Israeli basketball is back as Maccabi Ramat Gan stunned Hapoel Tel Aviv 109-102 in overtime on Saturday night, punching its ticket to the Winner Cup semifinal where it will face the winner of the Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Herzliya quarterfinal matchup.
The Tel Aviv Reds came out strong with plenty of points from Bruno Caboclo, but Amin Stevens kept Ramat Gan hanging around during the first half. Joe Ragland, Marcus Foster, Oz Blayzer, and Guy Palatin helped keep Stefanos Dedas’s team ahead down the stretch, but Stevens continued to score, and Roi Huber’s clutch 3-pointer as time wound down in the fourth quarter sent the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Adam Ariel hit several deep shots to secure the shocking win for Shmulik Brenner’s team.
Stevens led the way with 30 points, Ariel added 24, and Huber scored 21 in the win. Ragland scored 21, Caboclo contributed 19, and Marcus Foster added 18 in the loss.
Hapoel, which played without its “Big 3” of Patrick Beverley, Ish Wainwright, and Johnathan Motley, will now turn its attention to the EuroCup opener on Tuesday night when it heads to Joventut Badalona for a matchup in Barcelona.
“A lot of credit for this win goes to Roi Huber and Amin Stevens, while Adam Ariel scored just at the right time,” Brenner said. “Amin is a very smart player. For me, it gives a lot of confidence because he really understands the game. Roi is a central player for us, and it was very important to bring him in during the summer. The injury to Kendale McCullum last year hurt us, but this was an impressive game from a young and promising Israeli player. We want to compete with everyone, and as we say in the locker room, ‘We respect everyone, but we fear no one.’”
“We did everything we could to lose the game,” Dedas lamented. “Missed free throws, made fouls when we didn’t need to, and we paid the price for a lack of experience and players who don’t know pressure. We missed free throws, gave them easy ones, and allowed and-one baskets. The crucial difference was that we needed to switch on the screen set for Adam Ariel. We didn’t have Bentil after his technicals. These aren’t excuses, but we looked like we would win for 35 minutes. This loss will be a lesson for the future.”
Stevens reflected on his team’s victory.
“It was a great game, a hard-fought win, and I’m happy for the team. The preseason has been rough for us, a little shaky, but I think today shows we can live up to our potential. Once we clawed back and the game got close, we knew the pressure would be more on them than us. Their bigs are tough and physical, great offensively. My goal was to come and give a lot of effort, and whatever happens, happens. For us, we want to compete in both the Champions League and the domestic league. Top 3, 4, or 5 in both is the goal.”
Blayzer also reflected on the loss.
“It’s very disappointing. This shouldn’t have happened. We needed to finish the game off, but we’ll look at the video and see what we can improve. We missed some free throws as well. We have a long season ahead, and Tuesday, we have a super important EuroCup game. But overall, it’s disappointing because we want to win all of the available titles.”
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
