Katash gets maiden conquest as Hapoel Jerusalem coach
Maccabi complained that it was under a non-stop barricade of curses during the game, with matters threatening to get out of hand on several occasions.
By ALLON SINAIHapoel Jerusalem’s Bar Timor(photo credit: UDI ZITIAT)
Hapoel Jerusalem finally picked up its first win under new coach Oded Katash on Sunday night, beating Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 92-84 at the Jerusalem Arena.Jerusalem had to dig deep to finally get off the mark, with a Jerome Dyson three-pointer with only 36.4 seconds to play opening a four-point gap (88- 84) that ultimately decided the encounter.Tarence Kinsey had 19 points for Jerusalem, with Jerome Dyson scoring 18, Stratos Perperoglou adding 17 and Bar Timor netting 16. Ronald Roberts added a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds for Hapoel, which improved to a 12-8 record after losing its previous two games under Katash.D’Angelo Harrison had 24 points for Gilboa in defeat.Following the clashes between Hapoel Holon fans and Maccabi Tel Aviv staff and players, the BSL announced on Sunday that Holon will need to either clear the two rows behind the bench of the visiting team at its home arena or put up a transparent two-meter wall in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.The BSL ordered Holon to complete the changes ahead of Saturday’s home game against Hapoel Jerusalem or it will fine the club NIS 10,000 per game until one of the two changes is implemented.Maccabi complained that it was under a non-stop barricade of curses during the game, with matters threatening to get out of hand on several occasions. Pierre Jackson and DeAndre Kane both clashed with fans on the sidelines during the game, with the latter claiming he was racially abused, while yellow-and-blue coach Neven Spahija had a heated verbal exchange with a Holon supporter following the final buzzer.Maccabi, which fell to a 15-5 record, one game back of leader Holon, will be back in action on Tuesday when it visits reigning Euroleague champion Fenerbahce in Istanbul, aiming to bounce back not only from the loss to Holon but mainly from the dejecting home defeat to Khimki Moscow in continental action last Thursday. Tel Aviv will then host Panathinaikos in its final Euroleague home game on Thursday before completing the regular season with two road contests.Rishon announced on Sunday the signing of last season’s Euroleague top scorer, Keith Langford. The American guard, who played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2011/12, averaged 21.75 points per game for Unics Kazan in Euroleague action last season and joins Rishon after beginning this season at Shenzhen Leopards in China.
