Yellow-and-blue rolls to another BSL rout

Mac TA dispatches Holon 88-74, Barca up next in Euroleague; Haifa’s swoon continues.

By ALLON SINAI
Maccabi Tel Aviv 311 (photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Maccabi Tel Aviv 311
(photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Maccabi Tel Aviv will enter Thursday’s Euroleague Top 16 opener at Barcelona on the back of yet another double-digit BSL victory, beating Hapoel Holon 88- 74 on the road on Sunday.
Maccabi trailed by four points at the break (45-41), but outscored the hosts 47-29 in the second half to improve its record to 13-1, with all its BSL wins coming by nine points or more.
“There is something to learn from every game, including this one,” Maccabi coach David Blatt said. “Barcelona is a great team, but not unbeatable.
“We are a better team than we were when the Euroleague’s regular season ended, but we are facing the toughest game possible in Barcelona.”
Doron Perkins had 18 points for Maccabi, with Jeremy Pargo adding 17.
Rich Melzer scored 17 points for Holon, which has lost three of four games.
Also Sunday, Maccabi Haifa dropped to its ninth defeat in 10 league games, losing 100-97 to Bnei Hasharon in overtime, while Maccabi Rishon Lezion defeated Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 78-68.
Hapoel Jerusalem hosts Ironi Ashkelon on Monday, looking to rebound from its recent woes, which include an early State Cup exit at the hands of Barak Netanya and just one win in its last three BSL games.
After a tight start to the game in Holon, Maccabi went on a 13-3 run in the closing stages of the first period and led 30-23 after 10 minutes.
However, the hosts ate away at the lead as the second quarter progressed and had a surprising 45-41 advantage at the break after ending the first half with a 13-3 surge.
Holon fans began dreaming of a stunning upset, but Tel Aviv would seize control of the encounter once more in the third period, tightening its defense and attacking the hosts on the break.
A Guy Pnini steal and lay-up capped a 15-3 run to start the half to give Tel Aviv a 56-48 advantage, and Maccabi never lost control after that.
A 68-60 margin with 10 minutes to play quickly mushroomed and the visitors sailed to yet another double-figure win.
In Rishon, the hosts pulled ahead in the second period, outscoring Gilboa 24-13 to open a 40-28 halftime gap.
Gilboa came back to take the lead in the third quarter, but Rishon quickly regained the initiative and claimed an important win.
Aaron McGhee had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Rishon, with Yehu Orland adding 19.
Gal Mekel scored 17 points for Gilboa, which has lost two straight games.
In Haifa, Bnei Hasharon got off to a flying start and led 21-13 after one quarter.
The hosts came right back in the second period and had a two-point edge (41-39) at the break.
An extremely tight second half would ensue and the game went into overtime after Haifa’s Derek Low hit two free-throws.
There was little to separate the teams in the extra period as well, but Bnei Hasharon was the more composed side in the final two minutes and held on for a third win in four games.
Lee Nailon led the winners with 32 points, with Dan Grunfeld scoring 28.
Frank Robinson scored 27 for Haifa, with Marco Killingsworth adding 22 points and 14 rebounds.