Hapoel Eilat kept on rolling as it scored a 88-66 knockout of visiting Hapoel Beersheba.
By JOSHUA HALICKMANHapoel Jerusalem’s Bar Timor drives to the basket against the Hapoel Holon defense during the Reds’ 94-74 home victory over Holon in Basketball Super League action this week(photo credit: DANNY MARON)
In Basketball Super League action, Hapoel Jerusalem recorded another impressive league win as it defeated Hapoel Holon 94-74 at the Pais Arena in the nation’s capital.Tamir Blatt led all scorers with 21 points, Tashawn Thomas added 17 points and nine rebounds, while James Feldeine dropped 17 points, grabbed six boards and dished out six assists. Shawn Jones picked up a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Corey Walden chipped in with 13 points for Holon.Hapoel Jerusalem took a 26-17 lead after 19 minutes as Thomas drained nine points and Feldeine punctuated the frame with a three-pointer at the buzzer.The Reds continued to dominate the contest and took a 49-33 advantage into halftime as J’Covan Brown and Bar Timor helped increase the lead for Oded Katash’s squad.Owens and Thomas ruled the paint and Blatt began hitting from the outside in the second half as Jerusalem went on to take the 20-point win.Elsewhere, Hapoel Eilat kept on rolling as it scored a 88-66 knockout of visiting Hapoel Beersheba.J.P. Tokoto scored 19 points, pulled down nine rebounds and drew 10 fouls, Suleiman Braimoh dropped 19 points as well, while Avi Ben Chimol dished out nine assists in the win. Jordan Swing was Beersheba’s leading scorer with 13 points in the defeat.The two sides played a close first quarter with the visitors taking a 15-14 lead thanks to an Adi Cohen-Saban three-pointer, but Sharon Drucker’s Eilat came out strong in the second frame, thanks to Braimoh and Ben Chimol, to take a 36-28 lead at halftime.Elijah Bryant, Tokoto and Braimoh did the damage for Eilat in the third quarter as Rafi Menco who made his return to the Red Sea squad scored a bucket at the buzzer to give the hosts a 60-48 advantage. Menco then led the attack in the fourth quarter to help Eilat run away with the 22-point victory.Also, Daequan Cook hit a pair of free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining to give Ness Ziona a dramatic 81-79 win over Bnei Herzliya.Cook ended the night with 19 points, Gary Browne scored 18 points and Tal Dunne dropped 14 points for the hosts. Michael Dixon scored 20 points as Jeff Adrien clocked in with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Herzliya.Adrien and James Robinson led the visitors to a 23-17 lead after the first frame as Gabe Levin and Dixon increased the advantage to 31-21 midway through the second quarter.But Dunne’s aggressive play pulled Nadav Zilberstein’s side to within three points (41-38) through 20 minutes. Cook and Browne mounted the Ness Ziona comeback to take a 65-59 lead at the end of the third quarter, but a Dixon triple with 17 seconds left in the contest drew Herzliya even 79-79.However, Cook drew a foul with under five seconds left and calmly drained his free throws to give Ness Ziona the win.
