The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute surprises and upsets. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.
The most crucial game of the last round was another loss of top-ranked M.Raanana (19-4) in Rishon Le-Zion on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by third ranked M.Rishon (15-7) 81-67. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. M.Rishon made 24-of-30 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. 25 personal fouls committed by M.Raanana helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of American forward DJ Burns (201-2001, college: YSU, agency: Players Group) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds. His fellow American import guard Qua Grant (185-1999, college: SHSU) contributed with 19 points and 6 rebounds (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winners. American Tyler Wideman (203-1995, college: Butler) answered with 21 points and 7 rebounds for M.Raanana. M.Raanana’s coach Shai Segalovich rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. M.Rishon have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place. M.Raanana at the other side still keeps top position with four games lost. M.Rishon are looking forward to face Ramat Hash. (#3) in Ramat Hasharon in the next round, which may be the game of the day. M.Raanana will play at home against H.Kfar Saba and is hoping to win this game.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Ramat Hash. (15-8) against fourth ranked Hapoel Eilat (14-8) on Friday night. Visiting Ramat Hash. was defeated by Hapoel Eilat in a tough game in Eilat 78-85. American guard Gerald Hannahs (191-1993, college: Arkansas) stepped up and scored 29 points for the winners and Brandon Huffman chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hapoel Eilat’s coach Daniel Gutt allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the losing side point guard Amit Alon (180-2000) responded with 26 points. Hapoel Eilat have an impressive series of five victories in a row. H.Eilat maintains fourth place with 14-8 record. Ramat Hash. at the other side dropped to the third position with eight games lost. H.Eilat will play against H.Izrael (#10) in Nazareth in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Ramat Hash. will play at home against the league’s second-placed M.Rishon (#2) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Bottom-ranked Otef Darom is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their 23th consecutive match to eleventh ranked H.Kfar Qasem (10-13) 85-78 on Wednesday evening. Taylor Adway nailed a double-double by scoring 13 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Vince Cole came up with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks for Otef Darom in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. H.Kfar Qasem moved-up to tenth place, which they share with H.Izrael. Otef Darom lost their twentieth game in a row. They still close the standings. H.Kfar Qasem will meet higher ranked E.Yavne (#7) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Otef Darom will play against I.Nahariya (#6) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Other games in round 25 were not that significant. E.Shomron was beaten by E.Ashkelon on the road 86-77. H.Kfar Saba lost to E.Yavne on its own court 88-104. H.Safed Galil managed to outperform I.Nahariya in a road game 83-79. M.Rehovot managed to beat H.Izrael at home 87-74. H.Kfar Saba crushed Otef Darom on the opponent’s court 84-59.
The most impressive performance of 25th round was 16 points and 10 rebounds by Omer Sade of H.Kfar Saba.
