Yellow-and-blue machine continues to roll on

Maccabi Tel Aviv returned home in an upbeat mood on Saturday after taking sole possession of second place in Euroleague Top 16 Group E on Friday with a 73-66 win against Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania. The yellow-and-blue trailed by nine points (37-28) in the second quarter, but ended the first half with a 12-0 run (40- 37), only for the Lithuanians to take a four-point edge (52- 48) into the fourth frame. However, Maccabi would dominate the final 10 minutes, going on a 19-6 run to start the fourth quarter to improve to 3-1 in the Top 16 with its 20th win in its past 22 games over all competitions. “We recorded a great win thanks to our defense,” said Maccabi coach Guy Goodes. “It is very hard to win here in front of their fans. Zalgiris holds its rivals to an average 68 points at home, but we found solutions on offense, apart from the third quarter.” After going scoreless in just two minutes of action in the win over Barcelona the previous week, Sylven Landesberg led Maccabi with 20 points on Friday, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the field. Jeremy Pargo continued his recent strong play with 12 points and eight assists, with Alex Tyus also scoring 12 points. “Sylven came off the bench with great energy, scored 20 points and also played well on defense,” said Goodes. “Tyus was amazing on defense and scored 12 points and everyone made a massive effort and ensured we recorded an excellent win.” Paulius Jankunas had 18 points for Zalgiris, which fell to 1-3. Maccabi will aim to extend its winning streak when it visits Hapoel Tel Aviv in BSL action on Monday, hoping to avenge its 20-point defeat to the reds earlier this season. BSL Week 17 action got underway on Saturday, with Hapoel Holon beating Ironi Ness Ziona 79-76 to improve to 10-7 with its fourth win from the past five games. Ness Ziona got off to the better start and led by five points (41-36) at the break. The game would remain tight until the closing minutes, but Holon would hold its composure the better of the two teams to clinch the victory. Shlomi Harush was sensational for the hosts with 24 points, including five three-pointers, with Jordan Taylor adding 17 points. Craig Smith's 30 points, 14 rebounds and five assists weren't enough for Ness Ziona (10-7). On Sunday, Hapoel Jerusalem (10-6) hosts Bnei Herzliya (6-10).

Yellow-and-blue machine continues to roll on

“We recorded a great win thanks to our defense,” says Maccabi coach Guy Goodes.

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