Hap J’lem desperate to get campaign back on track

Reds will try to put losses to CEZ Nymburk and Hapoel Holon behind them with Eurocup win.

By ALLON SINAI
Naimi 311 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Naimi 311
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Despite losing the positive momentum it picked up at the start of the season, Hapoel Jerusalem hosts CEZ Nymburk in the Eurocup on Tuesday night confident it can get back on track after a difficult week.
Hapoel entered last week’s game against Nymburk in the Czech Republic on the back of a six-game winning streak, four of them in the BSL and two in the Eurocup.
However, it struggled desperately against Ronen Ginzburg’s team last Tuesday, shooting 19 of 42 from two-point range (45.2%) and turning the ball over 17 times in the 73-67 defeat.
On Sunday, Oded Katash’s team was nothing like itself once more, shooting a shocking 22 of 73 from the field on the way to a 76-65 BSL defeat at Hapoel Holon.
“We didn’t show the character we should have against Holon and that worries me,” Katash said. “We will have to turn things around quickly because we are facing a very important game against Nymburk.”
While Jerusalem remains well-placed despite last week’s defeat thanks to its 2-0 start to Group G, Hapoel Gilboa/Galil’s Eurocup campaign could be all but over should it fail to beat BC Azovmash.
After defeating Cedevita Zagreb in Croatia in its group opener, Gilboa lost two straight home games at Malha Arena, including last week’s 95-86 loss to Azovmash.
“I think our chances are pretty good,” said Gilboa coach Lior Lubin, whose team beat Bnei Hasharon 95-80 on Saturday. “Azovmash is a strong team, but I’m optimistic.”
Barak Netanya can take a significant step towards the next stage of the EuroChallenge when it hosts Belgacom Liege on Tuesday.
After losing its first game in Liege, Netanya has won two straight home encounters and another victory on Tuesday will edge it ever closer to clinching a top two finish in Group D.
Also Tuesday, Maccabi Haifa, which has a 1-1 record in Group B, hosts Skyliners Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, on Monday in BSL action, Maccabi Tel Aviv rebounded from last week’s local loss to Bnei Hasharon, thrashing Maccabi Ashdod 84-62 on the road.
Maccabi took a 39-21 margin into the break and cruised in the second half to improve to 7-1 on the season.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis led Maccabi with 19 points and nine rebounds, with Josh Carter scoring 16 for Ashdod, which had won its previous three games, but falls to 4-4 following Monday’s setback.