Gilboa/Galil sinks Mac Haifa for maiden victory

Both teams seemed to freeze in the final minutes of the final frame, but crucially Gilboa would be the first to thaw and clinched an important win.

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Gilboa Galil mekel 311 (photo credit: BSL)
Hapoel Gilboa Galil mekel 311
(photo credit: BSL)
Hapoel Gilboa/Galil outlasted Maccabi Haifa 83-77 at Nesher on Monday night to claim its first BSL victory of the season.
After losing at Maccabi Tel Aviv in its opener last week, the reigning Israeli champion controlled the first half at Haifa, but was forced to dig deep after the break to hold on for a hard-fought win.
Rodney Green led Gilboa with 19 points, with Tyler Wilkerson and Jack McClinton adding 16 points each.
“We got a couple of lucky breaks and we were fortunate to get the win,” Green said. “It was a great test and a great outcome.”
Marco Killingsworth had 16 points for Haifa.
There was very little to separate the teams in the first eight minutes of the game, but Gilboa would open a small cushion towards the end of the first period, with a McClinton’s three-pointer giving the visitors a 23-15 lead.
Sasa Bratic’s three-point play to end the quarter kept Haifa within striking distance (23-18), only for Gilboa to surge ahead once more and open a double-digit margin.
Haifa would close to within one possession, but the visitors were still in control at the break, leading 47-39.
The start of the second half was postponed due to a power outage at the arena and when the game eventually resumed Haifa quickly ate into Gilboa’s gap.
Yoni Nir's free-throws tied the score at 52-52 and the game was up for grabs after three quarters, with the visitors leading 66-64 with 10 minutes to play.
The encounter remained tight in the fourth period, with the lead exchanging hands time and again.
Both teams seemed to freeze in the final minutes of the final frame, but crucially Gilboa would be the first to thaw and clinched an important win.