Hapoel can book a meeting with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the BSL's Final Four.
By ALLON SINAIbasketball 88(photo credit: )
Hapoel Galil Elyon-Golan can complete a remarkable turnaround on the final matchday of the BSL regular season Thursday night and book a meeting with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the BSL's Final Four.
Midway through the season, Galil was fighting against relegation and was desperate for victories that would distance the team from such clubs as Maccabi Givat Shmuel and Ironi Ashkelon.
However, after losing seven of its first 10 games of the 2006/07 campaign, the team won nine of its next 11 matches and leapt from the doldrums of the BSL into Final Four contention.
Three straight losses slightly derailed Galil-Golan's charge, but two huge victories, against Bnei Hasharon and Ironi Nahariya, helped the squad move into fourth place and within one victory of the Final Four.
Galil will be a massive favorite to get the victory it needs on Thursday when it faces Ironi Ashkelon at Kfar Blum. Ashkelon guaranteed itself another season in the top division on Monday with an 86-76 win over Maccabi Rishon Lezion and is not expected to put up much of a fight in the final game of the regular season.
Nahariya will nevertheless be praying for a Galil slipup which would allow it to leapfrog over its opponent with a victory over Hapoel Afula/Gilboa.
Also Thursday, Hapoel Jerusalem visits Ironi Ramat Gan and Givat Shumel hosts Bnei Hasharon.
Jerusalem and Bnei Hasharon have clinched second and third place, respectively, and will face each other in the other Final Four semifinal next Tuesday.
Maccabi Tel Aviv travels to Rishon Lezion, but will be far more concerned with the fitness of Lior Eliyahu, who injured his thumb in training on Wednesday and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
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