Revitalized Gilboa out for revenge vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Gilboa coach Lior Lubin has strengthened his roster and gelled it into a cohesive team.
By ALLON SINAImaccabi tel aviv and hapoel gilboa_311(photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Hapoel Gilboa/Galil looked nothing like last season’s runner- up when it was thoroughly outplayed by Maccabi Tel Aviv in a 95-60 humbling at Gan Ner in its BSL opener two-anda- half months ago.However, since that defeat, Gilboa coach Lior Lubin has strengthened his roster and gelled it into a cohesive team, with the northerners winning seven of their past nine games to take sole possession of second place in the standings.
Gilboa will have a chance to show the progress it has made since that thrashing by Tel Aviv and prove that it remains Maccabi’s most serious challenger when it visits the yellow-andblue at Nokia Arena on Sunday night.Gilboa brushed aside Maccabi Ashdod to improve to 7-3 on the season last Monday, but Tel Aviv has been in scintillating form in recent weeks, winning its last eight contests in all competitions by an average 24 points per game.Maccabi improved to 12-1 in the Adriatic League with an 85- 59 win over Serbia’s KK Hemofarm on Thursday and faces two more games in the competition later this week.“We are facing a tough game against Galil with very little time to prepare,” Maccabi coach David Blatt said after the win in Serbia.“We then host two games in the Adriatic League against Lasko and Novo Mesto. We have been on the road a lot recently and have recorded some very nice results. But we will play more home games in the coming weeks and that will allow us to perform even better because we will be traveling less, sleeping more at home and playing at Nokia.” Also Sunday, Maccabi Rishon Lezion hosts Hapoel Holon, BC Habika’a visits Maccabi Haifa and Ironi Ashkelon welcomes Ashdod.Hapoel Jerusalem visits Bnei Hasharon on Monday, with Sharon Drucker expected to guide the team for the first time following Oded Katash’s resignation last week.Drucker, who led Jerusalem to the ULEB Cup in 2003/2004, is set to sign a contract until the end of the 2012/13 season.
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