The 29th and penultimate round of the National Basketball League was held tonight (Tuesday) with five games, at the end of which two playoff quarterfinal series were scheduled. Maccabi Haifa enjoyed the losses of Elitzur Ashkelon and Urbani Raanana and secured the eighth place, so that it will meet Urbani Nahariya in the quarterfinals.
In addition, Hapoel Hevel Modiin secured second place after a victory over Raanana, and will meet Elitzur Netanya, who finished seventh. At the bottom, Hapoel Ramat Gan / Givatayim provided an important victory over a direct rival to the bottom – Hapoel Migdal Haemek / Jezreel. Maccabi Ashdod suffered a loss in Afula. The round will close tomorrow (Wednesday) with a game between AS Ramat Hasharon and Maccabi Urbani Ramat Gan.
Hapoel Ramat Givatayim – Hapoel Migdal Haemek / Jezreel 80:91
Only about a week and a half ago, Hapoel Migdal Haemek / Jezreel defeated the Ordonim by 11 points. Tonight, it was already completely different and the locals won by the same margin. Matan Harush’s team enjoyed 13 threes at 52% and received tremendous protection from Eliad Tal and David Musindi who returned after about a month and a half. Amit Abu was great and scored 25 points, with important moves in the deciding moments. The Northerners are left with seven victories, with another off-critical game waiting for them on Friday – in Ashdod.
Many scored for Givatayim: Amit Abu 25 points and 9 assists, Gil Nuovich and Dimitrios Treadwell 15 points each, Eliad Tal 14 points and Marquis Coleman and David Musindi 10 points each.
Many scored for Migdal HaEmek / Jezreel: Emanuel Omogbo 26 points and 16 rebounds, Ricky Pak 15 points, Tal Perslani 13 points and Rom Cornelius 9 points.
Raanana – Hapoel Hevel Modiin 95:82
A record achievement for Hapoel Hevel Modiin, which finishes the regular season in second place – its highest since it was promoted to the national league. On the other hand, it was determined tonight that Urbani Raanana will end the current season in the lower house. After a considered first half, the visitors went out for a 2:16 run in the third quarter and did not look back until victory. Jonathan Moore was great with 24 points and led the winning scorer who scored 27 points from bursting attacks. In the playoff quarterfinal series, Hapoel Hevel Modiin will meet Elitzur Netanya.
Many scored for Raanana: Brandon Sherwood 27 points, Jason Seagers 21 points, Yahel Melamed 13 points and Yarin Einhorn 8 points.
Hapoel Hevel Modiin often scored: Yonatan Moore 24 points, Jimmy Hall 18 points and 17 rebounds, Shoham Gat and Lace Dunn 15 points each, Shmuel Malkov 9 points and Amit Alon 8 points.
Hapoel Afula – Maccabi Ashdod 77:86
Hapoel Afula came to this game when it was not critical for them, as they secured sixth place. Despite this, the team from the capital of the valley came out on top thanks to 10 threes at 50% and 27 points from Caron Dshields. The Ashdodites ran away towards the end of the half, but in the third quarter had a hard time producing points and saw Hapoel Afula take the lead until the end. The team from the port city will meet Migdal Haemek / Jezreel on Friday for a critical underground battle.
Scorers for Hapoel Afula: Caron Shields 27 points, Michael Holyfield 13 points, Roi Nazia 11 points, Alon Sapir and Anton Shotbin 9 points each.
Scorers for Maccabi Ashdod: Roman Rubinstein 21 points, Chris Ortiz and Raviv Pitchon 14 points each, Arthur Rosenfeld 10 points.
Maccabi Ma’ale Adumim – Elitzur Ashkelon 73: 101
Maccabi Ma’ale Adumim on the way to staying in the league. Yair Gvirtz’s team completed a double victory over the Southerners tonight with a tremendous offensive display, despite the lack of Yanir Binyamin and in fact eliminated Elitzur Ashkelon’s chances of reaching the top playoff. Jaylen Canty led five players in double figures, while the visitors recorded 12 losses that cost them 22 points.
Scored up red: Jaylen Kanti 20 points and 18 rebounds, Yonatan Rabinovich 19 points, Simcha Halpert (6/11 from the field) 17 points, Dor Anavi 13 points and Kate Braxton 12 points.
Scored for Elitzur Ashkelon: Storm Warren and Daniel Rosenbaum 18 points each, Mark Lyons 14 points and DJ Sharp 9 points each.
Elitzur Netanya – Maccabi Hod Hasharon 56:79
An easy victory for Ruben Neiberger’s team, which actually guarantees seventh place at the end of the season. The visitors started the game very badly and scored only nine points in the first quarter, and in the second quarter the diamonds galloped forward to a double-digit advantage that was maintained until the end of the game. Shahar Lazar and Chen Guy returned to the squad and provided 8 and 3 points respectively. On the other hand, Maccabi Hodash is close to being officially relegated after 18 consecutive years in the national league.