H.Kfar Qasem – Otef Darom 85-78
Bottom-ranked Otef Darom is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their 23th consecutive match to eleventh ranked H.Kfar Qasem (10-13) 85-78 on Wednesday evening. H.Kfar Qasem outrebounded Otef Darom 41-28 including 28 on the defensive glass. H.Kfar Qasem looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American center Taylor Adway (205-1996, college: Ferris St.) nailed a double-double by scoring 13 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and naturalized American point guard Paul Delaney (188-1986, college: UAB) accounted for 12 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. American swingman Vince Cole (198-1998, college: Coastal) came up with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks and Jamaican-American center Kareem Reid (204-2000, college: Gardner-Webb) added 14 points and 5 rebounds respectively for Otef Darom in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. H.Kfar Qasem moved-up to tenth place, which they share with H.Izrael. Otef Darom lost their twentieth game in a row. They still close the standings. H.Kfar Qasem will meet higher ranked E.Yavne (#7) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Otef Darom will play against I.Nahariya (#6) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Otef Darom: V.Cole 24+8reb+7ast, K.Reid 14+5reb+3ast, K.Goncharov 12+1reb+2ast, Y.Abouloff 12+2ast, O.Shelef 10+2reb+3ast, N.Mintz 4+3reb
H.Kfar Qasem: A.Sade 16+1reb+2ast, H.Butler 16+5reb+1ast, T.Adway 13+14reb+5ast, P.Delaney 12+7reb+7ast, B.Ivri 11+6reb+2ast, D.Misgav 9+4reb+2ast
gschID: 1243381
E.Ashkelon – E.Shomron 86-77
No shocking result in a game when eighth ranked E.Ashkelon (12-11) beat at home 13th ranked E.Shomron (6-17) 86-77 on Wednesday. American Cody Riley (206-1997, college: UCLA) nailed a double-double by scoring 15 points and 12 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import point guard Larry Thomas (188-1993, college: BSC) accounted for 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Thomas is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top summer league for players who want to play basketball overseas. Four E.Ashkelon players scored in double figures. American guard Remy Abell (193-1992, college: Xavier) came up with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and forward Ori Cohen (200-2005, agency: Avi Zilberman) added 22 points respectively for E.Shomron in the defeat. E.Shomron’s coach Dror Cohen tested ten players in this game, but that didn’t help. E.Ashkelon maintains eighth place with 12-11 record, which they share with H.Safed Galil. Loser E.Shomron keeps the thirteenth position with 17 games lost. E.Ashkelon will meet H.Safed Galil (#9) on the road in the next round. E.Shomron will play against M.Rehovot (#5) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
E.Shomron: O.Cohen 22+3reb, R.Abell 15+9reb+4ast, A.Zabelin 9+7reb+2ast, I.Crawley 9+7reb, R.Behar 8+5reb, E.Shulman 6+3ast
E.Ashkelon: L.Thomas 18+7reb+4ast, C.Riley 15+12reb+3ast, D.Najar 14+5reb+8ast, L.Berman 12, T.Cohen 11+5reb, A.Suss 7+8reb+2ast
gschID: 1243382
H.Kfar Saba – E.Yavne 88-104
Very expected game when 12th ranked H.Kfar Saba (8-15) lost at home to seventh ranked E.Yavne (12-10) 104-88 on Wednesday. E.Yavne looked well-organized offensively handing out 34 assists comparing to just 19 passes made by H.Kfar Saba‘s players. Naturalized American power forward Eli Abaev (203-1998, college: FGCU) nailed a triple-double by scoring 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the winning side and naturalized Polish guard Gal Gilinski (195-1995, agency: Avi Zilberman) accounted for 11 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists. American forward Jalen Canty (203-1995, college: UCSB, agency: Haylett Sports) came up with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds and the other American import point guard Devon Thomas (183-1994, college: Texas Tech) added 17 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists respectively for H.Kfar Saba in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Newly promoted E.Yavne maintains seventh place with 12-10 record. H.Kfar Saba at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the twelfth position with 15 games lost. E.Yavne will meet at home H.Kfar Qasem (#11) in the next round. H.Kfar Saba will play against the league’s leader M.Raanana having rather not much hope for a victory.
