Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 95-84 in Israel Super League action as Roman Sorkin put in a magnificent performance to take the Israeli Classico win.
The Reds jumped out to a quick 16-3 lead as Khadeen Carrington couldn’t miss, but Jimmy Clark along with Sorkin helped the yellow-and-blue head into halftime with a 49-43 advantage.
Marcio Santos, and Sorkin poured in points in the third quarter to give the yellow-and-blue a double-digit lead, but Carrington, Jared Harper, and Winston pulled Jerusalem to within five points, but Sorkin and Brissett scored to close out the game as Maccabi took home the win.
Sorkin scored 21 points while both Santos and Clark added 15 points in the victory. Carrington scored 21 points, Austin Wiley put in 18 points, and Harper scored 17 points in the loss.
Next up for Maccabi Tel Aviv is a home Euroleague encounter with Zalgiris this coming Thursday, while Hapoel Jerusalem will head out to Greece for a date with Aris in EuroCup play.
“This was a very important win for us as is the way we won,” Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Katash began. “This is especially with how the game started. They had some very good percentages early and we missed some shots, but slowly and surely we came back into the game against a very good team and one that is at the level of the Euroleague. I was convened about the game and that we wouldn’t have the right energy but we were home and we ended up taking control of the game.”
“We played some good minutes, but Maccabi controlled the game and they deserve credit for that,” Jerusalem coach Yonatan Alon began. “As a coach I have to always find solutions to the game, in sports you see that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We really believe in ourselves and it’s up to us and just as we can beat a team, we can lose as well. This is ours and I believe in the guys.”
Maccabi’s Oshae Brissett spoke about the win.
“These types of games you have to come and play the right way and to bring the energy. I’ll do whatever coach wants me to do and I’ll do all the things that can help us win both defensively and offensively. Everyone’s turn can come on any given day, we are still figuring it out as a team and we can’t be complacent. Teams are scouting us better and every team is going to give their best punch as we have to give our best punch back and we can turn it around.”
Carrington: Hapoel was relaxed, while Maccabi turned up a gear
Carrington looked back at the loss for Jerusalem.
“We started off well but from there it went downhill, when you play against a good team like Maccabi you can’t take your foot off the pedal. We got relaxed but I don’t know why. They turned up a gear and we didn’t, it was a matter of hustling and we had to realize that and nip it in the bud. It’s got to be a mindset thing and from the guys who lead the team, like Yovel Zoosman and Jared Harper, we put that on us, we know how to play against good teams and we view ourselves as a good team as well.”
Carrington led off with a three-pointer, Wiley scored inside, Harper hit a midrange jumper and went from deep while Nimrod Levi also dialed up long distance to give Hapoel Jerusalem a 16-3 lead early on. Sorkin, Jimmy Clark, Iffe Lundberg and Santos answered for Maccabi Tel Aviv, while Tamir Blatt and Carrington traded triples to end the first quarter all knotted up at 26-26.
Carrington continued the hot hand went from the outside and inside to begin the second quarter. Zoosman and Clark traded triples, Sorkin scored in the paint, Lundberg put in a three-point play off a layup on the baseline, Sorkin put down a monster slam, and Leaf added a pair of baskets to help Maccabi to a 49-43 advantage at halftime.
Hoard dunked and Sorkin went from downtown to get the third quarter underway. Wiley and Santos traded baskets, Sorkin went from deep yet again, Carrington hit a long deuce, Santos went from the inside and outside, Blatt and John DiBartolomeo went from beyond the arc as Katash’s squad took a 75-60 lead after thirty minutes of action.
Carrington took matters into his own hands and started to fill the basket as the fourth quarter started. Hoard scored off the backboard, Harper and Winston came back with points, Sorkin put in a bucket, Clark went from deep, while Brissett and Wiley traded baskets in the paint as Maccabi stayed in front 84-76 midway through the frame.
Winston went from downtown, Sorkin came back with a three-point play and added a deuce, Brissett put down a monster dunk, and Lundberg went from deep to wrap up the victory.
Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel Aviv downed Maccabi Ramat Gan 91-81 as Vasilije Micic, who was playing in his first Israeli league game, fueled the Reds to the double-digit victory.
Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad pulled away in the third quarter after Shmulik Brenner’s team kept the game tight throughout the first half thanks to fine play by Drew Crawford and Joirdon Nicholas, but Micic along with Yam Madar and Johnathan Motley were able to pull away and take the win.
Micic scored 18 points, Motley added 17 points and Madar scored 15 points for the Reds while Crawford and Ronaldo Segu each scored 17 points and Nicholas put in 16 points in the defeat. Hapoel will now prepare for a Euroleague contest at ASVEL Villeurbanne in France on Friday night.
Up north, Hapoel Beersheba clipped Hapoel Galil Elyon 77-70 thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback that saw the Southern Reds outscore the hosts 22-8 to take the win up at Kfar Blum.
Brandon Angel led the way with 25 points and Daian Dunn added 17 points in the victory, while Shachar Amir scored 15 points and Raz Ada put in 14 points in the loss.
Also, Bnei Herzliya defeated Ness Ziona 90-73 thanks to a huge fourth quarter by Elijah Stewart to take the home win.
Desi Rodriguez helped the visitors to a 59-55 lead after 30 minutes of play but Stewart along with Chinanu Onuaku, Noah Carter and Daeshon Francis pulled away in style to record the victory. Stewart scored 19 points, Unuaku added 15 points and Carter scored 14 points in the win while Rodriguez scored 17 points and Bryce Brown put in 16 points in the loss.
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