Watch Ramla’s victory over Rishon LeZion up >>
The cup week we had last week ended with a historic title for Hapoel Rishon LeZion, which lifted a trophy for the first time in its history, and tonight (Thursday) the focus is back on the battle for the championship plate in the Women’s Premier League. In today’s early game, Maccabi Ashdod defeated Maccabi Haifa 68:79 and with a 0: 3 sweep was the first to get a ticket to the final. Later tonight, Hapoel Rishon Lezion defeated Hapoel Rishon Lezion 74:80, and went up to 1: 2 in the series.
Maccabi Haifa – Maccabi Ashdod 79:68
Victory of experience. The well-known cliché that tradition has meaning is unequivocally expressed in this series. The expectation of seeing a stubborn battle in this series, which may go to five games was dashed, when tonight Ashdod completed the work, and achieved a big away victory, which left behind the disappointment in the cup last week, giving it a chance to end the season with a title.
Ashdod held the lead at the end of the first quarter, and later on the host match sat on the tail of the Ashdodites, but at no point was able to regain the lead. The gap between the teams was a double-digit advantage in most stages of the last quarter, and less than a minute before the end, Omri Zirlin realized that a loss was inevitable, and made three substitutions to give the bench players minutes, and in fact gave the signal for celebrations in Ashdod.
Eden Inbar, who returned to the southern team in the middle of the season, can be very proud that he managed to take a shuffling team that had a balance of four wins and four losses, and turn it into a powerful team, which in this series proved the gap between an established club like Ashdod and a club still trying to establish Himself at the top of Israeli basketball. Victoria Vivians was also the star of Ashdod tonight, leading her team’s scoring list with 22 points, and alongside her stood out May Dayan and Kelsey Boone who finished with 13 points each. On the other hand, Crystal Wen recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds, which failed to prevent the end of a disappointing evening, for a season that could be the beginning of the story of Maccabi Haifa as a permanent member of the top of the Premier League.
Elitzur Ramla – Hapoel Rishon Lezion 74:80
Hapoel Rishon LeZion had four days of peace after winning the state cup last Thursday, and after tonight’s game there is no doubt that Ziv Erez’s team will want to leave behind the title celebrations, to leave themselves a chance for another title this season. Despite the euphoria Rishon LeZion showed no signs of euphoria, and in the first four minutes of the meeting she sniped five threes, and 7 minutes into the first quarter already led 12:23. At this point, Rishon LeZion was stopped, and Ramla’s 0: 9 run left the teams tied 23:23 after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter continued to be close, with Jenny Sims executing the lead in the first on the one hand, and Alyssa Barron and Crystal Dangerfield on the other, and at the end of the half the visitors led by a point. With the opening of the second half, Ramla showed dominance thanks to its ability to pick up a rebound in the attack, and alongside the shooting outside the Ramla arc, it rose to the decisive quarter with a 58:62 advantage.
The team of the top continued to hold the advantage throughout the last quarter, and less than a minute before the end Noga Ettinger missed a three that could have narrowed the gap to a point, but the ball hit the ring, and on the other side Alyssa Baron’s impressive shot locked the game, and Ramla finished the evening with her hand On top. Dangerfield stood out for the host with 24 points, with Emma Cannon (21 points) and Baron (16 points) assisting her. Sims showed that the injury she suffered at the beginning of the series was already behind her with a huge double double of 31 points and 11 rebounds, and Dakia Cohen and Christy Block finished with 12 each. Now, Ramla is a victory away in the final, and the fateful game this coming Thursday.