Top scorers:
H.Kfar Saba: J.Canty 22+14reb, B.Uncha 18+1reb+1ast, D.Thomas 17+5reb+11ast, B.Aken Matan 14+9reb+3ast, N.Lempert 12+4reb+2ast, O.Sade 3+1reb+1ast
E.Yavne: E.Abaev 24+11reb+10ast, B.Tabb 23+2reb+4ast, T.Gipson 16+9reb, N.Rosenberg 13+2reb+2ast, G.Gilinski 11+10reb+16ast, O.Kholi 11+1reb
gschID: 1243383
H.Eilat – Ramat Hash. 85-78
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Ramat Hash. (15-8) against fourth ranked Hapoel Eilat (14-8) on Friday night. Visiting Ramat Hash. was defeated by Hapoel Eilat in a tough game in Eilat 78-85. H.Eilat dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Ramat Hash.‘s 30. H.Eilat had a 20-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. American guard Gerald Hannahs (191-1993, college: Arkansas) stepped up and scored 29 points for the winners and his fellow American import center Brandon Huffman (208-1998, college: Jax State, agency: BIG) chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hapoel Eilat’s coach Daniel Gutt allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the losing side point guard Amit Alon (180-2000) responded with 26 points and American forward Ira Lee (203-1998, college: Arizona) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds. Four Ramat Hash. players scored in double figures. Hapoel Eilat have an impressive series of five victories in a row. H.Eilat maintains fourth place with 14-8 record. Ramat Hash. at the other side dropped to the third position with eight games lost. H.Eilat will play against H.Izrael (#10) in Nazareth in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Ramat Hash. will play at home against the league’s second-placed M.Rishon (#2) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Ramat Hash.: A.Alon 26+3reb+2ast, I.Lee 12+14reb+3ast, A.Williams 12+5reb+6ast, H.Halfon 11+2reb+2ast, R.Avneri 8+4reb+1ast, O.Shefer 3+2reb
H.Eilat: G.Hannahs 29+2reb+1ast, B.Huffman 16+10reb, A.Tilghman 12+5reb+4ast, T.Porat 9+5reb+1ast, O.Ashkenazi 7+4reb+1ast, I.Eisendorf 6+8reb+3ast
gschID: 1243384
I.Nahariya – H.Safed Galil 79-83
There was a small surprise when ninth ranked H.Safed Galil (12-11) won against on the road 6th ranked I.Nahariya (13-10) 83-79 on Friday. American guard Dachon Burke (193-1997, college: USA) nailed 38 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 9 assists for the winning side and the former international power forward Daniel Koperberg (208-1997) accounted for 13 points and 8 rebounds. Yanir Binyamin (188-2000, agency: BIG) came up with 25 points (made all of his seven free throws) and American-Nigerian center Temidayo Yussuf (201-1996, college: LBSU, agency: Slash Sports) added 13 points and 7 rebounds respectively for I.Nahariya in the defeat. The victory was the third consecutive win for H.Safed Galil. They moved-up to eighth place, which they share with E.Ashkelon. Loser I.Nahariya keeps the sixth position with ten games lost. H.Safed Galil will meet at home E.Ashkelon (#8) in the next round. I.Nahariya will play against Otef Darom and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
I.Nahariya: Y.Binyamin 25+3reb+3ast, T.Yussuf 13+7reb+2ast, T.Levinson 12+3reb+6ast, I.Shaul 9+6reb+2ast, I.Davidi 6+3reb, T.Frazier 6+3reb+6ast
H.Safed Galil: D.Burke 38+5reb+9ast, D.Koperberg 13+8reb+2ast, J.Augustin-Fairell 10+2reb+1ast, D.Sharp 9+4reb+3ast, T.Hadad 6+5reb+2ast, R.Levinstein 3+2reb
gschID: 1243385
M.Rehovot – H.Izrael 87-74
Not a big story in a game when 10th ranked H.Izrael (10-13) lost on the road to sixth ranked M.Rehovot (13-9) 87-74 on Wednesday. M.Rehovot made 19-of-20 free shots (95.0 percent) during the game. M.Rehovot outrebounded H.Izrael 39-25 including a 29-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. M.Rehovot looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. American forward Demetrius Treadwell (201-1991, college: Akron) nailed a double-double by scoring 31 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists (made all of his seven free throws) for the winning side and guard Dolev Drapic (191-1992) accounted for 11 points and 6 rebounds. Four M.Rehovot players scored in double figures. Point guard Ido Shabat (182-1999) came up with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 12 assists and American forward Brandon Edwards (201-1991, college: UT Arlington) added 18 points respectively for H.Izrael in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. M.Rehovot moved-up to fifth place. Newly promoted H.Izrael keeps the tenth position with 13 games lost. They share it with H.Kfar Qasem. M.Rehovot will meet E.Shomron (#13) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. H.Izrael will play against H.Eilat and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
