State Cup surprises galore in quarterfinals

Israel State Cup play took center stage this week in the local basketball world as the quarterfinal field was narrowed down to the Final Four, which will take place in May.

Not only were there some stunning results and surprises on the court, but Hapoel Tel Aviv also parted ways with head coach Danny Franco following the Reds’ loss to Hapoel Jerusalem.

Hapoel Jerusalem just got by Hapoel Tel Aviv 84-79 in a highly charged affair that saw plenty of sparks fly.

Tempers flared when Khadeen Carrington stepped over Bar Timor, which saw both teams exchange words both during the game and then after it concluded, but Jerusalem exacted a bit of revenge following its brutal league loss to Tel Aviv just a couple of weeks ago.

Hapoel Tel Aviv raced off to a quick lead led by Kyle Alexander, but Zach Hankins came back with a huge second quarter to give the Capital City Reds a 37-31 lead heading into halftime.

Carrington and Levi Randolph helped Jerusalem pull away, but John Holland and Braian Angola tried to will the visitors back into the game in the final frame. However, their efforts came up a bit short as the Jerusalem hosts took the win.

Hankins scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an MVP performance while Randolph scored 19 points and Carrington went for 18 points in the win. Alexander led Tel Aviv with 17 points while Angola added 13 points and Holland scored 12 points in the loss.

Following the game sports director Yonatan Alon spoke about Zach Hankins and the performance that he put in, which was reminiscent of his MVP season last year.

“Zach played well in the game against Karsiyaka and he has had some medical issues throughout the season. Plus with the many flights, for such a big man it wasn’t easy. This was a big part of the reason why he was not playing as he did in this game.”

Hankins also spoke about the victory.

“We know what happened the last time we played them and I was here that time as well. There are a lot of things that we are trying to improve, but we came back to our defensive principles and our identity and we can do even more. We beat a great team and we can beat every team in Israel. This team can win every game all the way through the end of the season.”

“This was a terrific game, tough and physical as both teams came into the matchup knowing that this was for a place in the State Cup Final Four,” Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Danny Franco said. “Playing Jerusalem at this stage on the road was not easy, especially after we finished first in the league in the first round of games. With a big effort, we got back into the game near the end and we battled all the way until the last possession.”

Less than 24 hours after the game, Franco was relieved of his duties and was replaced by assistant coach Barak Lederer on an interim basis.

In other State Cup play, Maccabi Tel Aviv overwhelmed Maccabi Ramat Gan from the get-go to notch a 104-72 triumph as half-a-dozen yellow-and-blue players scored in double digits to ease the club into the semifinals.Wade Baldwin scored 17 points, Rafi Menco added 13 points and captain John DiBartolomeo chipped in with 12 points in the win. Isaiah Miles scored 19 points to pace Ramat Gan and Kendall McCullum checked in with 14 points in the loss.

“We did a good job on defense,” Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Oded Katash said. “In the first quarter, our shots didn’t fall but we did what we wanted to on offense, which was fine. We played against a very dangerous team and we have to give them credit, but we came into the game and did what we needed to do.”

Menco also spoke about the game:

“We aren’t taking this game for granted whatsoever and we have to work hard every day in order to continue to improve our play and to ensure that we win. We played really well defensively and we pressed them into turning the ball over.”

“You can’t turn the ball over 25 times against a team like Maccabi Tel Aviv,” Ramat Gan coach Shmulik Brenner lamented. “This was very disappointing as I felt that we weren’t there and I need to know why that was the case. This was all in all not a very good game for us.”

Meanwhile, Hapoel Beersheba stunned Hapoel Holon 88-83 to advance to the final four of the competition as JaKeenan Gant scored 23 points in the victory.

In addition to Gant, Grant Shefield scored 16  in the win, while Kevin Hervey added 23 points and Justin Smith scored 16 points in the loss.

“It’s never easy to come to this incredible arena,” Beersheba head coach Oren Aharoni said. “We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this game as we had just played a few days ago. The guys deserve credit as we were in this all the way from the beginning of the game and we were focused defensively.”

Egor Koulechov spoke about the win.

“Since Oren Aharoni arrived, we have been going through a process and he has changed the team. As someone who has been with the team from the beginning of the season, I can say that we had many tough games and we lost due to the small details. I believe that these tough times are behind us.”

Up north, Ironi Kiryat Ata slipped by Ness Ziona 84-80 as Amin Stevens starred with 33 points to help Sharon Avrahami’s team advance to the semifinals of the Israel State Cup.

In what was a tight game throughout the 40 minutes, Kiryat Ata was able to stay ahead of visiting Ness Ziona with strong play by Stevens on the offensive side of the ball. Guy Palatin and Raz Adam also made a big difference on the defensive side to help the hosts punch their ticket to the next round of play.

Along with the 33 points from Stevens, Adam scored 14 points and Akiva Pruitt added 12 points in the win. Itay Segev paced Ness Ziona with 15 points and Jerome Meyinsse scored 14 points in the loss.