Yellow-and-blue edges Ashdod in 2OT • Hapoel Jerusalem beaten by Nahariya

"The Sports Rabbi" Joshua Halickman's basketball roundup details all the pertinent information in the exciting world of Israeli sports.

By JOSH HALICKMAN
Updated: JANUARY 29, 2019 17:14
Macabi tel aviv patriotic basketball (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Macabi tel aviv patriotic basketball
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
In its second Basketball Super League game in less than 48 hours, Maccabi Tel Aviv needed double-overtime to defeat Maccabi Ashdod 104-100 in the port city on Monday night.
Brad Greenberg’s squad gave the yellow-and-blue more than it could handle throughout the 50-minute contest, but just came up short. Mark Tollefsen scored 31 points, Paul Stoll added 30 points and Lis Shoshi scored 25 points in the painful loss for Ashdod, while Johnny O’Bryant led Maccabi with 20 points and John DiBartolomeo added 17 points in the victory.
Ashdod raced out to a 29-21 lead thanks to five three-pointers by Stoll and four triples by Tollefsen as the hosts went a blistering 9-of-14 (64%) from beyond the arc over the first 10 minutes of action.
Maccabi then began to chip away at the Ashdod lead as O’Bryant, Jake Cohen and Tarik Black led the way to take a one-point advantage (43-42) into halftime.
Stoll and Shoshi combined for 13 third-quarter points, but DiBartolomeo scored nine points, including a three at the end of the frame to give Maccabi a slim 63-61 lead after 30 minutes.
Shoshi continued his fine play with 11 points in the fourth quarter, while O’Bryant answered back with 10 points of his own. However, Stoll hit a pair of free throws with 11.6 seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
After Shoshi had fouled out, Tom Maayan had a chance to win the game for Ashdod, but missed both of his free throws with under 10 seconds left in the first overtime as the contest went into a second extra session knotted up at 90-90.
Yovel Zoosman’s four points in double-OT and his assist to Angelo Caloiaro with eight seconds remaining helped wrap up the four-point victory Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Ironi Nahariya shocked Hapoel Jerusalem 86-80 up north in Ein Sara as Arik Alfasi’s squad moved out of the league’s basement.
Former NBA star Jordan Crawford played in his third game for Nahariya and scored 21 points, Myke Henry added 17 points while Dagan Yivzori and Yiftach Ziv each dropped 11 points in the hard-fought win. James Feldeine led the Reds with 27 points, 22 of which were scored in the third quarter, and Yogev Ohayon chipped in with a season-high 15 points in defeat.
Jerusalem jumped out to a 16-11 lead after 5:30. Tamir Blatt hit a pair of threes for the Reds while Henry did the same for Nahariya as the first-quarter ended with Oded Katash’s squad ahead 23-17.
Blatt drilled home another three to give Jerusalem a 28-17 lead, but Dagan Yivzori, Eric Griffin and Niv Misgav drew the hosts back to within five points (31-26) with five minutes remaining in the half.
Chris Johnson broke a five-minute Jerusalem scoring drought but Henry pulled Nahariya to within one point (33-32) after 20 minutes.
Alfasi’s squad opened the third quarter strong as Crawford hit a pair of three-pointers to give Nahariya a 42-38 lead with 6:40 left in the frame. However, Feldeine exploded for 22 points to help Jerusalem retake a 61-60 advantage as the match headed into the decisive quarter.
Nahariya grabbed a two-point lead (71-69) with six minutes remaining in the game, which continued to go back and forth.
Feldeine’s three-point play plus a Blatt jumper gave Jerusalem a 77-74 lead with 1:42 left in the contest, but Yivzori swished a triple to draw Nahariya even once again.
Crawford hit an acrobatic layup that sent him to the line, Terry Allen hit a pair of free throws while Henry did the same as Nahariya went on a 10-0 run to sew up the upset victory.
Also, Hapoel Eilat stopped Maccabi Rishon Lezion’s seven-game winning streak, beating Guy Goodes’s side 96-81 down south.
Suleiman Braimoh led the way for Sharon Drucker’s squad with 19 points coming off the bench, Lenzelle Smith Jr. dropped 10 points and dished out eight assists, while Idan Zalmanson scored 15 points against his former team in the win. Cameron Long had 17 points to top Rishon’s scoring leaders.
Hapoel Beersheba dropped struggling Bnei Herzliya 87-74, with Silas Melson scoring 20 points in what was his best game since replacing the injured Semaj Christon.
Taylor Braun recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Hanan Colman chipped in with 11 points in the win. Karam Mashour and Jeff Adrien led the way for Herzliya with 15 points apiece in the loss.
On Saturday night, Maccabi Tel Aviv dismantled Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 105-77 thanks to a superb second half in which the yellow-and-blue outscored the visitors 58-32.
Jeremy Pargo scored 19 points, Zoosman dropped 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, while Ian Miller scored 20 points for Gilboa/Galil, which suffered its eighth defeat in a row.


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