Ashdod keeps rolling with 4th straight win, Haifa loses again

Haifa dropped to 4-10, the second-worst record in the league.

By ALLON SINAI
Ironi Ness Ziona guard Gary Browne (photo credit: UDI ZITIAT)
Ironi Ness Ziona guard Gary Browne
(photo credit: UDI ZITIAT)
Maccabi Ashdod notched a fourth straight win to continue its climb up the BSL standings on Monday night, while there is no end in sight to Maccabi Haifa’s struggles after the Greens dropped to their fifth consecutive loss.
Ashdod made it six victories in a row over all competitions, after also reaching the State Cup semifinals, thrashing Maccabi Rishon Lezion 106-82. Ashdod led by 10 points (58-48) at the break and never lost control. Cameron Long had 21 points for Ashdod, which has won its past three league games by an average 18 points. Sek Henry added 20 points and 10 assists for Brad Greenberg’s team, which improved to a 7-7 record.
Mark Tollefsen scored 21 points for Rishon, which fell to 6-8.
Haifa dropped to 4-10, the second-worst record in the league, after losing 74-71 at Ironi Ness Ziona. Daequan Cook netted 16 points for Ness Ziona, which combined two wins in a row for the first time this season, moving to 5-9. Zach Graham scored 18 for Haifa.
“It was very important for us to win this game,” said Ness Ziona coach Nadav Zilberstein. “Haifa controlled large periods of the game but we kept coming and we won this game with a lot of heart and soul.”
Ironi Nahariya snapped a five-game losing streak with an 88-61 win over Hapoel Eilat on Monday. Alex Young had 20 points for Nahariya, which improved to 6-8. Jordan Loyd scored 19 for Eilat, which is also at 6-8.
Earlier Monday, Maccabi Tel Aviv announced that Itay Segev will no longer serve as the team’s captain after once more requesting to leave the club. John DiBartolomeo was named as his replacement.
The 22-year-old Segev, who was the only yellow-and-blue player to return from last season’s roster, has been frustrated with his playing time this season, averaging only 12.5 minutes per game in the BSL while only featuring in eight of 19 Euroleague encounters to date.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv wishes to inform that on Sunday, for the second time in recent weeks, reps for Itay Segev informed the club’s management that Itay wishes to leave the team, for the time being his request was denied,” read a Maccabi statement. “Itay is an important and a highly valuable player in Maccabi, however he will no longer serve as the team captain as a player who is requesting to leave his team cannot be the one who leads it. It is the captain’s responsibility to represent the value of putting the team’s success above his own.”


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