Ramle turns attention to Eurocup final

With return leg in France to come, Ramle cannot afford to lose at home if it has any intention of lifting European women’s second most prestigious club title.

By ALLON SINAI
ELITZUR RAMLE forward Le’Coe Willingham 311 (photo credit: FIBA website)
ELITZUR RAMLE forward Le’Coe Willingham 311
(photo credit: FIBA website)
Elitzur Ramle will be looking to take a significant step towards an historic achievement on Thursday night when it hosts Arras of France in the first leg of the Eurocup final.
With a return leg in France to come next week, Ramle cannot afford to lose at home if it has any intention of lifting European women’s second most prestigious club title.
In the semifinals, Ramle lost the second leg away at Greece’s Sony Athinaikos, but thanks to its double-digit home win it secured its progress to the final, moving to within touching distance of becoming the first Israeli women’s basketball team to win a continental title.
Ramle completed the first stage of what could be an unprecedented treble on Sunday by claiming the State Cup with an 81- 68 win over Maccabi Ramat Hen, which will also be its opponent in the league playoff semifinals.
“We have taken one title, now we have two more to go,” Ramle guard Tanasha Wright said. “We want to take all three titles and on Thursday we have another chance to take a step in the right direction.”
Arras president Jean Louis Monneret is confident ahead of the first leg of the final.
“The pressure our players overcame during the last game will serve them well in this encounter,” said Monneret, whose team battled back from a 21-point deficit to shock Chevakata 67-66 in the first leg of their semis, before recording a dramatic 67-67 tie in the return leg.
Also Thursday, Maccabi Tel Aviv hosts Maccabi Rishon Lezion in BSL action in a game brought forward from Sunday to give the yellow-and-blue more time to prepare for the start of its Euroleague quarterfinal playoff series against Caja Laboral Vitoria next Tuesday.