Hapoel outlasts Maccabi, Jerusalem beats Gilboa

Hapoel Tel Aviv needed overtime to defeat Maccabi Tel Aviv 104-94 in a high-paced derby this week in Basketball Super League action.The Reds had the upper hand throughout the contest, but a 25-point fourth quarter from the yellow-and-blue’s Scottie Wilbekin sent the game into the extra session. However, Hapoel was able to take advantage of the energetic home crowd to take the victory despite losing captain Raviv Limonad and Jerel McNeal, who both fouled out.Tomer Ginat and Richard Howell each scored 18 points while Jamal Shuler dropped 14 points for Hapoel. Wilbekin finished the evening with a game-high 36 points for Maccabi.After a slow and sluggish start, both squads picked up the action midway through the first frame as Ginat and Roll each finished with seven points as Hapoel took a 21-13 lead after 10 minutes. Maccabi came storming back as Pargo, Tyus and Wilbekin all scored to pull the yellow-and-blue to within three points, but Howell answered back with five points for Hapoel to increase their lead to 30-20 with six minutes to go in the half. Both sides exchanged buckets the rest of the way as the Reds took a 44-36 lead into halftime.Jake Cohen and Wilbekin each drained a pair of triples to cut the Hapoel lead to 52-50 with 4:14 left in the third quarter, but the Reds went on a 9-2 run to end the frame with a 61-52 lead.Hapoel held a seemingly commanding 81-70 lead, however Wilbekin scored 15 points over the last 3:44, including a pair of free throws with less than a second on the clock, to send the game into overtime all knotted up at 88-88.Without Limond and McNeal, youngster Yam Madar and Shuler took center stage and outplayed Maccabi in the extra session to send the Hapoel faithful into ecstasy.Winning coach Danny Franco spoke highly of his players following the game.“I’m proud of the team and how we played. We made some defensive mistakes in the last quarter some due to the excitement, but we were determined to take this game,” said Franco.Meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 94-81 at the Pais Arena in the nation’s capital. Chris Johnson led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds, Josh Owens dropped 15 points and Tashawn Thomas added 13 points in the win. Ian Miller scored 18 points for the visitors.Jerusalem jumped out to a 23-11 lead thanks to buckets by Johnson and Yogev Ohayon, but Miller and Greg Whittington fought back to cut the advantage to 29-20 by the end of the first quarter.The Reds continued their early dominance in the second period, with Owens being instrumental in the hosts 50-41 lead at halftime, while Ezequiel Skverer tried to keep his team in the game with a dozen points over the first 20 minutes.Oded Katash’s squad stayed ahead of Ariel Beit Halachmi’s side 68-61 after 30 minutes of action thanks to J’Covan Brown’s fine third-quarter display. James Kelly rattled off 13 points for Gilboa/Galil in the final frame, but Thomas and Johnson continued to find the basket as Jerusalem recorded a 94-81 victory.Also, Hapoel Holon defeated Hapoel Beersheba 86-78 thanks to a 22-6 fourth-quarter run led by the league’s hottest player over the past few weeks, Corey Walden.After finishing last game with a season-high 46 efficiency rating, Walden scored 21 points, went 14-of-15 from the free throw line, dished out nine assists and drew 14 fouls. Jordan Swing scored 20 points and Jakim Donaldson recorded a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds for Beersheba.Ness Ziona needed a huge fourth quarter to drop Nahariya 103-93. Nadav Zilberstein’s squad outscored the northerners 34-17 in the final frame as it went on a 12-0 run to close out the game.Gary Browne scored 28 points, Tal Dunne added 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Yiftach Ziv led Nahariya with 23 points.Hapoel Eilat manhandled Bnei Herzilya 100-81 in a game that was never close. Elijah Bryant scored 20 points, J.P. Tokoto recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Suleiman Braimoh dropped 17 points in the win.Michael Dixon led the hosts with 23 points as new coach Ofer Berkovic’s debut ended in a loss. Eilat dished out 36 assists, with Avi Ben Chimol leading the way with 11 helpers.Rishon Lezion recorded a 92-79 victory over Maccabi Ashdod to win its fifth game in a row and improve its record to 8-7. DeShawn Stephens scored 19 points and Alex Hamilton chipped in with 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Rishon, while Mark Tollefsen dropped 26 points for Ashdod.