Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Eilat 83-74 at the Pais Arena this week in Israel Winner League basketball action.
By JOSHUA HALICKMANHAPOEL JERUSALEM forward James Feldeine scored a game-high 18 points to power the Reds to an 84-69 road rout of Maccabi Ashdod in local league action this week. (Liron Moldovan)(photo credit: LIRON MOLDOVAN/BSL)Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Eilat 83-74 at the Pais Arena this week in Israel Winner League basketball action.The Red Sea city squad kept the game close throughout the 40 minutes as it looked to pull off the upset, but Oded Katash’s team was able to keep the lead during a tense fourth quarter when Eilat pulled to within four points to come away with the victory.Tamir Blatt led the Reds with 15 points, Bar Timor added 13 points and James Feldeine chipped in with 12 points. Kyvon Davenport scored 25 points while Jonathan Skoljebrand notched 16 points and Eric Thompson added 15 points in the defeat.Meanwhile, shorthanded Maccabi Tel Aviv needed double overtime to dispose of Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 112-110 at Gan Ner in the Galilee on Monday night. In a game that featured end-to-end action for the full 50, the yellow-and-blue played with only six regular rotation players due to injuries and illnesses.The hosts were in control throughout the contest, but Scottie Wilbekin’s baseline floater sent the game into overtime. Edgar Sosa hit a triple at the buzzer of the extra session to send the game into a second overtime period, where Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad was able to hold on to take the two-point triumph. Jake Cohen scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 48 minutes while Wilbekin added 35 points and nine assists in the win. Jamar Gulley was Gilboa/Galil’s high-scorer with 34 points.Also, Hapoel Beersheba needed a last-second three-pointer by Da’Sean Butler to defeat Maccabi Ashdod 79-77 at the port city. Ashdod’s Elijah Johnson looked to have given the hosts a 77-76 win after scoring in the paint with less than four seconds remaining, but Butler inbounded the ball to Adi Cohen Saban, who immediately gave it back to the forward as he drilled home the winning shot for Rami Hadar’s squad.Butler led all scorers with 25 points while John Petrucelli added 15 points and Spencer Weisz clocked in with 14 points in the win. Johnson and Tzuf Ben Moshe each scored 15 points for Brad Greenberg’s team in the tight loss.Nahariya needed triple overtime to finally get by Maccabi Rishon Lezion 118-114. After ending regulation time all knotted up at 80-80, Dominic Waters scored a layup with less than a second left on the clock to head into the second extra period with the clubs tied 96-96. Back-and-forth play ruled the next extra session as Waters missed a potential game winning three-pointer as the contest went into a third overtime period with the score 103-103.But Waters who ended the night with 23 points, finally iced the game with a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left to help Nahariya come away with the victory. Tony Gaffney and Jerel McNeal each added 22 points in the win while Jordan Swing led Rishon with 35 points.Maccabi Haifa walloped struggling Hapoel Holon 92-60 as James Young scored 32 points for the Greens. Gregory Vargas added 15 points and 14 assists while Roman Sorkin continued his fine play of late with 10 points. Marcus Foster scored 21 points and Ryan Thompson scored 14 points for Holon in defeat.Ness Ziona defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 95-80 as big man Jeff Withey dominated the game with 24 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shot. In addition to Withey, Daequan Cook dropped 21 points, Raviv Limonad scored 13 points and dished out nine assists against his former club while Tal Dunne scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added six assists in the win.Latavious Williams led the Reds with 27 points and 14 rebounds and youngster Yam Madar scored 10 points and notched a career-high 10 assists in the defeat.David Blatt hired by NBA’s Knicks as consultantIn other Israeli basketball news, David Blatt, the former NBA and Israeli head coach, was hired as a basketball operations consultant for the New York Knicks.“I look forward to my next step in my career as I officially retire from coaching and pursue other opportunities in basketball,” said Blatt, 60, in a statement released by the Knicks.Blatt, who once coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, stepped down in October as head coach of Greek team Olympiacos.In August, Blatt announced that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.Blatt and Knicks President Steve Mills played basketball together at Princeton University and have remained friends through the years, according to NBA.com. The Knicks have failed to reach the playoffs since the 2012/13 season and are suffering through a 7-24 season that has seen them fire their coach.Blatt was fired in 2016 by the Cavaliers after leading the club, powered by the return of superstar LeBron James, to the 2015 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. He was hired by the Cavaliers because of his success coaching Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague championship and a number of European teams.JTA contributed to this report.
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