Winner Cup glory: Maccabi Tel Aviv edges Ramat Gan in nail-biter

Maccabi Tel Aviv hung on to defeat Maccabi Ramat Gan 86-83 on Sunday night to capture the Winner Cup. Jaylen Hoard was named MVP as he paced the yellow-and-blue early on, while Levi Randolph’s clutch play late helped close out the three-point victory.

Oded Katash’s squad came out of the gates scoring at will as Hoard, Tamir Blatt, and Roman Sorkin all found points with ease to head into halftime with a 48-36 lead.

However, Shmulik Brenner’s team controlled the third quarter as Roi Huber, Amin Stevens, Kendale McCullum, and Adam Ariel put Ramat Gan in front 62-61 after 30 minutes.

Maccabi, without an injured Tamir Blatt – who went down with an apparent knee injury at the start of the final frame – pulled ahead thanks to David DeJulius and free throws down the stretch by Levi Randolph and John DiBartolomeo to close out the win.

Randolph scored 20 points, Hoard added 17 points, DeJulius put in 15 points, and DiBartolomeo scored 11 points in the victory. Huber scored 16 points, Stevens chipped in with 15 points, while McCullum and Ariel each scored 11 points in the loss.

“I’m happy that we reached our goal of winning the game,” Katash said. “We controlled the first half, but then we had some issues in the third quarter. Ramat Gan also deserves credit for that. We are concerned about Tamir Blatt and his injury, as he just returned, so we hope it’s not too serious.”

winning the Cup

“We’re disappointed. We started the game off a bit rough,” Ramat Gan’s head coach, Shmulik Brener, began. “But as a team that is in the top league for just a second season and competing for a title, we should be proud. We were able to match their intensity and aggressiveness. They also went 16/17 from the line and hit all of their free throws down the stretch, which is expected from a team of their level.”

Hoard also spoke about winning the Winner Cup and his MVP performance.

“It feels amazing. I’ve said a few times that I’ve been here in Israel for three years, and I haven’t won anything yet, so it feels really exciting. The block I made near the end of the game was a big play. I anticipated Isaiah Miles’s shot, which helped us sew up the win. It doesn’t surprise me how I’ve been playing, as the coaches have helped me adjust to the Euroleague.”

Ramat Gan’s Benayahu Srur reflected on the game from the losing end.

“We really played tough and battled all the way to the end. We weren’t aggressive enough in the first half, but we all fought so hard together. I come into every game focused and concentrated on what is in front of us as a team. Those who know me know that I’ll come in and put it all on the line. We fought like real lions out there.”