Galil stuns Haifa 101-66 for third-straight league win

Galil stuns Haifa 101-66

By JEREMY LAST
Hapoel Gilboa/Galil produced a superb performance to stun Maccabi Haifa 101-66 at Gan Ner on Saturday night, retaining its perfect BSL record after three games. The result sent Avi Ashkenazi's Greens to their second defeat of the 2009/10 campaign, in stark contrast to last season when the team bankrolled by Jeff Rosen got to both the final of the Final Four and the State Cup final. On Saturday, point guard Jeremy Pargo continued his early season form for Oded Katash's team, scoring 25 points, making six out of 10 three-point attempts. Ido Kozikaro top-scored for Galil with 17 points but the rest of his team were not up to scratch, including much-hyped teenager Jeremy Tyler who again scored only one point in his five minutes on court. "I can't explain how we looked like this," Haifa coach Ashkenazi said after the game. "Apart from Ido in the first half none of the players really turned up. There has been a big difference between our training sessions and the games. We have been looking good in training recently." Galil appeared to be riding on the momentum of its overtime victory at Hapoel Jerusalem last week as it stormed into a 23-12 first quarter lead. Haifa did its best to claw its way back into the game in the second quarter, with two Devon Jefferson baskets closing Maccabi to within six points (27-21). But two straight threes from Dion Dowell stretched the gap again and Galil went into half-time 14 points ahead at 44-30. The hosts had no intention of lifting its feet off the gas at the start of the second half, with Pargo scoring five points in an 8-0 run which began the third period. And by the end of the third stanza Galil was already 75-47 ahead and cruising to victory. By then Haifa had practically given up and Gilboa steamrollered its opponent in the final quarter, ending with a 35-point win.