Maccabi Tel Aviv extends unbeaten streak

Maccabi Tel Aviv played a pair of league games within 48 hours and picked up wins in both of them.

First, the yellow-and-blue eased past Hapoel Beersheba 77-62 as 18-year-old Omer Mayer starred in the victory, and center Wenyen Gabriel made his debut, moving the club’s Israeli league record to 4-0 on the season.

Oded Katash’s squad came out on fire as Rokas Jokubaitis and Levi Randolph helped the hosts set the tone, jumping out to a quick 13-0 lead while Mayer began scoring at will to bump the advantage up to 52-32 by halftime as Maccabi cruised to the victory.

Mayer scored 11 points while Randolph, Rafi Menco, and Roman Sorkin all scored 10 points in the victory. Paul Scruggs scored 18 points, Eric Griffin added 14 points, and Iverson Molinar scored 11 points in the loss.

“We made sure that we reached our goals for this game,” Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Oded Katash began. “We started well and did an excellent job in creating a big gap as we took control of the contest. In the second half, we missed a lot of shots, and if a few more would have gone in, the game would have ended with a bigger difference. But we did a good job, and we are being careful to keep the players’ minutes limited, which we did.”

The yellow-and-blue then dropped Hapoel Galil Elyon 73-60, with Levi Randolph proving unstoppable for Maccabi Tel Aviv as it moved its local record to 5-0.

Katash’s squad came out strong and grabbed an early 22-13 lead after the opening quarter as Randolph scored from the inside and outside, Jaylen Hoard found points in the paint, and Gabriel put on an air show for the fans. Rawle Alkins and Lennard Freeman tried to keep the visitors close but to no avail.

Randolph scored 18 points, Sorkin added 11 points, and Dibartolomeo chipped in with 10 points in the win. Alkins scored 15 points, Freeman put in 14 points, and Marcus Carr scored 12 points in the loss.

Mayer looked back on the win and as an 18-year-old playing in the top league.

“I think I could have defended a bit better and also played better on offense as well. As a team, we had some good minutes on defense but still need to work on some things. This is what I wanted to do from a young age, and I have goals that I want to reach, but for now, I’m enjoying the journey as we go along.”

Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel Aviv steamrolled Hapoel Afula 85-62 thanks to a superb second half in which it outscored the visitors 45-25 to stay perfect in Israeli league play with a record of 4-0.

Patrick Beverley nailed his shots from deep to begin the game for the Reds, while Bruno Caboclo and Marcus Foster scored at will as Tomer Ginat and Antonio Blakeney closed out the victory.

Stefanos Dedas’s team came into the game without star center Johnathan Motley, who had cleaned out his locker and was seemingly headed to Red Star Belgrade without the club’s approval. However, the Serbian team has denied having any interest in the player, and there are also reports that he is heading back to Hapoel Tel Aviv. The bench boss had a new guard in Blakeney, who just joined the club to provide additional scoring.

Foster scored 15 points, Caboclo added 12 points, and Ginat chipped in with 10 points in the win, while Jalen Lecque scored 13 points, and Justyn Mutts put in 10 points in the loss.

Dedas explained how his team picked up the victory.

“We were serious for most of the game, and we didn’t give up more than 15 points per quarter. I was satisfied with our defense and with our 9 blocked shots. We only had a day to prepare and still won by over 20 points. The game is now over, and we have to continue with our next game in the EuroCup.”

Also, Hapoel Holon crushed Elitzur Netanya 97-64 as the Purples took a double-digit lead by halftime thanks to tremendous play from Elijah Mitrou-Long, while Marcus Bingham scored at will in the third quarter to put away the game.

Bingham scored 18 points, Mitrou-Long added 17 points, and Netanel Artzi scored 14 points in the win, while Eric Romero scored 12 points, and Carlos Marshall put in 10 points in the loss.

Holon head coach Guy Goodes discussed the victory.

“After the last game against Jerusalem on the road, one that no one enjoyed, from the fans to management, we knew that we needed to bring more energy and to play together. We saw some good things in this game as to how and why this team was put together. We are continuously working on this, and while it was nice to see dunks and showtime, we have to make sure we translate that to future games as well.”

At Gan Ner, Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 89-81 as Jared Harper scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to help the Reds secure the win.

Yonatan Alon’s squad jumped out to an early lead with Noam Dovrat and Jeremy Morgan finding the basket, but Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Ish El-Amin responded, giving the hosts a 69-67 edge in the final frame.

However, Harper began scoring in bunches, hitting two three-pointers to put Jerusalem back in front, adding free throws, and a key three-pointer from Chris Johnson helped close out the victory.

Following the game, reports surfaced that guard Speedy Smith asked to leave the club due to his reduced role since Harper joined over the summer.

Harper led the scoring with 23 points, while Gaby Chachashvili and Morgan each scored 13 points in the win. Nzekwesi scored 21 points, Ben Moore had 17 points, and El-Amin added 16 points in the loss.

In Kiryat Ata, Kiryat Ata defeated Bnei Herzliya 93-78, with six players scoring in double figures to help Eldad Bentov’s team pick up a second win in a row.

Silvio De Sousa scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Chavaughn Lewis added 17 points, and Yuval Sznajderman contributed 14 points in the win. Xavier Sneed scored 22 points, and Ethan Burg added 17 points in the loss.

Finally, Maccabi Ramat Gan defeated Hapoel Haifa 89-79 in a game that was never close, as the hosts jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Adam Ariel and Drew Crawford scored 17 points each for Ramat Gan, while DeAndre Pinckney led Haifa with 16 points in the loss.