The Winner Cup semifinal between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem was held on Sunday evening in Holon, and at the end of an intriguing matchup, the Yellows delivered an 88-71 rout to set up a title clash against Hapoel Tel Aviv on November 9. As a result, fans will get no fewer than three derbies in two weeks: The two teams will meet in the league a week earlier, followed by a EuroLeague showdown on November 12.
The first quarter was characterized by numerous misses and turnovers on both sides, but at the start of the second, the Reds put together a 9-0 run to break away to a 25-15 lead behind Shake Milton. Roman Sorkin and Keaton Wallace were quick to bring back Oded Kattash's side, who fielded a team without Bonzie Colson and Daniel Theis. Oshae Brissett was red-hot in the third quarter, while Iffe Lundberg, who had been very quiet earlier, joined in at the start of the fourth with a stellar performance that propelled his team to a double-digit lead that Jerusalem could not erase.
After a nightmarish week in the EuroLeague, Kattash's players managed to bounce back and will try to draw encouragement from the win to secure their first European victory of the season later this week against Milano. Jerusalem, which was missing Lorenzo Brown, will need a much better performance if it wants to challenge for titles, whether in Israel or abroad.
Statistics
Scored for Maccabi Tel Aviv: Oshae Brissett 17 (14 in the second half, 4 of 7 from three), Roman Sorkin 16 (5 of 5 from two), Iffe Lundberg 14 (all in the fourth quarter, 4 of 6 from three), Jaylen Hoard 13 and 6 rebounds, Keaton Wallace 8, Yam Madar 8 (1 of 7 from the field), Jimmy Clark 7, T.J. Leaf 4, Will Rayman 1. Nitay Dodo played (one minute) and did not score.
Scored for Hapoel Jerusalem: Kenneth Lofton Jr. 16, 6 rebounds, and 6 turnovers; Shake Milton 14 and 5 assists; Devontae Cacok 12 and 12 rebounds; David Roddy 12 (1 of 5 from three); Eitan Borg 8; Jalen Smith 4; Yovel Zoosman 4. Gabi Chachashvili (14 minutes), Nimrod Levi (11 minutes), and Shahar Luberboim (one minute) played and did not score.
Quarter 1:
Flares were lit in the Jerusalem stands before the tip-off, causing a two-minute delay to the start. Maccabi Tel Aviv opened with Yam Madar, Iffe Lundberg, Will Rayman, Jaylen Hoard, and Roman Sorkin, while Jerusalem fielded Jalen Smith, Eitan Borg, David Roddy, Gabi Chachashvili, and Kenneth Lofton Jr. Hoard scored the Yellows' first five points, Madar hit a three-pointer to make it 10-6, Roddy stood out on the other end, and Shake Milton cut the gap with a three-pointer of his own before several misses and turnovers followed on both sides. Devontae Cacok turned the tide with a basket and a foul, Milton added points of his own, Oshae Brissett hit a three off the glass at the buzzer, and at the end of the first quarter, the Reds led 16-15.
Quarter 2:
Brissett picked up a technical foul, Borg hit a three, Milton continued to shine, and Zoosman capped a 9-0 run to give Jerusalem its largest lead at 25-15. Lofton Jr. turned the ball over frequently, while Sorkin ended a four-minute scoring drought with a three-point play on the other end, sparking the comeback. Wallace hit two consecutive three-pointers, Hoard cut the lead to 27-26, Milton answered with a three on the other side, and at the end of a heavily defensive first half, the scoreboard read 32-31 for Jerusalem.
Quarter 3:
The offensive pace improved as Smith drove for a lay-in to make it 39-36, Sorkin answered with a basket and a foul, Borg sank a three, and Cacok put his team ahead 46-43. Brissett tied it from beyond the arc, stayed hot with a three-point play to give his team a 52-48 lead, and Roddy cut it to 54-53. Leaf scored four straight points, Rayman committed an unsportsmanlike foul, but Clark extended the Yellows' lead to 59-54, which remained the score heading into the final quarter.
Quarter 4:
Lundberg finally showed up, scoring five quick points to push the Yellows ahead 67-58 with 7:30 remaining. The Dane added another three-pointer, Hoard built a new game-high lead at 72-61, Smith cut it to 72-64, but the red-hot Lundberg responded with two more three-pointers to make it 84-67 with two minutes to the final buzzer, from which Sasa Obradovic's squad could not recover. It ended in a crushing 88-71 win for Maccabi Tel Aviv, which scored 57 points in the second half compared to just 31 in the first.