Basketball: Maccabi Tel Aviv survives scare to beat Nahariya

Five of Maccabi’s league wins have come by six points or fewer.

By ALLON SINAI
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Sonny Weems (photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Sonny Weems
(photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Despite improving to a 9-1 record in the BSL on Saturday night, Maccabi Tel Aviv had to dig deeper than expected yet again to avoid an upset, beating Ironi Nahariya 99-93 in overtime at Yad Eliyahu Arena.
Five of Maccabi’s league wins have come by six points or fewer, including a tense 83-81 victory over Maccabi Haifa in its previous BSL game last Sunday.
Nahariya missed a chance to win the game at the end of regulation when Derwin Kitchen turned the ball over in his team’s final possession.
Maccabi claimed the win despite scoring just one field-goal in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter and the entire overtime. The yellowand- blue’s final eight points in regulation, as well as eight of 10 points in the extra five minutes, came from the free-throw line.
Andrew Goudelock led six Maccabi players in double figures with 22 points.
“I didn’t like what I saw, especially in the first half,” said Maccabi coach Rami Hadar. “We can’t hide the fact that we are experiencing a dip in form at the moment. We will need to find a way to break out of it.”
Maccabi will already be back in action on Monday when it hosts Hapoel Gilboa/ Galil in BSL action before traveling to Serbia for Thursday’s Euroleague clash with Red Star Belgrade, hoping to snap a two-game losing streak in the competition.
Yancy Gates and Gilbert Brown had 19 points each for Nahariya, which fell to 3-7 after losing to Maccabi in overtime for the second time this season.
Elsewhere Saturday, Hapoel Holon took sole possession of second place with an 81-74 win at Bnei Herzliya.
Khalif Wyatt had 23 points for Holon, which improved to 7-3, while Jeff Adrien scored 16 points for Herzliya, which dropped to 6-4 with its first defeat in five games.
Hapoel Tel Aviv improved to 6-4 on Saturday, defeating Maccabi Ashdod 85-68.
Alando Tucker netted 20 points for Hapoel, while Chase Simon had 20 for Ashdod, which fell to 3-7.
On Sunday, Hapoel Jerusalem hosts Hapoel Eilat and Maccabi Haifa welcomes Maccabi Rishon Lezion.