If Israeli youth basketball was a product, the game played tonight (Wednesday) in Malha was its best advertisement. At the end of four quarters and overtime, Maccabi Tel Aviv won the State Youth Cup, after beating Hapoel Jerusalem 85:90, at the end of one of the most dramatic and exciting games in youth.
Scored for Maccabi Tel Aviv: Omer Meir and Shahar Doron 17 points 21, Yali Rosenbaum 15, Uri Cohen 13, Ofri Neve and Ron Goldman 11 21, Alon Aharonovich, Amit Zucker and Tamir Gold 2 21.
Scored for Hapoel Jerusalem: Rom Kitaks 21 points, Yonatan Abolif 18, Yair Yedin 17 (triple double), Afek Amsalem 16, Roi Avneri 10, Sam Kaminko 3. Lior Hayblom, Yonatan Shem Tov and Noam Cohen were his partners, but did not score.
This is a game in which the yellows were the favorites at the beginning, but it was the reds who dominated the game. An excellent game by Roi Avneri (10) and Yair Yedin (triple double, 17 points), helped Jerusalem maintain an advantage throughout the majority of the minutes of the game. The Reds even recorded 42% from outside the arc, after scoring no less than 13 three-pointers.
However, throughout the game, Maccabi maintained a lower gap than its opponent and with the help of an excellent game by Yali Rosenbaum and Shahar Doron, they managed to take control of the game and take the lead during the fourth quarter. The final minutes provided us with huge drama, when at the end of legal time, the teams were in a dramatic tie.
Alb in overtime the story is over. The Reds were unable to concentrate and score the important baskets, while Maccabi, on the other hand, kept their composure and increased the margin. In the end, a critical interception a few seconds before the end finally led to the victory of the yellows and winning the coveted title.