Hapoel Tel Aviv beats Ness Ziona to reach Winner Cup final

Hapoel Tel Aviv met Ironi Ness Ziona on Saturday in the Winner Cup semifinals in Holon, and following two EuroLeague victories, defeated them 79-76 to move closer to a first domestic title. The Reds landed in Israel with a full squad and fielded a relatively strong roster, although Elijah Bryant and Vasilije Micic, who played extensive minutes during the EuroLeague double week, were left off the gameday squad. Hapoel Tel Aviv’s registered foreign players stood out: Eugene German hit five three-pointers in the first half and finished with 17 points, Antonio Blakeney shone in the clutch with 21, Tai Odiase finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds, and Ish Wainright added 17 of his own in an excellent second half. Ness Ziona arrived after a perfect start to the season so far and with a roster built to contend at the top of the standings. Despite putting up a fight and showing determination, they were left to regret crucial missed free throws. Scored for Hapoel Tel Aviv: Antonio Blakeney 21, Eugene German 17, Ish Wainright 17, Khadeen Carrington 7, Tai Odiase 7, Max Heidegger 6, Bruno Caboclo 4. Scored for Ness Ziona: Josh Christopher 17, Jackson Rowe 14 points and 11 rebounds, Vincent Amsellem 11, Justin James 9, Spencer Weisz 8, Freddie Gillespie 8 points and 8 rebounds, Paris Lee 6, Bnaya Sror 3. Game flow First Quarter: Eugene German hit two quick three-pointers to give the Reds an early 8-0 lead. He later sank a third three-pointer to make it 11-5 for Hapoel, but Jackson Rowe and Justin James drove easily to the rim to help Ness Ziona take a 14-11 lead with a 9-0 run. The Reds tied it at 17-17, but a great fast break by Ness Ziona with a behind-the-back assist from Vincent Amsellem to Josh Christopher finished in a dunk, making it 21-17 for the spirited Whites. A Bnayahu Srur layup set the score for the quarter at 23-19 for Ness Ziona. Second Quarter: The Reds also started the second quarter off target, but luckily for them, Ness Ziona missed repeatedly from beyond the arc as well, and Odiase tied it at 26-26 with a mid-range jumper 5:34 minutes before the break. Vincent Amsellem drove effectively and immediately added a three-pointer, scoring five straight points to make it 31-26. Christopher drove to expand the margin to 33-26, and Itoudis immediately called a timeout with 3:40 remaining in the quarter. It was at this point that the Reds responded well with an 11-3 run, with German sinking a three-pointer from beyond the arc 1:17 minutes before the break to make it 37-36 for Itoudis’s team, which also woke up defensively. Right before halftime, German hit his fifth three-pointer (5-for-6), making it 40-37 for Hapoel Tel Aviv at the half. Third Quarter: At the start of the third quarter, Caboclo hit a three-pointer, Carrington scored five straight points (including a three-point play), and Wainright added a three-pointer of his own as Hapoel went up 51-46 after 3:33 minutes in the quarter. However, Ness Ziona did not give up, and Jackson Rowe cut the deficit with another effective drive, with only missed free throws preventing the Whites from taking the lead. Wainright added another three-pointer, but Spencer Weisz hit a three-pointer that cut the gap to 54-53 with 3:40 left in the quarter. Blakeney compensated for a bad day from beyond the arc with drives and efficiency from the foul line, Wainright added his fourth three-pointer, and Hapoel finished the quarter with a 64-57 lead. Fourth Quarter: Wainright opened the fourth quarter with his fifth three-pointer (5-for-6), giving Hapoel a double-digit 67-57 lead. Over? Not quite. Amsellem responded with a three-pointer of his own, Weisz hit a difficult three-pointer as he fell, and Amsellem capped off a 9-0 run with his own three-pointer as Ness Ziona trimmed the deficit to 67-66 with 5:42 left on the clock. Christopher completed the comeback and an 11-0 run before Blakeney hit a three-pointer to stop the momentum and make it 70-68 for Hapoel. The Reds woke up, German found Odiase under the basket, and the big man converted a layup to make it 75-70 for Hapoel Tel Aviv with 2:15 remaining. Ness Ziona cut it to 75-72 and went on offense looking to tie, but Blakeney came up with a steal and immediately added a three-pointer that made it 78-72 for the Reds with 59 seconds left. Jackson Rowe hit two from the line, Christopher added a dunk, and Ness Ziona closed to 78-76 with 18 seconds remaining. Hapoel got the ball for an inbounds play under the basket, and Blakeney nearly lost it to Paris Lee - but after a lengthy review, the referees ruled the ball belonged to the Reds. Caboclo went to the line with 5.9 seconds left, hitting only one to make it 79-76, but on the other end, Paris Lee missed twice with 2.8 seconds remaining, leaving Ness Ziona to finish the game 12-for-21 from the foul line. Final score: 79-76 for Itoudis.