The top home games of the Winner Basket League are already just around the corner, but just before the top teams will fight head to head to improve positions for the playoffs, two of the contenders for the crown, Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Jerusalem, meet tonight (Thursday) for a fiery battle at Toto Hall. From the 17th cycle.
The Reds from the capital came to the meeting after a close home victory over Nes Ziona, which was the fourth in the last five rounds, and knowing that a victory would guarantee them first place at the end of the regular season.
Guy Goodes’ team, for their part, came up to cheer after the show against Hapoel Tel Aviv, hoping to register a victory that could create a situation where the four leaders will have an equal balance of seven losses and 14 wins.
In the first match between the two, as part of the first round of the league, it was the red team from the capital that celebrated big with an impressive 84: 104 victory in the arena, in one of its best games this season.
First quarter 21:22 to Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon quintet: Joe Ragland, Adam Smith, Frederic Bourdieu, Chris Johnson and Michael Kaiser.
Hapoel Jerusalem Quintet: Jaylen Adams, KC Rivers, Martin Obasohan, Suleiman Braimo and Itai Segev.
The first points of the game came from the hands of Joe Ragland, with Chris Johnson in charge of the first three-pointer of the game. Retin Obasohan scored Jerusalem’s first basket and shrank to 2: 5 for the host. Both teams opened at a range outside the arc when Adam Smith was first, Adams answered him with a three of his own, immediately afterwards Ragland and Martin Obasuhan also scored for three. Tyros Maggie also joined the off-arc celebration and set up 13:18, John Agbono enjoying a big assist from Obasovan to sink easily. Adams’ three gave the Jerusalemites their first advantage of the game, but Guy Pnini returned the lead to Holon at the end of the quarter.
Second quarter
Ragland and Maggie scored one after the other, while Braimo shrank on the other side. Maggie continued to fire and stitched another three, but Adams did exactly the same and shrank to 26:29. Yotam Halperin took a timeout, when Adams and Braimo returned to their best ability, and a three by Amit Gershon forced 33:33 and left Guy Goodes no choice but to take a timeout to stop the red momentum.