Local Hoops: Hap J'lem pulls out dramatic win

A Timmy Bowers basket with a tenth-of-a-second remaining gives Hapoel Jerusalem an 85-83 victory over Bnei Hasharon at Malha Arena.

By ALLON SINAI
hapoel jm 298.88 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
hapoel jm 298.88
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
A Timmy Bowers basket with a tenth-of-a-second remaining gave Hapoel Jerusalem an 85-83 victory over Bnei Hasharon at Malha Arena on Thursday night. Hapoel had lost its last two games by a combined 55 points, but an outstanding game by Terrence Morris, who scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots, put his team in the position to claim the last gasp victory. Also on Thursday, Maccabi Tel Aviv edged ever closer to clinching first position at the end of the regular season, defeating Ironi Nahariya 95-69 at the Nokia Arena. Jerusalem got off to a flying start, scoring at will on its way to an early 10-5 lead. However, Bnei Hasharon fought back immediately and led 15-14 after Cookie Belcher's two points midway through the first period. The visitors lead wouldn't last long, with Jerusalem going on a 14-3 run, opening its biggest margin of the game (28-18). Two successful free throws by Lee Nailon (32 points) at the end of the quarter cut his side's deficit to six points (28-22) and soon after the visitors grabbed the lead. Moshe Mizrahi's jumper four minutes into the second period completed Bnei Hasharon's comeback (36-34) and the visitors continued to extend their lead as the half came to a close. Two more points from Mizrahi gave the visitors their biggest lead of the half (45-37) and Belcher's buzzer beating jumper gave his team a five-point cushion (51-46) at the end of the half. Morris scored Jerusalem's first nine points of the third quarter, helping the host erase their first half deficit. Excellent defensive play by Hapoel held Bnei Hasharon to a mere 12 points in the period, with the visitors only scoring four of their 21 shots from the field during the quarter. Jerusalem entered the final 10 minutes with a two-point lead (65-63) and opened a six-point margin 74-68 with Mario Austin's (30 points) steal and dunk. An 11-2 Bnei Hasharon run put the visitors in the lead once more (79-76), but the hosts would have the last laugh thanks to Bowers's stunning basket.