H.Izrael: B.Edwards 18+2reb+1ast, I.Shabat 17+1reb+12ast, A.Menachem 10+3reb+3ast, M.Fuxman 9+4reb, K.Bracy-Davis 9+5reb, G.Shterenberg 5+5reb
M.Rehovot: D.Treadwell 31+11reb+5ast, T.Peled 15+1reb+2ast, K.Anthony 13+6ast, D.Drapic 11+6reb+3ast, S.David 8+5reb+5ast, Y.Veshler 4+3reb
gschID: 1243386
M.Rishon – M.Raanana 81-67
The most crucial game of the last round was another loss of top-ranked M.Raanana (19-4) in Rishon Le-Zion on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by third ranked M.Rishon (15-7) 81-67. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. M.Rishon made 24-of-30 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. 25 personal fouls committed by M.Raanana helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of American forward DJ Burns (201-2001, college: YSU, agency: Players Group) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds. His fellow American import guard Qua Grant (185-1999, college: SHSU) contributed with 19 points and 6 rebounds (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winners. Burns is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American Tyler Wideman (203-1995, college: Butler) answered with 21 points and 7 rebounds and guard Efi Tyomkin (190-2000, agency: BIG) added 8 points, 8 assists and 4 steals in the effort for M.Raanana. M.Raanana’s coach Shai Segalovich rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. M.Rishon have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place. M.Raanana at the other side still keeps top position with four games lost. M.Rishon are looking forward to face Ramat Hash. (#3) in Ramat Hasharon in the next round, which may be the game of the day. M.Raanana will play at home against H.Kfar Saba and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
M.Raanana: T.Wideman 21+7reb+1ast, G.Joshua 10+3reb+1ast, E.Tyomkin 8+2reb+8ast, Y.Ohayon 7+2reb+2ast, A.Leder 6+2reb+2ast, J.Hall 6+5reb
M.Rishon: D.Burns 22+16reb+3ast, Q.Grant 19+6reb+3ast, J.Freund 16+6reb+5ast, M.Romanov 9+2reb+5ast, J.Coblin 7+2reb+3ast, A.Reuven 6+2reb+3ast
gschID: 1243387
Otef Darom – H.Kfar Saba 59-84
Everything went according to plan when twelfth ranked H.Kfar Saba (8-15) outplayed on the road bottom-ranked Otef Darom (0-23) 84-59 on Friday. H.Kfar Saba outrebounded Otef Darom 49-35 including a 37-26 advantage in defensive rebounds. H.Kfar Saba looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. American forward Jalen Canty (203-1995, college: UCSB, agency: Haylett Sports) nailed a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import point guard Devon Thomas (183-1994, college: Texas Tech) accounted for 13 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Four H.Kfar Saba players scored in double figures. American swingman Vince Cole (198-1998, college: Coastal) came up with 12 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) and forward Yonatan Abouloff (195-2005) added 12 points respectively for Otef Darom in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Newly promoted H.Kfar Saba maintains twelfth place with 8-15 record. Otef Darom lost their twentieth game in a row. They still close the standings. H.Kfar Saba will meet league’s leader M.Raanana on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Otef Darom will play against I.Nahariya (#6) and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Otef Darom: Y.Abouloff 12+4reb+2ast, V.Cole 12+8reb+3ast, K.Goncharov 11+2reb+1ast, A.Sela 9+1reb+2ast, O.Shelef 5+3reb+2ast, K.Reid 5+10reb+1ast
H.Kfar Saba: J.Canty 20+11reb+2ast, O.Sade 16+10reb+1ast, D.Thomas 13+6reb+11ast, B.Uncha 13+5reb+2ast, N.Lempert 8+2reb+3ast, S.Gorman 6+3reb+2ast
gschID: 1255334
