the way to the goal for a 20-4 lead. Brother Ori Guttman accomplished the same steal/finish feat and a David Steinbrecher three ball at the first period buzzer finished a 25-6 statement 8 minutes for Yavneh. Rambam was shell shocked and helpless, and things only got worse. In an Epstein to Epstein connection, Jason found Meir for a wing triple as everyone was getting in on the act. A 38-17 halftime lead took all the drama out of the game and gave the Bulldogs exactly what they needed. Itai Guttman finished his remarkable first half of play with a double-double (14pts,10reb) The lead got as high as 56-25 in the second half. Although the Bulldogs got sloppy with the big lead down the stretch, Jason Epstein managed to use the entire rim in connecting on his first Yavneh varsity jumper. Ori Guttman put the exclamation mark on the victory by completing a four-point play out of the corner with 4:30 to play. Even in the midst of such success and domination, the Bulldogs managed to continue their season tradition of heavy charity work with 20 more turnovers.
Itai Guttman led all scorers with his 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 other players also scored in the game. Yavneh (2-2) will return home to play Park Meadows Academy Thursday night. In what is already shaping up to be an interesting season, it will be intriguing to know how this team will develop. Clearly, there are several talented players that are ready to step up and become key contributors. If the turnovers can be minimized or at least slowed down and this team can work on their foul-prone tendencies, the potential is surely there to develop into something special. Is the Itai Guttman we saw Sunday one that finally figured “it” out or was that a one-time show? Can the guard tandem of Adam Karnett and Sam Kleinman continue to improve without spending a good deal of the game on the bench in foul trouble? Who amongst the sea of role players ready to become key contributors will step up in the limelight?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its ninth season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M
TL-BW-SP